Doly Begum

Early Life

Doly Begum was born in the Sylhet region in northeastern Bangladesh. She immigrated to Canada with her parents and younger brother as a child. She was raised in Scarborough, Ontario.

Education and Early Career

Doly Begum studied at the Scarborough Academy for Technological, Environmental and Computer Studies (SATEC @ W.A. Porter C.I.) in the same riding she would later represent. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts. Afterwards, she became a policy analyst for the University of Toronto Students’ Union. In 2015, she completed a master’s degree in Development Administration and Planning from University College London.

In 2016, Begum got involved in the Keep Hydro Public campaign as a coordinator. The campaign was created to oppose Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne’s decision to privatize part of Hydro One in 2015. Hydro One is Ontario’s electricity distributor.

Begum was also vice-chair of the Warden Woods Community Centre in Scarborough.

She was married to Rizuan Rahman, a lawyer and noted figure among Scarborough’s Bangladeshi Canadian community, until his death in September 2024.

Provincial Politics

First Term (2018–22)

Doly Begum was first elected to office during the 2018 Ontario provincial election. She ran for the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Ontario in the riding of Scarborough Southwest. The riding has a large immigrant and Bangladeshi Canadian population. Around 45 per cent of residents are immigrants. According to the 2021 census, 16 per cent of those immigrants are of Bangladeshi origin. Toronto’s historic Little Bangladesh neighbourhood also lies to the immediate west of the riding.

Begum ended up defeating the Liberal incumbent, Lorenzo Berardinetti, who had held the seat for 15 years. She also won the riding with 46 per cent of the vote. In her first Members’ Statement to the Ontario legislature, Begum said she was “proud to be the first Bangladeshi Canadian to be elected in Canada to a House of Parliament.” She felt that voters had “defeated [the] politics of cynicism with hope and love.”

In 2018, Begum became Opposition critic for Early Learning and Childcare and deputy Opposition whip the following year. She aligned herself with the NDP’s party stance in favour of progressive changes to social welfare policies, particularly those aimed at women and immigrants. Her political victories include the establishment of June as Filipino Heritage Month. (See Filipino Canadians.)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Begum frequently criticized Ontario premier Doug Ford’s government. A disproportionately high number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths took place in Scarborough because of its significant low-income, racialized population.

During the pandemic, the media criticized politicians across Canada for travelling abroad. In early 2022, Begum decided to travel to Bangladesh with her husband to visit her mother-in-law.

In a statement, Begum disclosed that her husband had been diagnosed with cancer and that her mother-in-law was ill. “I have placed my responsibilities as an elected representative, and my commitment to follow every public health recommendation, above anything else,” Begum said. “However, in light of the recent deterioration in my mother-in-law’s health and the potential restrictions on my husband’s travel in the coming months due to his treatment, my husband and I have decided to travel to Bangladesh for seven days to reunite with my mother-in-law.”

Second Term (2022–25)

Doly Begum retained her seat in the 2022 Ontario provincial election with 48 per cent of the votes cast.

After her 2022 re-election, interim Opposition leader Peter Tabuns appointed Begum as co-deputy leader of the Ontario NDP alongside Sol Mamakwa.

In 2022, Begum co-sponsored a bill aimed at reducing barriers to foreign-trained health care workers whose international credentials were not accepted in Ontario. The initiative sought to improve Ontario’s health care system, which suffers from significant wait times for emergency visits and routine surgeries, as well as a major personnel shortage. According to a Canadian Press investigation, the Ontario government estimated that the province needed 6,000 more nurses and 24,100 more personal support workers to address these issues in 2022.

Begum stated that by “fixing the international credentials system we can fill the health worker shortage and provide people with the care they need now.”

Begum also co-sponsored a number of other bills alongside her colleagues. She supported legislation aimed at improving car insurance rates and the establishment of an independent agency for consumer rights. On the issue of the environment, she pushed for a law holding fossil-fuel-producing companies legally responsible for the economic costs of climate change.

As deputy leader, Begum defended the Ontario NDP’s controversial decision to remove Sarah Jama (MPP for Hamilton Centre) from the NDP caucus in October 2023. In the context of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Jama issued a statement calling for a ceasefire, describing the living conditions of Palestinians as “apartheid” without informing party leaders beforehand. Begum stated to the Toronto Star that she didn’t think it was “helpful for any member of our caucus to act unilaterally.”

Third Term (2025–26)

During the February 2025 Ontario general election, the Ontario NDP managed to remain the official opposition despite losing seats and vote share. Doly Begum kept her seat with 42.9 per cent of votes.

In addition to remaining NDP deputy leader, Doly Begum also became the critic for Public Transit, Equity and Anti-Racism.

Jump to Federal Politics

In February 2026, Doly Begum made the surprise announcement that she would be resigning from her position as deputy leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and her seat in the Ontario legislature. Instead, she intended to run as a federal Liberal Party candidate. Begum felt that she could do more for her community as a member of Parliament. She also credited Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ability to gather people from across the political spectrum.

In April 2026, Begum won a strong byelection victory in Scarborough Southwest with 69.9 per cent of votes. Her election alongside the Liberal Party’s other victories in Terrebonne and University―Rosedale helped secure the party’s majority status in the House of Commons.