Get to know the new federal Conservative candidate for Milton, Nadeem Akbar.
He spoke with myFM News for the first time since being nominated.
Akbar describes himself as a proud family man.
He says he’s worked with local youth as a mentor, and has fundraised and volunteered his time for hospitals like Credit Valley and Trillium. He’s also an active cricket and soccer player in his spare time.
How did an IT specialist get into politics? Akbar says he wanted to give back to his community. Concern for his children’s future also led him to putting his name in the hat for the federal Conservatives. He feels things have changed significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He hopes to bring more support to local businesses that have been struggling this last year – should he win in the next federal election.
Akbar will be going up against current Milton MP Adam van Koeverden. The next federal election is expected for the fall of 2023, pending any surprises. van Koeverden won his current position by beating former Milton MP Lisa Raitt in the 2019 federal election. Akbar says Raitt is leaving some big shoes to fill as the Conservative federal representative for Milton. Raitt was at one point the Deputy Leader of the federal Conservative Party. He hopes he can fill those shoes.
The federal Conservative Party is now led by Erin O’Toole. Akbar says he worked with O’Toole on his campaign throughout the GTA. He calls O’Toole a “great leader, compassionate person who is hardworking and very humble.”