MEET GOLDIE
Goldie was first elected on June 7 2018. A small business owner, an international trade lawyer, a community volunteer, a youth mentor, a past and current board member, and a proud life-long Ontarian – Goldie is proud and humbled to be your Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Carleton.
Read more about Goldie’s qualifications, experience and education here:
Goldie’s Inaugural Speech in the Legislature
Goldie’s Biography:
Goldie Ghamari is an experienced international trade lawyer and commercial litigator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Common Law.
She was called to the Bar of Ontario in June 2013, and in August 2013 she started her own law practice. Goldie has been in private practice since then, experiencing the same challenges as any small business owners. During her practice, she represented companies across Canada, as well as foreign companies and foreign governments at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal. Her practice took her across the world, from Chicago to India.
Goldie has always been, and continues to remain, actively involved in her community. She is a current board member of the Somali Hope Academy Foundation, a Canadian-led charity that administers a school in Bur Salah, a small town in rural Somalia, providing free education to underprivileged boys and girls.
In the past, she has sat on various executive boards including: as Sponsorship Chair of the Women’s Business Network of Ottawa; Director and VP of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization; and Director of various electoral district associations. She has been a delegate for the Canadian Bar Association at various conferences across Canada, she has been a panelist for various groups including the Ontario Bar Association and Equal Voice. She has conducted free empowerment and leadership workshops for young women, and she has participated in various Ottawa-area charities, races and fundraisers for non-profit organizations.
On June 7 2018, Goldie was truly humbled and honoured to have been voted in as Carleton’s first Member of Provincial Parliament. Goldie is the first woman of Iranian descent to hold elected office anywhere in Canada. Since her nomination on November 5, 2016 as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding of Carleton, she has had the pleasure of meeting with numerous people in the riding. She is looking forward to the incredible opportunity of representing them at Queen’s Park, and ensuring that their voices are heard.
Goldie and her dog Baxter attending the annual Canada Day Parade & Celebration in Osgoode
Goldie’s coming to Canada story, in her own words:
“My parents immigrated to Canada in 1986 – I was only one at the time. They left everything behind in Iran because they believed Canada would give their children a better life and more opportunities. My father tells me that when we landed in Montreal, we only had two suitcases and $50 to our names. My parents worked very hard to build a new life for us in Canada. As new immigrants and then Canadian citizens, they made sure to integrate themselves into Canadian society, and they instilled in my sister and me the importance of respecting and living by our Canadian values.
My father comes from a farming family and he is an electrician, working daily with his hands. After staying at home to raise her two daughters, my mother now gives back to the community by working at a charity for isolated senior citizens. My younger sister is an aerospace engineer.
My parents taught me that the road to success comes through hard work, determination and sacrifice. We have certainly come a long way from where we started in 1986, but I will never forget our humble beginnings.”