Rahim Jaffer

Rahim Jaffer (born December 15, 1971) is the Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the Edmonton-Strathcona district of Alberta. Born in Kampala, Uganda, he originally won his seat as a member of the Reform Party of Canada, which then became the Canadian Alliance, which then merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party. Jaffer is an Ismaili, and was the only Muslim member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2004.

Radio falsity

He is probably best remembered for his gaffe of claiming to do a radio interview, which was actually done by an aide, Matthew Johnston, impersonating Jaffer, as Jaffer had been mistakenly booked for another political engagement at the same time as the interview. Jaffer subsequently apologized for this falsehood, and was suspended from his caucus position for several months. The incident provided much fodder for the satirical current affairs show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, most notably when Rick Mercer performed a rap based on Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady", with the lyrics "Will the real Rahim Jaffer stand up, stand up?"