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Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia
- Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
- Affiliation: Independent Senators Group
- Telephone: 613-943-3676
- Email: Mohamed-iqbal.ravalia@sen.parl.gc.ca Electronic card
- Staff: Polowin, Sarah; Vibien, Emily
Biography
On June 1st 2018, Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia was appointed to the Senate upon the recommendation of the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He represents the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Senator Ravalia is a respected physician, medical educator and has strong community ties to Twillingate, NL.
Mohamed Ravalia was born and raised in the southern African country of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He immigrated to Canada in 1984 and practiced Family Medicine in Twillingate, NL until his appointment to the Senate in June 2018.
Senator Ravalia attended the Godfrey Huggins School of Medicine in Rhodesia where he earned his Medical degree ( MB.ChB.) in 1980. He completed his Certification in Family Medicine (CCFP) in 1992. He is currently a Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (FCFP).
His passion for teaching medical students and residents was rewarded with an appointment to the position of Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Memorial University. He was subsequently promoted to Assistant Dean of the Rural Medical Education Network, where he was tasked with the role to enhance a distributed medical education program in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Senator Ravalia has served on a number of committees of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Medical Council of Canada. He has also had a lengthy involvement with the Atlantic Provinces Medical Peer Review process and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association. He was appointed to the council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of NL and represented the Canadian Distributed Medical Education group at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
He has received a number of awards including the Order of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal, Canadian Family Physician of the Year and several community teaching awards.
His community engagement has included involvement with the local minor hockey executive, community outreach initiatives, and fundraising for the Lions Club and support of the Anglican Church Sunday school program.
Senator Ravalia is a member of the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Fisheries and Oceans, as well as the Joint Committee on Library of Parliament.
Actively participating in global parliamentary dialogue, Senator Ravalia is involved in numerous multilateral and bilateral Parliamentary Associations. He is an Executive Member of the Canada-Africa and Canada-NATO Parliamentary Associations, and of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He is a member of the Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly. Senator Ravalia is also a member of the bilateral Canada-France, Canada-Japan, Canada-United States, Canada-United Kingdom and Canada-China Parliamentary Associations.
Senator Ravalia is the Senate Representative of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, a non-partisan forum that engages all Parliamentarians in events organized by Research Canada.
Senator Ravalia is a founding member of the African Canadian Senate Group, a coalition devoted to fighting anti-Black racism and discrimination, and engaging with Canadians while advocating for their priorities. He is also a member of the Parliamentary Black Caucus.
Proudly representing the regional interests of his fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Senator Ravalia has a focus on rurality, disenfranchised populations, resource management, eldercare and health needs. As an immigrant from a minority population group, his experience will further enhance his perspective as a Senator.
Senator Ravalia and his wife Dianne reside in Twillingate, NL. They have two sons, Adam and Mikhail.