{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = John Nuraney | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1937|10|31}}<ref name="CdnParlGuide">{{cite web|title=Nuraney, John (Burnaby-Willingdon).|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/nuraney-john-burnaby-willingdon|website=Encyclopedia.com|publisher=Canadian Parliamentary Guide|accessdate=22 November 2016}}</ref> | birth_place = Mombasa, Kenya | death_date = {{death date and age|2016|11|21|1937|10|31}} | death_place = Surrey, British Columbia | constituency_AM = Burnaby-Willingdon | assembly = British Columbia Legislative | term_start = May 16, 2001 | term_end = May 12, 2009 | predecessor = Joan Sawicki | successor = ''Riding Abolished'' | party = Liberal | occupation = Politician & businessman }}

'''John Nuraney''' (October 31, 1937 – November 21, 2016) was a Canadian politician who was the first Muslim elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.<ref name="CP">{{cite news|last1=Canadian Press|title=John Nuraney, B.C.'s first elected Muslim MLA dies; Clark pays tribute|url=http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/john-nuraney-b-c-s-first-elected-muslim-mla-dies-clark-pays-tribute-1.3029764|work=Alaska Highway News|date=2016-11-21|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123170012/http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/john-nuraney-b-c-s-first-elected-muslim-mla-dies-clark-pays-tribute-1.3029764|archivedate=2016-11-23}}</ref> He represented the riding of Burnaby-Willingdon from 2001 to 2009 for the British Columbia Liberal Party.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver/election+results+Burnaby+Westminster/1589626/story.html|title=B.C. election results: Burnaby/New Westminster|last=Grindlay|first=,Kent Spencerand Lora|work=www.vancouversun.com|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en-ca|archive-date=31 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031132950/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/vancouver/election+results+Burnaby+Westminster/1589626/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nuraney first contested the riding of Burnaby-Willingdon in 1996, challenging former Speaker Joan Sawicki. He lost by 823 votes. Upon Sawicki's retirement in 2001, Nuraney captured the riding by over 5000 votes in 2001.

In the 2009 election, Nuraney stood for re-election in the new district of Burnaby-Deer Lake, but was defeated by New Democrat Kathy Corrigan.

== Personal life == Nuraney was born in Kenya, and worked in London, Zurich and Zaire as an insurance professional. He immigrated to Canada from Zaire in 1974 after his assets and business were nationalized by the Zairian government in 1973.<ref name="CP" />

His business investments in Canada included five A&W Restaurant franchises.<ref name="CdnParlGuide" />

After his retirement due to the 2009 election loss, he moved from Burnaby to Surrey, British Columbia. Nuraney served as vice-president for the federal Liberal party's electoral district association for Cloverdale-Langley City.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lang|first1=Jennifer|title=Liberals aiming to make history in Cloverdale-Langley City|url=http://www.cloverdalereporter.com/news/259138411.html?mobile=true|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122155334/http://www.cloverdalereporter.com/news/259138411.html?mobile=true|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 November 2016|work=Cloverdale Reporter|date=2014-05-15}}</ref>

Nuraney spoke six languages: English, French, Swahili, Lingala, Hindi and Gujarati.<ref name="CP" />

He and his wife Gulshan<ref name="CdnImmigrant">{{cite news|last1=Jetelina|first1=Margaret|title=Entrepreneur John Nuraney enters politics to give back to the less fortunate|url=http://canadianimmigrant.ca/immigrant-stories/careers/entrepreneur-john-nuraney-enters-politics-to-give-back-to-the-less-fortunate|accessdate=22 November 2016|work=Canadian Immigrant|date=2011-08-31}}</ref> had three children,<ref name="CP" /> Nick, Asim and Naseem.<ref name="CdnParlGuide" /> One of whom was a federal minister's assistant then a communications executive at Fraser Health.

Nuraney died at the age of 79 on November 21, 2016.

== Electoral history ==

{{Election FPTP begin | title=B.C. General Election 1996: Burnaby-Willingdon}} |- {{CANelec |BC |NDP |Joan Sawicki |10,501 |45.54% | |$35,882}} {{CANelec |BC |Liberal |John Nuraney |9,678 |41.97% | |$46,603}} {{CANelec |BC |PDA |Thomas Reekie |1,161 |5.03% |&ndash; |$210}} {{CANelec |BC |Reform |Sunny G. Sodhi |999 |4.33% | |$28,321}} {{CANelec |BC |Green |Joe Keithley |458 |1.99% |&ndash; |$160}} {{CANelec |BC |Conservative |Peter B. MacDonald|190|0.82%||$100}} {{CANelec |BC |Natural Law |Henriette Toth |74 |0.32% | |$134}} {{CANelec/total |Total valid votes |23,061 |100.00%}} {{CANelec/total |Total rejected ballots |183 |0.79%}} {{CANelec/total |Turnout |23,244 |71.73%}} {{end}}

{{British Columbia provincial election, 2001/Burnaby-Willingdon}}{{British Columbia provincial election, 2005/Burnaby-Willingdon}} {{British Columbia provincial election, 2009/Burnaby-Deer Lake}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thParl/nuraney.htm John Nuraney] Biography at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuraney, John}} Category:1937 births Category:2016 deaths Category:BC United MLAs Category:Canadian Ismailis Category:Kenyan emigrants to Canada Category:Politicians from Burnaby Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Category:Canadian people of Indian descent