Ahsanul Hafiz, a Bangladeshi-Canadian businessman and political organizer, is seeking the Ontario Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest, a provincial riding recently vacated by Doly Begum, who has since become the first Bangladeshi-born Canadian Member of Parliament.

Hafiz came to Canada as an international student in 2002, studied at the University of Windsor, and later built a business career in Ontario.

But his candidacy has triggered intense debate within the Bangladeshi community in Canada. Community leaders, political activists, and individuals familiar with Ontario Liberal Party circles say his nomination bid has become controversial because of his political family background in Bangladesh.

Ahsanul Hafiz’s father, Comrade Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, was known in Khulna political circles as a labour leader associated with the pro-China communist activities in Bangladesh.

Referring to his past social media activity, a Toronto-based Bangladeshi lawyer said a dossier circulating within the community, contains screenshots attributed to Hafiz in which he appears to support the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami leaders such as Delwar Hossain Sayedee and Abdul Quader Mollah. The material also includes posts that appear to celebrate executions and use harsh language toward political opponents in Bangladesh.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the lawyer said, “This issue has become a significant concern, as Canada’s public policy is firmly opposed to the death penalty. Canada has assented to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which aims at the abolition of capital punishment, and the federal government has consistently maintained a clear stance against it.”

Hafiz’s critics say how can someone who publicly supported hanging political opponents in Bangladesh seek office under a Liberal banner in Ontario, where human rights, due process, pluralism, and opposition to capital punishment are core political values.

“Hafiz’s supporters may argue that the posts are old, politically contextual, or related to Bangladesh’s war crimes trials. But that explanation does not answer the central question: whether a person who endorsed death as political punishment has adequately explained how those views align with Canadian democratic values today”, says a community organiser.

Hafiz’s neighbours in Khulna say they have long-standing family and political connections with Awami League figures, including individuals close to Obaidul Quader, the former Awami League general secretary and former minister. Quader was among the former Awami League officials named in complaints relating to alleged crimes against humanity and genocide following the 2024 uprising in Bangladesh.