VANCOUVER — Canada is proudly home to a cornucopia of foreign diasporas, ethnicities, and accents. But a question emerges amidst this mosaic of speech: should basic intelligibility in English be a job requirement for Canadian politicians (outside of Quebec anyway)?To finally answer this burning question, the Western Standard went hunting across Canada for the country’s most unintelligible and least proficient English-speaking politicians..10. Ahsanul Hafiz Beginning the list is Ahsanul Hafiz, who made headlines fairly recently when he defeated former federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith to win the Ontario Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest..The Bangladeshi-born businessman, who arrived in Canada as an international student in 2002 and now owns 30 Domino’s Pizza franchises, has faced widespread online criticism for his heavily accented English. Hafiz ranks tenth because he’s largely intelligible and his English does show signs of improvement — but the viral clips of his post-nomination appearance have still left many wondering how he’ll communicate effectively in the legislature if elected..9. Stephane 9. Stéphane DionMost of the Western Standard newsroom is monolingual and in no position to criticize Francophones' mastery of English on account of our inability to speak in French. However, Dion makes the list nonetheless, as one would reasonably expect someone running for Prime Minister to be fluent and commanding in English.The former Liberal leader and 2008 election candidate speaks with a pronounced Quebec French accent, which is not in and of itself problematic — the bigger issue for Dion appeared to be comprehension.In one widely circulated and controversial clip from a 2008 pre-taped CTV interview with Steve Murphy, Dion visibly struggles with a straightforward hypothetical question about economic policy. He asks the host to repeat it multiple times, produces several false starts, and ultimately fails to understand the fairly straightforward question..8. Jean ChrétienThe former prime minister remains the gold standard for iconic — and often unintelligible — English from a Quebec politician. .Chrétien’s thick French-Canadian accent and unique phrasing became the stuff of legend during his time in office, with memorable gaffes and malapropisms that still get replayed decades later. Even as a veteran communicator, his English often left English-Canada scratching its collective head..7. Jagsharan Singh MahalThe Conservative MP for Edmonton Southeast, who was elected in 2025, has drawn particular attention for moments in committee and public settings where his Punjabi-influenced delivery made his points difficult to follow..The Conservative MP for Edmonton Southeast, first elected in 2025, had his lack of proficiency in spoken English put on full display during an exchange between him and Liberal MP (and Minister) Evan Solomon earlier this year about whether Solomon possessed the proper credentials to be the federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation.Mahal asked Solomon if he had a “regulatory degree,” to which the Liberal MP responded, “Again, I'm not sure what a regulatory diploma is...”.6. Leah GazanThe NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre has a habit of rattling off acronyms that sound less like English and more like a secret kanfguage possibly from outside this planet.In a widely circulated clip from an April 2026 press conference, Gazan passionately decried budget cuts while declaring “the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+.” She delivers the 16-character tongue-twister (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual +) with complete sincerity, as if it rolls off the tongue naturally. Critics online compared it to a WiFi password from an alien civilization..5. Chandra AryaThe former Liberal MP for Nepean — now represented by current Prime Minister Mark Carney — is an Indian-born engineer who arrived in Canada in 2006.He has been the subject of repeated online commentary about his English delivery and accent while openly stating he does not speak French. .Lack of French aside, many listeners have openly questioned whether his command of English meets the standard expected of a federal lawmaker..4. Olivia ChowTopping the list as Canada’s fourth-least intelligible politician is Toronto mayor Olivia Chow. Mayor Chow, who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1970, speaks with a distinctive Cantonese accent that has been subject to international ridicule — most notably by Canadian-born comedian Ben Bankas. .Chow ranks here as she’s less unintelligible than she is comedic in her speech patterns, something some onlookers and observers have suggested could be due to excessive alcohol consumption at public events rather than her accent alone..3. Sukh DhaliwalThe veteran Liberal MP for Surrey—Newton has represented his riding for multiple terms (first elected in 2006, and continuously since 2015).A professional engineer and businessman of Punjabi background, Dhaliwal’s parliamentary speeches have periodically drawn attention on social media and in some outlets for pacing and clarity — or the lack thereof.Somewhat stupefyingly, despite being a sitting federal politician for decades, Dhaliwal's proficiency in spoken English has shown little to no marked signs of progress or improvement..2. Mandeep DhaliwalThe BC Conservative MLA for Surrey North, elected in 2024, is an entrepreneur of Punjabi heritage and has no relation — to this author’s knowledge — to federal MP Sukh Dhaliwal.As a newer voice in the legislature, some observers have noted his speaking style and cadence, which fits a pattern common among many first- or second-generation South Asian politicians in immigrant-heavy ridings.A recent clip of Dhaliwal submitting a private member's bill calling on the BC government to recognize the 1984 Sikh pogroms as a “genocide” received more commentary on his accent than it did on the bill itself..1. Bob Dosanjh SinghLast but not least, the Conservative candidate in Brampton East, and former Brampton mayoral contender, Bob Dosanjh Singh takes our top spot for his unapologetic embrace of the very criticism this list highlights.In a widely shared video, Dosanjh Singh directly confronted critics who said his thick accent made his English too difficult to understand for public office. Rather than disputing the premise, he leaned into it, arguing that Canada and Brampton were built by immigrants who arrived without perfect English yet went on to contribute significantly. .Bob's willingness to own the “un-understandable” label has made him the clear winner, not to mention the most proud and defiant of Canada's top ten most ‘un-understandable’ politicians.
