Lubomir "Lui" Temelkovski (born October 4, 1954) is a Canadian federal politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Oak Ridges—Markham in Ontario, representing the Liberal Party of Canada. He was first elected in the 2004 federal election and was re-elected in the 2006 election. He was defeated in 2008 and in 2011 by Conservative candidate Paul Calandra.
Background
Temelkovski was born in
Brajcino, and was the first Canadian Member of Parliament of Macedonian heritage. His family emigrated to Canada in 1968. At the time they spoke neither English nor French. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from
McMaster University, and subsequently built a successful career as a businessman in
Markham. Temelkovski became Director of Advisor Development for Freedom 55 Financial, a Canadian financial services company. He has also served as chairman of the Toronto Caravan Festivals.
The government of Ontario honoured Temelkovski's efforts with an appointment to its advisory council on multi-culturalism and citizenship. He received the
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his significant social contributions. Each year, Temelkovski and his family plant trees with the
10,000 Trees organization. He is active in his church community, and was the president of its founding committee.
He is fluent in Italian, Macedonian, and English.
Politics
After his election to Parliament in 2004, Temelkovski was appointed to serve on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He also served as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade.
In the 2008 federal election, he was defeated by Conservative candidate Paul Calandra by 545 votes, or 1.5 votes per poll. In the 2011 federal election, Temelkovski was defeated again by Calandra by more than 20,000 votes.
