He was born in 1966 and raised in his hometown of Aaiha in Rashaya al-Wadi, where he absorbed authentic customs and traditions. He was brought up in a Druze family on Eastern principles that maintain the cohesion of family relations and the strength of bonds between villagers.
He received his primary education in Beirut's public and private schools, including the National School, Mar Maroun School, and the Uruguay School.
He immigrated to Canada in 1990 and married Iqbal Salim Ammar in 1991, with whom he has two children, Tarek and Yazen. He worked as a businessman in manufacturing and marketing and was involved in a furniture distribution company (Axxess Furniture Inc.) based in Edmonton, a field in which he worked for 12 years. He received several economic awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to the development of the Canadian economy, in addition to other honors from the Canadian government and associations active in the field of human rights.
Aboultaif joined the Conservative Party of Canada in the province of Alberta and is considered the most prominent Arab figure in that province.
He won the 2015 Canadian federal election by a margin of eight thousand votes over his rival, becoming a federal MP in the Canadian House of Commons, the first time a Lebanese person has held this position at the Canadian level.
During a visit to his native home, Lebanon, he was invited to several honoring ceremonies, most notably a private ceremony at the Druze Community House by the Lebanese Sheikh Akl office, presided over by Sheikh Naim Hassan. We have quoted the following details about the ceremony from the Sheikh Akl office website:
His Eminence the Sheikh Akl of the Druze Unitarian Community, Sheikh Naim Hassan, and the Druze Community Council honored the Canadian MP of Lebanese origin, Ziad Aboultaif, and the accompanying delegation, during a meeting at the Community House in Verdun, Beirut. The meeting was attended by members of the Community Council's Board of Directors: Secretary-General Attorney Nizar Al-Barad'i, Head of the Expatriate Committee Mr. Camille Sarieddine, Head of the Cultural Committee Sheikh Dr. Sami Aboul-Muna, Head of the Social Committee Attorney Ghada Jumblatt, Head of the Legal Committee Mr. Nashat Hilal, and several members of the Community Council, in addition to the Director General of the Community Council Mr. Mazen Fayyad, Director of Endowments Mr. Nazih Zeour, several heads of departments in the General Directorate of the Community Council, and the Druze judge Sheikh Nasouh Haidar. It was an occasion where everyone discussed the affairs and concerns of the Lebanese diaspora, and how to activate means of communication and cooperation between Lebanon and its children in countries of settlement, specifically in Canada.
During the meeting, Sheikh Hassan commended the achievements of MP Aboultaif in Canada, wishing him continued success and progress, and hoping he would effectively contribute to strengthening the relationship of Lebanese expatriates in general, and members of the Druze community in particular, with their land and motherland, with their cultural, national, and social belonging, and their adherence to their roots and authenticity. He also emphasized building on existing relationships between our country and the countries of emigration to contribute to the development and growth of Lebanon and to enhance its presence in various forums.
Furthermore, the Head of the Cultural Committee, Sheikh Dr. Sami Aboul-Muna, delivered a speech on behalf of the Community Council, in which he stated: “We meet with you today in this house, which is filled with its people and what it symbolizes, the house of the Druze Unitarian community, to honor the son of this house and this community, the Member of the Canadian Parliament, Mr. Ziad Aboultaif. This is an expression from His Eminence, the Community Council, and all participants of appreciation for a man from our country who, through his diligence, effort, perseverance, and loyalty to the country that embraced him and his fellow Lebanese, was able to reach a parliamentary seat and earn the trust of the Canadian society he represents. This is a sign of authenticity and moral commitment to the causes of people and society, and proof of the ambition of the Lebanese expatriate and his ability to compete fairly. The honoring is also an expression of pride in a monotheist man from the Banu Ma’ruf who carried, alongside his expertise, knowledge, and ambition, the message of his fathers and grandfathers and the precious values of monotheism, storing them in his heart to be a provision wherever he went and a weapon against the hardships of time, through which he achieves victory and writes success after success.”
Aboul-Muna added: “Greetings to you, Ziad Aboultaif, from the flourishing Taym Valley to the noble Mountain. Greetings to you from your house that is proud of you and those like you, which awaits your support and contribution to carrying its cultural, social, and national message. We count on you to always be a role model in your work and humanitarian roles, in various positions and stances, and that the longing remains in your hearts for your motherland, even while you struggle sincerely for your second country and raise its status. Lebanon looks to you, and your roots within it refuse your separation from them. Your community grows stronger through you; this community which has existed here for more than a thousand years has remained firm through the steadfastness of its men and remained strong through their unity and the bond of blood and spirit between them, and it will remain so with the help of God Almighty and the determination of the officials, the capable, the benevolent, and the loyal among its children.”
Sheikh Aboul-Muna continued:
My people, the Banu Ma’ruf, for them the time has been kind, and with every pride, it chants.
My people, the Druze, wherever they go, they have a good reputation and a shining history.
In Syria, in the Golan, in the Mountain that repelled the invaders and still rebels.
And across the expanse of glory from Aleppo to the reach of Palestine, the scene appears.
My people, and the hills of Lebanon know them, they are the people of loyalty, and everyone among them is a master.
We have in the world of expatriation brilliant knights, who from their roots were supplied.
We protect the den even if we emigrate, as long as we have a heart or hand of monotheism.
We build bridges as monotheists, unified and ready for what tomorrow will bring.
Nothing in the world separates us, and despite our different directions, we unite.”
For his part, MP Aboultaif thanked His Eminence Sheikh Naim Hassan for his positions and constant efforts for communication, emphasizing the authenticity of the Lebanese communities in Canada and the efforts of the Lebanese for the prosperity and progress of the countries that embrace them. He pointed to the strength of the relationship between the Lebanese communities and their relatives in Lebanon, and the work to develop and build bridges of cooperation and meeting.
At the end of the meeting, the Head and members of the Community Council presented him with an honorary shield.
