Chungsen Leung was born in Taipei, Taiwan on July 14, 1950.[1] He pursued his secondary education in Japan.[2] As the international community gradually recognized the mainland People's Republic of China in the 1960s, he feared that he could become stateless as a person born in Taiwan.[3] He immigrated to Canada in 1968, where he received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in economics and business at Carleton University.[4][5] Leung later earned a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Management and Engineering from the University of Southern California.[5]
Business career
Leung is an entrepreneur with business experiences in disaster mitigation management, urban mass transit projects, building environmentally friendly houses, air & water purification systems, sports equipment retailing and red deer farming. Chungsen also has business experience in the tourism and hospitality sector.[citation needed]
He was a business owner and chief executive officer of four Richmond Hill small and medium size enterprises, as well as, a past director and audit chair of the Xenos Group,[6][failed verification] a Toronto Stock Exchange listed public company in software development and engineering, and a director with Active Growth Capital.[7][failed verification][8][failed verification]
His international business experience includes being a member of numerous federal and provincial trade missions during the last two decades; the Toronto-Chongqing Sister City Twinning Mission; organizing the 1st Team Richmond Hill Mission to Asia Pacific; Richmond Hill – Shijiazhuang Sister City Twinning Mission, a member of the Advisory Board for Ontario Export Inc. and the bid team leader to host the 1997 World Chinese Entrepreneur Convention in Toronto.[citation needed]
Leung has been: founding president of the Richmond Hill & Markham Chinese Business Association, a corporate cabinet director of the Conservation Foundation of Greater Toronto, a member of the Richmond Hill Naturalist, a director of the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce and numerous other bi-lateral trade or business related associations.[9][10]
Leung is a director of the York Central Hospital Foundation, and a director of the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority Foundation.[11]
Leung was elected to the House in 2011 as the MP for Willowdale, and has served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism since May 25, 2011.[1] During a meeting organized by The Association of North American Ethnic Journalists & Writers in January 2015, Leung was questioned over the closure of the Canadian embassy in Iran and was recorded saying: "Let me ask you, if you like Iran so much, then why do you come to Canada?" during a heated exchange.[14] Although Leung's staff indicated that this could have been the result of a miscommunication during cross-talk, it was a comment which angered some of those present, and Leung sent an email statement shortly after the incident stating that it was not his "intention to offend anyone. I regret if some attendees felt offended."[14]
Chungsen Leung is married to Deborah Chute, and together they have one child, Elysia.[5] He has lived in the Willowdale riding for over two decades.[4]
Chungsen Leung is a cross country skier, a scuba instructor, an Eagle Scout and the Parliamentary Liaison to Scouts Canada.[citation needed]
In 2003, Leung and his wife, Deborah Chute, received five national "Green" awards for building their energy efficient and environmentally friendly house in Richmond Hill. These awards are: Enerquality Corporation for a super R-2000 house, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for a healthy home, Canadian Home Builder Association for best environmental practices, Enbridge for low gas consumption guarantee, and Enerwork for being one of the first to use solar energy heating.[citation needed]
