Hubert Badanai


Hubert Badanai, born Umberto Badanai; was a Canadian automobile dealer and politician. He was the first Italian born member of Canadian Federal Parliament.
Born in Azzano Decimo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, to a Jewish-Italian Father and Italian Mother. He moved to Canada when he was 18 and worked at a brickyard in Rosslyn. He later opened a successful car dealership and became an alderman in Fort William, Ontario for 9 years and mayor for 8 years. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Fort William in the 1958 federal election. A Liberal, he was re-elected in 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1968. From 1963 to 1964, he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works. From 1964 to 1965, he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.