ABOUT

My name is Mokhles Mokhtar, though I am most commonly known as Mike Mokhtar. I was raised in a family with three generations of business experience, where entrepreneurship, discipline, responsibility, and sound judgment were not abstract principles but everyday realities. Being surrounded by business owners and leaders taught me early that meaningful success is measured not simply by what one acquires, but by what one builds, contributes, and leaves behind.

 

I learned that leadership begins with understanding people—their needs, aspirations, and concerns—and that sound judgment must be grounded in continuous education. At nineteen, this conviction led me to publish a short story, an early expression of my belief in the value of learning, communication, and intellectual curiosity.

 

Building a Life and Career in Canada

In my late twenties, I immigrated to Canada with a clear objective: to establish myself as an accountant, pursue professional certification, build a successful career, contribute to my community, and serve my country. I understood that these goals would require education, perseverance, practical experience, and a willingness to assume responsibility.

 

I worked multiple jobs while pursuing my professional education and building a family. My wife and I raised our two children with an emphasis on education, character, personal responsibility, and a strong work ethic. I am particularly proud that both of our children went on to earn medical degrees. Balancing professional demands with family responsibilities was challenging, but it reinforced one of the principles that has guided my life: achievement has little meaning unless it is accompanied by responsibility to those who depend upon us.

 

In 1997, I earned my CMA designation and began an important stage of my professional career with Roots Canada. There, I worked through approximately 150 acquisitions and witnessed the company's substantial growth, gaining first-hand insight into corporate finance, resource allocation, business expansion, and the difficult but necessary task of balancing limited resources against ambitious objectives.

 

My professional experience subsequently included senior financial and management roles with organizations such as Shoppers Drug Mart, The Salvation Army, Key Interactive (Dollco), and IBInvest. In 2000, I established my own accounting practice in Oshawa while continuing to work with Chartered Accountant firms to broaden my professional experience. In 2004, I served as Chief Financial Officer of IBInvest, working alongside Gary Fitchett, author of the Canadian Finance Handbook. That experience deepened my understanding of business planning and, more importantly, of using financial planning as a practical instrument for management, accountability, and control.

 

Education, Professional Achievement, and Teaching

My commitment to education continued throughout my career. In 2009, I enrolled in York University's Master of Financial Accountability program and completed the degree in 2012. That same year, I obtained my CA designation and public accounting licence.

 

I have remained involved with York University and continue to serve as Co-Chair of the MIAB/MFAc Alumni Advisory Board. In 2015, I began teaching accounting at York University on a part-time basis. Teaching has been among the most rewarding chapters of my career. I am proud to have helped students develop the knowledge, discipline, and professional judgment necessary to succeed, with many of those students subsequently establishing successful careers in accounting.

From 2017 to 2020, I further advanced my tax expertise through CPA Canada's In-Depth Tax Program. In 2021, I began studying law at Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy in California, continuing a lifelong commitment to broadening my knowledge and professional capabilities.

 

Public Service and Political Engagement

My interest in public service has always been rooted in the belief that good government requires competence, accountability, fiscal prudence, and a genuine understanding of the people it serves.

 

My political involvement began with the Progressive Conservative Party. I was a nominee for the Progressive Conservative Party in Scarborough Centre and later served as CFO of the Progressive Conservative Party in my riding. In 2014, I was also a nominee in the Durham Progressive Conservative riding for the Ontario Legislature.

 

Beyond politics and professional life, I have sought opportunities to communicate with a broader audience. I hosted a television program in the United States for several years on CSAT and ABN-SAT, further developing my experience in public communication and engagement.

 

Experience, Service, and Perspective

My career has taken me from accounting and corporate finance to entrepreneurship, taxation, university teaching, governance, public communication, and political service. Each chapter has reinforced the same fundamental conviction: institutions function best when people take responsibility, resources are managed prudently, and decisions are made with both principle and practical consequences in mind.

I have lived in Bowmanville since 1995 and maintain my public accounting practice in Bowmanville, Ontario. After decades of professional and community involvement, I remain committed to the principles that brought me to Canada in the first place: hard work, education, family, personal responsibility, enterprise, and service to others.

 

Canada gave me the opportunity to build a life through work and perseverance. I believe that opportunity carries an obligation—to contribute, to serve, and to help ensure that the same possibilities remain available to the generations that follow.