Ijaz Ahmed Chatha immigrated to Canada in 1997 and has lived in Surrey since. After many survival jobs, he gained further credentials from UBC, then became a successful realtor.

Ijaz is married to Lubna and they have four children attending different levels of schooling. One daughter has special needs.

Ijaz was a school teacher in Pakistan before coming to Canada, He earned a diploma in Business Management and received outstanding achievement awards for real estate.

Ijaz  also volunteers with the Pakistani Canada Cultural Association and other community groups.

In 2005, Ijaz ran as an independent for Surrey Council. He is now running with the SCC for school trustee because he learned about problems in the education system, especially around the need for smaller class sizes and more resources for special needs children.

Ijaz favours a constant dialogue process that includes parents, children, teachers, trustees and other education experts.