Time and time again, we have heard that the reductions and restrictions put into force by this government have not proven effective. We have been told by these witnesses that restricting the number of applicants in the skilled workers category has not been an effective way to reduce the skilled worker class backlog.

We have all heard about the immigration backlog and many of us have experienced the effect of this backlog first hand. But what should the government do to eliminate the backlog?

The current immigration backlog sits at just over 1 million people. That is over 1 million people who are waiting to hear of their Canadian immigration status. The backlog for parents and grandparents who are waiting to come to Canada is in the hundreds of thousands. This is because the number of visas for parents and grandparents issued has been reduced to close to 44%. This past year only 11,000 parents and grandparents were permitted to come to Canada. In 2005 and 2006, the target was 20,000. This is a reduction of 9,000 people.

The backlog for skilled workers has also grown under this Conservative government. In 2005, there was a backlog of 487,000 applications. It now stands at 508,000 applications, showing a growth of 173,000 applicants in the backlog over the past 6 years.

Since their election in 2006, the Conservatives have said that they would reduce the backlog. In 2008, this government passed legislation that gave the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration arbitrary power to enforce what they called “Ministerial Instruction”. Since this time, this power has been used on three occasions; all three times issuing restrictions on either the number of applications received or further restricting who could apply; and all three times the rational used behind these “Ministerial Instructions” was to address the backlog.

Clearly, the steps this government has currently taken to reduce the backlog have not worked. Applicants in the family class and applicants in the skilled workers class are waiting longer and longer.

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration began a study this fall, on this exact issue – the immigration backlog. As a member of that committee, we have heard from many educated and experienced people in this field. Time and time again, we have heard that the reductions and restrictions put into force by this government have not proven effective. We have been told by these witnesses that restricting the number of applicants in the skilled workers category has not been an effective way to reduce the skilled worker class backlog.

Unfortunately, the Conservatives came to committee with pre-determined outcomes. They have not listened to what the committee witnesses have said. They have not listened to the experiences of Canadians who have used our immigration system to move to Canada or to have their families join them here.

Instead, the Conservatives already know what their next plan is to attempt to eliminate the immigration backlog. Effective immediately, the parent and grandparent category of the family class no longer exists. While current applications will remain in the queue, through a Ministerial announcement last week, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will not be accepting new applications to sponsor parents and grandparents until 2014.

While we claim to be a country that supports family reunification, we clearly don’t mean it. Refusing to allow families reunify is not the way to deal with the backlog.

While we know that there is a substantial backlog of family class applicants, we also know that there is considerable inequity in the processing of these applications. Wait times for applicants in Colombo, Manila, and Beijing average about twice as long as those for applicants in any European city. Yet rather than commit to looking for a creative, balanced solution to this backlog, the Conservative government has reverted back to its usual response – cuts.

Working as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge River, I have spoken with many families who have been waiting years and years to have their parents and grandparents join them here in Canada.

We all know the benefits of having our parents and grandparents here with us. We understand the value of reuniting our families.

I am lucky enough to have had my grandparents join my family here in Canada from Sri Lanka. The value they added to my life growing-up cannot be calculated. I cannot imagine my life growing-up without them.

We need to address the existing inequities in the system and develop a creative, balanced and equitable approach to dealing with this backlog. This includes raising the overall level of immigrants that we accept each year to approach 1% of the population.

Removing the parent and grandparent category from the family class is not the way to deal with the backlog. All it does is prevent Canadian families from uniting with their loved ones.

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan, MP (Scarborough-Rouge River)

“I am going to work very hard to impress upon Canadian businesses that they really need to investigate this market, explore this market, don’t go in with both eyes closed.”

Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, wrapped up a week-long trade mission to India on November 9. He visited Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Pune. During the visit, Mr. Fast advocated for closer economic ties between Canada and India and promoted Canadian expertise in agriculture and agro-food, energy and natural resources, infrastructure, information and communication technology, education and manufacturing. The third round of negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between Canada and India will take place on December 13, 14, and 15 in Delhi, with further rounds taking place at regular intervals thereafter.

As far as any future challenges go between Canada and India, Minister Ed Fast said “any free trade negotiations is going to involve sensitivities, different areas where the parties involved have to bring goodwill to the table, and I am confident that provided that both of us bring some high-level ambition to the table, we’ll be able to conclude a satisfactory agreement that will result in a win-win for both country.”

European Union is considering suspending trade talks with India because they say the Indians are pretty tough customers when it comes to negotiating. So given that the world’s largest trading block is having trouble with India, what leads Minister Fast to believe that Canada will be successful.

Minister Fast stated that as trade Minister he has to be optimistic” as well as “realistic.” He noted that there will “tough discussions,” however “you also have to understand that there are a number of very significant complementarities between our countries where there are significant opportunities to grow each other’s economies by removing some barriers to trade, by opening up some new opportunities to trade..”

Moody’s, international credit rating agency, has changed the rating for India’s banking system to negative. But this has not stopped Mr. Fast to lose Canada’s trade ambitions with India.

“In terms of India’s credit rating, I have not sensed in any way there’s been a waning of ambition on the Indian side, as there hasn’t been on our side,” he stated.

The Canadian government has set the target of expanding trade with India to $15 billion in the next few years. Minister Fast is convinced that trade negotiations with India will result removing barriers to trade and investment.

“We are very strong believers that when you remove trade barriers, you create economic growth and build the long-term prosperity of the economy..There’s also perhaps a lack of awareness among Canadian businesses as to the opportunities that India presents. It’s such a huge market, but it’s unfamiliar to Canadians. It’s unfamiliar business environment, unfamiliar laws and regulatory schemes, and that’s why in my role as trade minister, I am going to work very hard to impress upon Canadian businesses that they really need to investigate this market, explore this market, don’t go in with both eyes closed. Do your due diligence, know there are going to be challenges, perhaps identifying a key, trusted partner in India will help you penetrate this market and also make sure you’re patient as it often takes a while before you achieve a traction that’s going to make you successful in this market,” stated the Canadian Minister of International Trade.

By Bhaswati Ghosh

While many countries are struggling to keep their economic head above water, the Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are travelling around the world attempting to diversify Canada’s trade portfolio without pause or consideration for the concern of Canadians. Already Canada has completed two rounds of trade negotiations with India without any input from citizens.

Canada clearly stands to gain from a trade agreement with India. With a surging economy, India could be a profitable destination for Canadian goods and services. The Canadian government is reporting that Canada and India each stand to gain $6 billion annually in trade from a successful Free Trade Agreement. New Democrats understand that new international markets will build our economy and sustain more quality jobs in Canada. New Democrats also recognize our country’s strong ties to India and the important contributions made by Indo-Canadians, enriching our communities and strengthening our economy.

Like any trade deal, however, the devil is in the details and the government needs to be transparent in any talks with India. It is reported that the negotiations have hit a few stumbling blocks. On issues like rules of origin, labour, and the environment, Canada and India are far apart. As the government works to resolve these impasses, Canadians deserve to be consulted and know what offers the government has on the table and what we stand to gain and lose from any trade deal.

A trade agreement with India can create jobs at home or they can ship them overseas. We need to ensure that industries that stand to gain from an agreement with India will be supported by our government so that our value-added goods can successfully compete in the Indian market. Canada needs to work with industries negatively affected by any trade agreement so that they can make the transition into new markets.

Unfortunately, when signing trade deals, the Harper Conservatives forget that it was progressive social and industrial policies that fostered the family-supported domestic economy and ensured that it survived in the competitive global market.

As Canadians, we also need to think about the way our trade agreements reflect upon our standing in the international community and our values as a nation. When done right, trade agreements can respect and promote environmental rights. They can also work to improve labour standards and strengthen human rights abroad.  Unfortunately, when New Democrats stand up to the government to speak on these important issues, we are accused by the Conservatives of being “anti-trade” or “protectionist.”

In India, our international reputation is being put into question. Currently, Canada exports thousands of tons of asbestos to India where it is handled by workers without proper safety equipment. Often, workers are poor, illiterate and don’t have access to the education or training for the job, they do not demand better working conditions and are not compensated for serious asbestos-related health issues.  Canada must not use a trade agreement to grow our asbestos industry and increase asbestos exports.

New Democrats understand that trade must be a priority, but only if an agreement delivers a clear net benefit to Canada. This means bargaining for deals that foster quality jobs while making sure environment, labour, and human rights are front and centre.

A New Democrat government would ensure a full and transparent assessment of proposed trade agreements and fully look into their impact on our families and communities. We need a vigorous public debate so that our government can make the most informed choices, for both Canada and India.

Brian Masse is NDP MP from Windsor West. He is also the NDP Critic for International Trade.

“For me, not to take an action, is not an option.”

“The department tells me that they will have a very high acceptance rate [of super visas]. Currently they advised me that 86% of visitor visa applications made by parents and grandparents are approved. They tell me that this program will have a higher approval rate because we have removed a big element of risk of not returning from Canada by requiring acquisition of medical insurance..”

“..Many of them [new Canadians] have no credit rating in Canada, they have depleted their savings, they are working at a survival job and yet they know that in order to become an accountant or lawyer etc. in Canada they have to go back to school and they may not qualify for the Canada Student Loan program. So what we will do for them is to work with banks and non-profit agencies to help create a loan program for them.”

As of November 5^th, 2011, under Phase I of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification, the Government of Canada is not accepting parental or grandparental Permanent Resident (PR) applications. The temporary pause will remain in effect “for up to two years.”

Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) gets about 40,000 parental and grandparental permanent resident applications a year. Of these only about 17,500 are accepted each year. For the years 2012 and 2013, 25,000 parents/grandparents will be allowed to enter into Canada to fight the ballooned backlog of over 165,000 applications.

In making this announcement on Nov 5^th, Mr. Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Multiculturalism said the only way to reduce the backlog of up to ten years’ wait for parents or grandparents to reunite with their families in Canada is to have a temporary pause.

“For me, not to take an action, is not an option,” he stated.

But won’t this temporary pause sour his rapport with the immigrant community? Certainly not, the minister thinks. He substantiates his point by saying, “I’m getting a very positive response to this. I think people understand it is a balanced package.”

The government will also introduce a “Super Visa” for parents and grandparents who would like to visit their families in Canada.

“Super visa” will allow parents and grandparents to obtain a ten-year multiple visa, whereby parents/grandparents would be able to stay with their relatives in Canada for up to 24 months.

“So many families say to me they don’t necessarily want moms and dads or grandparents to immigrate permanently to Canada,” said Mr. Kenney. “They just want them to be able to come and stay for an extended period, to help care for their kids when they are young and also be able to go back home, where they are well settled with other families and friends.”

However, these parents and grandparents may be asked to undergo a medical examination. Getting a private health insurance that is valid for up to two years will be mandatory. This Super Visa will be processed within eight weeks of receiving “the complete application.”

Mr. Kenney also feels the requirement of procuring medical insurance for parents and grandparents will act as sufficient deterrent to potential cases of visa-holders not going back from Canada. “They will be admitted for as long as the medical insurance is valid or up to two years. Within those parameters, I think there will be a very high acceptance rate,” he informed.

Explaining the logic of introducing super visa, Minister Kenney informed Generation Next’s readers that “the reality is that we are offering people through the Super Visa an opportunity to see their parents and grandparents with and eight-week processing time for the Super Visa as opposed to waiting years for the Permanent Residency, and we will reopen the PR program for applications at a higher level of admission than has ever been the case in the past.”

In 2012, CIC will be holding extensive consultations to address the problem of backlog. In an interview with Generation Next, Minister Kenney said that these consultations will be made public.

“There will be discussions publicly probably in January or February, and then we will also launch online consultations at the CIC’s website. We will hold roundtable meetings and public town hall meetings like I did on the issue of marriage fraud. There will be members of parliament from all parties to do that. The Standing Committee of Citizenship and Immigration in the House of Commons is already doing a study on how to address backlogs and look at those ideas so that people can make submissions publicly to the parliamentary review. We will also be making scientific public opinion polling and focus groups.”

How does he respond to reports that the number of refugees admitted to Canada will be reduced?

“..we are increasing the number of UN Convention resettlement refugees that we will accept,” he says, adding, “These are the government assisted and privately sponsored refugees, an inter-operation target amongst those UN refugees by 1,000 next year. Where we expect to see a slight decrease is amongst persons in Canada, those are asylum claimants…”

People whose visas are repeatedly rejected can get frustrated about the discretionary powers of visa officers. Generation Next asks Minister Kenney if there is an appeal process for such people.

While he understands the frustration of those whose visas are rejected again and again, Minister Kenney also believes that the visa officers have a difficult job to do. And while there is the legal option for taking appeals to the Federal Court, the minister admits, not many people use it.

“The important thing,” he says “is that areas where we have high rejection rates are typically the same areas where we have a higher than normal incidence of immigration fraud. So that is why we have put so much emphasis in Pakistan, India, China and elsewhere, on working with those local governments to address the problem of fraudulent immigration agents, whom people pay and then end up with bad advice.”

Visa applications are generally refused citing the reasons like “not strong enough ties with Canada.” Without changing any law, won’t people applying for super visas will hear the same message from CIC.

“The department tells me that they will have a very high acceptance rate [of super visas]. Currently they advised me that 86% of visitor visa applications made by parents and grandparents are approved. They tell me that this program will have a higher approval rate because we have removed a big element of risk of not returning from Canada by requiring acquisition of medical insurance. So this will, I’m told, likely result in a higher acceptance rate, not everyone will be accepted.. The sponsorship family must have a sufficient income to care for their relatives, we’re looking at a cut off of $20,000 a year. They must of course be medically admissible, not have a serious pre-existing medical condition which would constitute an undue burden on the Canadian healthcare system. They will be admitted for as long as the medical insurance is valid or up to 2 years. Within those parameters, I think there will be a very high acceptance rate,” stated Minister Kenney.

Immigration consultants who work closely with the Pakistani community suggest that visitor visa refusal rate from Pakistan is as high as 95 per cent. Minister Kenney categorically denies that. CIC has accepted 52 per cent visitor visa applications from Pakistan in 2011 he told Generation Next.

Phase II of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification will be launched after two years. New applications will be accepted in this phase. Applicants can expect change in criteria at that time.  He discussed with Generation Next several ideas on how to tackle the issue of backlogs. Some of the ideas he has heard “Some suggested that we drop the Australian-New Zealand approach of ensuring that the majority of the parents’ children live in Canada rather than overseas. Some people have suggested that we drop the American approach where if we are going to accept 25,000 people, we take 25 000 applications. Some suggested that if we are going to accept 2, 000 people, we take 50,000 applications and draw from a lottery. Some suggested that we raise the minimum family income requirement to apply for sponsorship, or that we prioritize processing for unattached widowers who have no immediate family members back in their countries of origin. So there are a whole range of ideas out there. All I am saying is that in the future, we cannot cater to 2-3 times more applications and admissions because then the backlog will never stop growing.”

The minister also has set plans to reduce incidences of marriage frauds taking place in the country. A network of migration integrity officers is already in place, working in overseas missions, in order to identify fraud patterns. Besides this, Minister Kenney says, “We will bring in the two-year additional status for foreign sponsors early next year as well as the five-year bar of the ability of the people who came in as sponsored spouses who came in to use the revolving door by divorcing and subsequently sponsoring someone themselves.”

In no uncertain terms, Minister Kenney warns that the cases of domestic abuse will be dealt with. “We will give specialized training to our visa officers to distinguish and identify legitimate cases of domestic violence. We will not do anything to compel or force anyone to stay in these relationships but we also have to keep in mind that sometimes allegations of abuse are invented, so you have to have careful training,” he told Generation Next.

What is his assessment of the success of the Federal Credential Recognition program?

Although he doesn’t have any tangible figures, Minister Kenney feels the scenario is improving. Thirteen different licensed professions have agreed to give applicants across Canada an answer within a year, he says and adds, “Our next step will be to provide the introduction of a program to help provide for small loans for skills upgrade such as additional classes for professionals who need to go back to school in Canada to qualify for jobs in Canada. Many of them [new Canadians] have no credit rating in Canada, they have depleted their savings, they are working at a survival job and yet they know that in order to become an accountant or lawyer etc. in Canada they have to go back to school and they may not qualify for the Canada Student Loan program. So what we will do for them is to work with banks and non-profit agencies to help create a loan program for them.”

Bhaswati Ghosh

Staff Writer

Third time elected Liberal MPP, Linda Jeffrey is excited about her new role as the Minister for Labour and Seniors. Barely a couple of weeks into office, she already has her vision set for the road ahead.

Generation Next asked her what, in her opinion, are some of the concerns faced by our seniors. As the daughter of her own aging parents, MPP Jeffrey understands this issue only too well. In response to this, she says, “One of the things we introduced in our platform was an aging at-home strategy before the election and during the election, we spoke about the healthy home renovation tax credit that would allow seniors, like my parents to put in a stair-lift or a ramp or put in one of those bathtubs that you can step into, rather than step over.”

Speaking of the South Asian community in particular, the new minister of seniors  informs about high incidences of diabetes, an issue she wants to pay special attention to. Her point is that if diabetic patients don’t manage their blood sugar levels, the consequences can be serious, like severe damage to vital systems in the body. This, she feels, can be avoided as monitoring diabetes is fairly easy and can help affected persons lead healthy lives for a number of years. Equipping diabetics in her community with right information is among her priorities.

Newcomers to Canada who lack English literacy and specific professional skills often have to work in exploitative factory conditions. Most of the time, such employees aren’t even aware of their rights. Minister Jeffrey maintains that both employers and employees know their rights. She also feels that in the past people were afraid to talk to the Ministry of labour, and she wouldn’t want that to be the case any longer. “I want people to respect the work that we do,” she says, “but also to feel comfortable about calling us, contacting our offices, and our website is a good place to start.”

The key to improving workplace conditions, according to MPP Jeffrey, is education. She emphasizes, “Employees need to understand their rights, they need to understand that they need to have a safe working environment, they need to talk to their employers, and certainly if they are unable to have that conversation, there are people at the Ministry of Labour who would be happy to chat with them about what the expectations are with regards to a safe working environment.”

A project that’s close to her heart is the much-discussed Peel Memorial Hospital (PMH), which is going to come up in a revamped form, with added features. Her excitement is evident when she says, “I am happy that we are reelected so that we can move forward on that redevelopment because that was something that our government and Peel members felt strongly needed to be supported.”

Besides this major project, MPP Jeffrey also wants to start more mental health and pediatrician-focused services in the Brampton-Springdale riding. Recalling from memory, she mentions how, twenty years back, when one of her sons had a developmental delay, she had to leave Brampton to avail of specified services for the same. “I think in a city of 500,000, you should not be leaving your community to get those kinds of day-to-day services. And I believe these kind of services that we’ll be offering at PMH will help complement those kind of services close to home,” she says.

Another issue that came up during her canvassing in a major way was auto insurance. She feels it was a sweeper issue of the election. She feels strongly about this issue, but also acknowledges that if the solution was that easy, someone would have fixed it by now. However her and her colleagues’ understanding of the issue is not enough to console Ontarians.

Another promise that Brampton-Springdale residents were looking ahead to was the building of a university campus in a high-growth area. MPP Jeffrey acknowledges this and endorses the idea. “I fully support that and I understand that a lot of families in my community would prefer to have their family-members go to a post-secondary institution, whether it’s college or university in Brampton,” she says.

With all those issues in front of her, coupled with a gloomy economic scenario, MPP Linda Jeffrey has her plate full. Given her positive and pragmatic approach, the residents of her riding can look forward to some tangible results in the days ahead.

“Politicians of every party and every stripe know that Canada doesn’t work without immigration. So whereas one government may try to tighten up restrictions on false refugee claimants, the basic thrust has always been a pro-immigration policy for the last forty years in Canada.”

“There are a lot of opportunities (in India), and I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a trade mission from Calgary going to India in the medium term.”

Calgary’s fairly new and dynamic mayor is still an eligible bachelor. As South Asian Generation Next catches up with him at Mississauga Summit at University of Toronto, Mississauga campus, we wonder how 39-year-old Naheed Nenshy continues to be a bachelor, despite his South Asian descent.

Isn’t his mother hunting for a suitable daughter-in-law? The question takes him by surprise and elicits a roaring bout of laughter at the same time. “Oh, my God! Of course, she is! She’s been at it for twenty-one years, I think. She loves it when I travel across the country, because she figures there may be more prospects,” explains Mr. Nenshy.

How does Mr. Nenshy respond to the sensation that he created by becoming the first Muslim to be elected the mayor of a major Canadian city? While he does admit that his election gained a lot of national and international recognition, mostly because of his faith and in some measure because of his ethnic background, he says that only happened after the election. “During the election, in Calgary, the issue of my ethnicity never came up,” he maintains, adding, “Calgary has always been a remarkably meritocratic society, and spreading the word about how well diversity works in a place like Calgary is a really important role for me.” He goes on to say that this is true of all Canada, and Calgary is the ultimate expression of Canadian pluralism.

That’s a refrain we have heard many times before from politicians—how rich and flourishing Canada’s multiculturalism is. Why, then, every time any immigrant friendly policy comes up at any level of the government, there seems to be stiff resistance to it?

In the Mayor’s view, this has more to do with the pettiness of a few small-minded and intolerant individuals and less to do with Canada’s overall endorsement of plurality. He says, “Politicians of every party and every stripe know that Canada doesn’t work without immigration. So whereas one government may try to tighten up restrictions on false refugee claimants, the basic thrust has always been a pro-immigration policy for the last forty years in Canada.”

As an example of Canada’s multicultural engagement, he mentions the debates regarding the naqaab (veil used by some religious communities) or the kirpan. This is an issue Mr. Nenshy feels strongly about, as is clear when he says,

“It’s okay to have these debates—it means we live in a free and open society. But at the same time, we have to reject the small-minded and the intolerance who try to make these into cleavages in our community. The kripan is a good example. Are there spates of kripan-related violence that I am unaware of because it went unreported? Of course, not! But it’s important for us to be able to say to folks who say ‘Let’s ban the kripan in public spaces’—what on earth are you talking about?”

How then, does he respond to instances when the media refers to the murder of young South Asian women in the country as “honour killings?” Once again, he says with conviction, “As a community, we can speak out whether we’re mainstream or minority against things like honour killings…Those things need to be stopped in their tracks.”

Contrary to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Mayor Nenshi is investing dollars in libraries and community centres. How significant are these initiatives?

“Incredibly crucial,” is his prompt response.

His personal life apart, the mayor of Calgary seems to mean business, even as his popularity ratings keep soaring. Having worn a number of hats—corporate professional, academic (he was a professor of nonprofit management) and now politician—he intends to integrate his learning from all these sectors into his vision for a better, more citizen and visitor friendly Calgary. “What’s really been common across all of that (the different vocations) is that my role has always been to try and encourage the success of others. I was a management consultant trying to build businesses to be more successful, I was a professor, trying to make my students more successful and now I get the chance to try and make the whole community more successful,” he says. He also believes his corporate career enabled him to ask tough questions and critically analyze data—skills that are proving vital to the effective discharge of his current role.

As a young politician, who has been compared to Obama, Mr. Nenshy has received praise for his engagement with the youth. According to him, politicians should endeavour to reach out to every member of the community. Contrary to popular feeling, he opines that far from being apathetic to politics, young people such as the ones participating in the “Occupy” movements across the world “deeply care about their future, but they just don’t think that institutions like government can have anything to do with them.” This is where he feels politicians need to do a better job of convincing people of their intent to serve the community. He does have a problem with some of the “Occupy” movement labels though. “I understand Occupy Wall Street, I even understand Occupy Bay Street,” he says, “but when people say Occupy Toronto, or Occupy Calgary or Occupy Edmonton, I think to myself, why do you need to occupy? It’s your community—you live here. Take some action in making your community better, rather than occupying it as though it’s alienated from you.”

Optimistic about Canada’s economy and appreciative of how the country fared during the 2008 and 2009 recessions, the Calgary mayor has some ideas for attracting and retaining young professionals to his city. “Cities need to cut red tape, they need to make it easier to obtain business permits, they need to make it easier for people to start businesses. In addition to that, we also need to create attractive spaces,” he feels and adds, “in Calgary in particular, we’re really investing in what I call the urban fabric, making sure we have attractive neighbourhoods, where young people want to live? That there’s arts and culture and sports and recreation, even great public transit. These things aren’t just good in and about themselves; they are. But they are also really important economic strategies.”

The mayor’s interest in interacting with fellow city dwellers may well be a reason for his soaring popularity graph. Whenever he can, he makes the effort to reach out to people, be it by walking down the road or riding trains and asking commuters about their journey and what can be done to improve public transit.

Despite growing up in Canada, Mr. Nenshy is deeply interested in the region of his origin—South Asia. The only country in the area he has visited so far is Pakistan, where he went in 2001 in connection with an NGO. He still hasn’t been to India, a country he wants to visit. “There are a lot of opportunities (in India), and I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a trade mission from Calgary going to India in the medium term.”

Given his depth of experience across different sectors and his vision for the future, there’s a lot to expect from Mayor Nenshi in the days ahead.

And the hope that he will live up to those expectations.

By Bhaswati Ghosh

Ward 5 Councillor Bonnie Crombie

Malton should be priority neighbourhood.

We’ll keep property taxes as low as possible.

Councillor Bonnie Crombie enters her newly appointed office at Mississauga City Hall with nothing short of a satisfied smile. She quickly chooses to ease herself down upon seeing us on the couches and positions herself. It was difficult to ignore the vibrant personality that her office artfully portrays. With a densely populated collection of photographs of close family members, colleagues and other political members, it is evident that Councillor Crombie is very close to not only her family but also to her Liberal family.

An array of South Asian monuments were also highly visible as she proudly hung her gota dupatta and flower garland behind her desk to compliment the small statue of Ganesh sitting in the background shelf. The former Liberal MP from Mississauga Streetsville has added many of her own personal touches to her workspace and revealed that the overuse in red was mainly the result of it being her favourite colour and her party’s colour.

Her political journey began she admits, in her youth. “I had a friend who was very active and in the Young Liberals Club and his uncle was an MP who later went on to be a senator. So he dragged me into canvassing door to door and to go drop off flyers. So that’s what I did when I was 16 and 17. I then got into student politics at the University of Toronto and I was the vice president of the Young Liberals Club.” With a passion for politics ignited early on in Bonnie Crombie’s career she reveals that her journey with the Canadian politics has now become interwoven in her professional and personal world. She met her future husband through her political engagements also.

As a woman and active political figure, Councillor Crombie states the drawbacks in this equation. “Sure it’s harder..Because most men I knew who had children, the MP’s had wives who were home taking care of their children. And you know my husband also works and he’s a consultant and he travels..But you know, the children understood what I was doing..they understood mummy was working hard on behalf of the community.”

With her determination to make her political career a priority, Councillor Crombie quickly reinforces her platform with us by breaking down her specific 90 day plan. Her plan is already in motion.

To make herself more accessible, “the first thing I’ve done is look for office space in the community centre so that I could be present in Malton one afternoon a week..second of all I’m going to have town hall meetings, both in Malton and in Britannia,” she says excitedly.

She also wants to bring a greater awareness within the police force for Ward 5. Crombie states that “there are police liaisons in the liaison committee but they’ve lapsed. For instance, the one here in 12^th division which services Britannia, they have members from all across the area except for Ward 5..so we need to get that going, we need them to be engaged. It doesn’t exist for them because they have no representation. But we do have a voice. So we have to let them know.”

With her determination to speak with the police force, Crombie further relays that her platform will focus greatly on the Malton region with specific hopes of making it a “priority neighbourhood.”

Malton in particular suffers an unemployment rate that is higher than both the Peel Region and the national average. When asked about her plans to remedy the situation, Crombie reveals that although this is a situation that will need a medium to long term fix there are definite steps she plans to take. “Additional investment for that region will lead into the economic development that’s needed for the job creation strategy. I’ve made a job task force as part of our economic strategy. I’ve already started to look for the right people to sit on the planning committee.”

Councillor Crombie’s “Job Task Force” involves a planning committee that she will put together to be in charge of planning a strategy for Malton. The task force will look to development strategies according to Crombie that will “intensify or de-intensify the right strategy for Malton as a community.” Another plan Crombie hopes will spark an economic upsurge for Malton is her plan to “attract new businesses into Malton first.”

When asked about how she feels about the crime bills introduced by the federal Conservative Party, Councillor from Ward 5 strongly expressed her disapproval of the situation.

“Of course, I don’t agree with them” she admits fervently, “We need to deal with the root causes of crime instead of punishing people. I think it’s wrong headed, I think it’s been proven to be wrong. I think it’s a waste of money in this time of austerity. That we would be investing billions of dollars in prisons when we should be investing those dollars in the communities to help build strong neighbourhoods and strong communities and maybe deal with social service issues like mental health issues, and drug substance abuse problems. If we put money into those kinds of programs I think that will address a lot of crime and create jobs. Jobs that get people working and then there is less crime.”

Councillor Crombie wasn’t as adamant in her views when asked about the property tax hikes in Mississauga reaching possibly higher than 5% increase. “It’s the amount we go in with,” responds Councillor Crombie, “our aim is to keep taxes as low as possible here and keep our city debt free..But at the same time we have to provide the level of programs and services that people want and there’s that balance.”

On other issues however, Councillor Crombie provided a much more concrete answer.

When asked about the progress of the Goreway Bridge project, Crombie was quick in giving an immediate update of the situation. Crombie explains that the delay is mostly tied up on the Brampton end. The delay in the Goreway bridge currently has created a large amount of traffic in the area as Crombie points out. “People are stuck in traffic there everyday and if you make a u-turn you get a ticket. It has been a big source of frustration for the community of Brampton. It should be as a great priority for them as it is for us.” However, she has already spoken to Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell, and the first NDP MPP from Peel Region, MPP Jagmeet Singh.

When asked about whether windrows should be removed in the winter by the City, Councillor Crombie admits this is a new issue that has been brought up repeatedly to her. Her opinion is “Yes. So I think we need to talk to the contractors who do the snow removal on how sensitive people are to the windrows.” With her attention towards the issue assured, Councillor Crombie was confident in conveying that she is aware that issues such as windrows are a hot topic and worth dealing with.

As Councillor Crombie has an array of issues on her plate she also tells Generation Next’s readers that she always makes time for South Asian community organizations. H

aving just arrived from a Gudwara prior to her interview with us, she adds that “certainly I do go often.” With her efforts to build a strong relationship with the South Asian community Councillor Crombie’s fame has grown within the Mississauga region to become somewhat of a household name.

When asked if she would consider running for the Mayor’s office, she redirected the answer without offering her supporters a definite answer. Councillor Crombie instead sticks to her guns and brings the topic where she feels most attention is needed.

“We need to focus on the needs of Ward 5. It’s an area that has been neglected and needs attention.”

With this focused attitude at hand Councillor Crombie gives her supporters much to be comforted with for the future of Ward 5.

By Anna Katryan

As the election results were displayed on TV screen on October 6^th, Dipika Damerla and her campaign sat on the edge making sure that they actually win before congratulating themselves. At the end when the polls closed, Dipika’s campaign was able to save the Liberal seat from Mississauga East-Cooksville.

When asked what her first thoughts are after winning, after a careful thought, MPP Damerla said in an interview with Generation Next “I am very happy that I’ve been able to keep the seat for Ontario Liberal Party (OLP). OLP has achieved a lot and I really believe that there’s a lot more to be achieved yet.”

The newly elected MPP also believes that the world has become an increasingly competitive place. There are only two ways to respond to such competition, either you meet it head on, or shy away from it. “The only party that understands that is the Ontario Liberal Party,” she said.

Additionally MPP Damerla’s value system matches with Ontario Liberal Party in the sense “I am socially progressive and fiscally responsible.”

Residents of Mississauga East-Cooksville have been without the sitting member of the Ontario Parliament after Peter Fonseca decided to run for the federal elections earlier this year. MPP Damerla’s first order of business is to listen to the people of the riding and take their concerns back to her government.

“People of Mississauga East-Cooksville haven’t had the local sitting MPP to listen to them. My first biggest priority is to..open that door, so they people can come anytime to me and I can help them to the best of my abilities,” said the former senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade. She is looking after her constituents from her office at Burnhamthorpe and Central Parkway in Mississauga.

Her second priority is to “to reach out to all the communities.”

And then she wants her government to focus on the fast growing needs of Mississauga as the community continues to grow at the rapid pace.

As an individual, Dipika was “surprised” at less than 50 per cent voter turnout on October 6^th election. However, she believes that the way to encourage voter turnout is to win people’s heart into the fact that their voter matters. Her opinion is that if people intend to vote, they will vote regardless of whether there is online voting and voting process in convenient.

Her experience door knocking has taught her that people regardless of their colour, faith, language they speak want “decent jobs, bright future for their children and healthy community to live in.”

Jagmeet Singh is the first Sikh Canadian to represent Ontario’s New Democrats from Region of Peel in the Ontario legislature.

His first thoughts after winning October 6^th’s election are “I am so overwhelmed, so excited and honoured.”

What he really wants to do in his riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton as an MPP is to find innovative ideas to engage the community. He wants to hold regular discussions and town hall meetings to ensure that youth and the community at large are engaged in the political process. He wants to hear people’s concerns on regular basis and take them to his party as well as to the government.

Many South Asians came out and voted for Jagmeet Singh, the young lawyer, and not necessarily Jagmeet Singh, the  candidate from the NDP.

Has he heard this?

MPP Singh admits he has. Nonetheless he also believes that the NDP’s message of putting people first resonated strongly with constituents of Bramalea-Gore-Malton.

“We [the NDP] will put the needs of people before corporations and insurance companies,” he vowed yet again.

Ontarians have given Liberals a strong mandate, yet it’s not a majority government. Will there be one election after the other like the federal election in the last few years, we asked MPP Singh?

His response in an interview with Generation Next was “I can’t speculate what’s gonna happen,” he stated. “People want a government that works. People have put a minority government in place and we respect their decision. Our obligation and our duty is to make it work. We all have to work together..to meet the needs of Ontarians,” added the young lawyer turned legislator.

How will the NDP work with Liberals?

“I am prepared to work and support anyone who works to get results for people,” promised MPP Singh.

Residents of Bramalea-Gore-Malton have told Jagmeet that their top three concerns are high auto insurance premiums, uncertain employment climate and healthcare with long ER wait times.

And these are the areas he will be focusing on along with giving relief to families. He will also help people “whenever and wherever I could quickly and efficiently.”

Only about 49.1 per cent Ontarians voted on October 6^th. Was he disappointed that less than half of Ontarians decided not to engage in the political process?

MPP Singh says “ I was disappointed..but I wasn’t surprised.”

While many candidates scramble to find a team of volunteers, Jagmeet motivated an energetic young team of more than 200 volunteers to be part of his campaign. He is especially grateful to youth for their energy and hard work.

MPP Singh reassured his constituents that they have voted for and advocate and they will have a strong advocate in Ontario legislature for the next four years.

He also thanked the community for their strong support.

On September 19, 2011, I stood in the House of Commons and participated in the debate concerning Bill C-4, a bill which the government has called “The Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act”. However, in my opinion, this bill is not at all about stopping human smugglers, but rather it is an attack on refugees and on the Canadian Immigration System.

Since being elected as MP for Scarborough-Rouge River, I can easily say that the number one form of casework that is done out of my office is immigration related. And of that immigration casework, there is an unbelievable amount of family reunification cases.

The backlog for parents who are waiting to come to Canada is in the hundreds of thousands because the number of visas for parents and grandparents issued has been reduced to close to 44%. This year there are only 11,000 parents who can come to Canada. In 2005 and 2006, the target was 20,000. This is a reduction of 9,000 people.

This backlog is not the only backlog that exists. This Conservative government claims that it is clearing the backlog for skilled workers, when in actuality the backlog for skilled workers grew. In 2005, there was a backlog of 487,000, and now it is 508,000. This means that in the past 6 years, this backlog has actually grown by 173,000.

This so-called “clearing the backlog” is not working for skilled workers and it is not working for families trying to reunify.

There are hundreds of thousands of people waiting patiently, to come to Canada. This is due to nothing other than a failed immigration policy. Yet rather than amending the immigration policy to deal with the backlogs and the time constraints, the Conservative government uses the scapegoat of refugees, claiming that it is the fault of refugees – they are “jumping the queue and taking the spots of other people” – rather than the fault of failed immigration policy.

What they fail to mention, is that for refugees, there is no queue to jump. When your life or the life of your family is called into question, there is no line. These people must leave their country immediately. Once they are safely in Canada, they must then join the exact same queue as everyone else who wants to gain some sort of status in our country. Through this falsehood of queue jumping, this government creates a divide between refugees and people trying to gain status through other streams of immigration. This “divide and conquer” tactic is one major problem with Bill C-4

A second issue I have with this bill is the power is gives to the Minister of Immigration. This bill distinguishes two different classes of refugees – a regular refugee and a new classification of a “designated claimant”.  The “designated claimants” are described as a group of refugees who have “irregular arrival”. The bill does not say how big a “group” is, so it could be two people or more, nor does it define arriving in an “irregular” fashion. From the historical actions of this government, it is easy to suspect that arriving by boat would be classified as an “irregular arrival”.

This legislation then requires the mandatory detention of all “designated claimants”, regardless of method of arrival, age, or gender of the claimant. Should this bill pass, anyone who is “designated” would be required to be detained for a minimum of 12 months, and can be held for up to five years. After these people are released and approved as a refugee, they are denied permanent residence or family reunification for at least five years after that. This breaches sections 9 and 10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which protect people against arbitrary detention and the right to prompt review of detention. Arbitrary detention is also a violation of a number of international treaties.

Furthermore, should Bill C-4 pass, decisions on claims by “designated claimants” cannot be appealed to the Refugee Appeal Division. This removal of the right to appeal is extremely abhorrent as mistakes can be made in our refugee process, and this appeal process is vital to ensure that these mistakes can be corrected.

There are many more problems with this bill, but at the end of the day, the number one problem is that this bill does not do anything to stop human smuggling. It does not do anything to deter smugglers, further punish smugglers, or to give more power to the appropriate authorities to apprehend smugglers. Instead, it will criminalize refugee claimants, and put them behind bars in detention centres. These proposed actions and arbitrary power for the Minister do not address the issue of human smuggling; it discriminates against refugee claimants and asylum seekers.

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan

MP for Scarborough-Rouge River