Diversity in the Workplace

Valentine’s Day as we know it today, has had many influences, some pagan, some Christian, and some overwhelmingly cul-tural. The celebration of love for the sake of love, with its symbols of Cupid’s ar-rows, red roses and Valentine’s Day cards, evolved slowly over the last 2,500 years. Historically, Valentine’s Day celebration is traced back to the ‘Feast of Lupercal’, cec-

The History of Valentine’s Day

Februar y 2008 • Volume 1 • I ssue 4 • w w w.thevoiceindiaspora .com • 905.920.1752

“Using the power of the pen to facilitate smooth integration for immigrants into the Canadian society.”

U N I T Y I N D I V E R S I T Y

Is your organization inclusive of ra-cial minorities at all levels? This is a

mind bogging question for each and every organization in Canada, and especially in Hamilton to provide honest answers to. Key players in Hamilton’s political, social, economic, academic, and cultural sectors gathered January 24th 2008 at the LI-

UNA Station in Hamilton to participate in Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) ‘Second Business Forum’ entitled “Diver-sity: Benefits & Challenges presented by Frances L. Tuer, a PHD candidate from Mc-Master University. It was a fact filled pre-sentation of the challenges and benefits of making organizations more diversity fo-

cused. Guest speaker Frances Tuer shared her research findings regarding diversity management in organizations. Some of her research findings show that 85% of Ca-nadian organizations indicated diversity is a priority in their organization, while in fact, only 21% feel the culture of their or-ganization is inclusive. 58% have a stra-

tegic plan for diversity management; less than 40% require employees to participate in diversity training; and only 24% provide incentives and rewards to managers for reaching diversity goals. What these stag-gering facts show is that diversity is not

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On January 27, 2006, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan made the following statement: “There can be no reversing the unique tragedy of the Holocaust. It must be remembered, with shame and horror, for as long as human memory continues. Only by remembering can we pay fitting tribute to the victims. Millions of innocent Jews and members of other minorities were murdered in the most barbarous ways imaginable. We must never forget those men, women and chil-dren, or their agony.”

A Brief Introduction to the Holocaust

Around 1933 to 1945, the Nazi German government tried to veliminate the Jew-ish people and other minority groups

in Europe. The Nazis killed over 5 mil-lion Jews, including 1.5 million children. There were approximately 3 million Jews left in Europe out of the over 9 million

In Remembrance of the Holocaust

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For Blacks:

We celebrate to let our children know they are descendants of great people who left the bondage and scars of slavery and colonialism, bowed, but not broken.

We celebrate because we want to show-case the achievements of the Black race.

We celebrate because we are proud of our heritage as proud, resourceful and talented people.

We celebrate because we want to en-courage our children to believe in them-

selves.

We celebrate to remind ourselves and others of the overwhelming odds that Blacks have overcome to be where they are today.

We celebrate because it is an opportu-nity to share with others our beautiful history, languages, and religions.

MOTHER - AFRICA

Africa is a vast continent blessed with natural resources and rich cultural heri-

Black History MonthCelebrations

February 21st has been proclaimed as International Mother Language Day by UNESCO in 1999. Since 2000, it has been observed throughout the world to pro-mote linguistic and cultural diversity. Now the question is why has February 21st been chosen? Let us get back to the back-ground of February 21st – the language movement of Bangladesh. In brief, when India gained independence from British

rule in1947, it was divided into two states – India and Pakistan. Pakistan had two wings – East and West Pakistan. The major-ity of people in East Pakistan speak Bengali (Bangla) whereas most people in West Pak-istan speak Urdu. Since the birth of Paki-stan, the rulers of Pakistan who were pre-dominantly from West Pakistan motioned to colonize the people of East Pakistan

International Mother Language Day

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yet a priority for many organizations in Canada. The changing immigration pat-terns; aging Canadian workforce, and decline in birth rates in this country are witnessing a tremendous change that will see minorities as majorities in Cana-dian work force in the near future. There is need now for a change in employment policies that would prevent serious cata-strophic employment issues in many or-ganizations who are presently resistant to ideas of inclusive organization.

Some dignitaries that attended the business forum include, the Mayor of Hamilton Fred Eisenberger, Joseph Mancinelli,Vice-President LIUNA Inter-national; Jo-Anne Priel, Director Com-munity Services Department of City of Hamilton, amongst others. Each spoke in support of minority inclusion into key sectors in our community. For them, al-lowing immigrants to use their talents where they are needed simply make good business better.

(See Page 11 for Photos)

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Diversity in theWorkplace

who lived there before the Holocaust. As soon as Hitler took power in 1933, the German government passed laws to re-move Jewish people’s rights as citizens. Ultimately, in German-occupied Europe, the Jews were forced by law to live in spe-cific zones within the cities, called ghet-tos. From there, the Nazis moved many Jews to labour camps and death camps. In addition to Jewish people, the Nazis targeted other minority groups. This included Gypsies, the disabled, politi-cal dissidents, Jehovah Witnesses, male homosexuals, and Soviet prisoners of war. In December of 1942, a single Nazi decree ordered Gypsies from all over Eu-rope to be deported to the death camp in Auschwitz. When they arrived, 16,000 were immediately murdered. Through-out the Holocaust, the Nazis killed about 5 million non-Jews. These crimes finally ended when American troops overpow-ered the Nazis in the year 1945. Many of the survivors were forced to go to Displaced Persons camps because their homes and families had been destroyed. Children were hidden in orphanages throughout Europe, while their surviv-ing relatives struggled to find them. The world has attempted to punish many of the Nazi war criminals. Many were tried during the Nuremberg Trials. However, some of these Nazi officials are still in hiding today.

It is estimated that 3 million European Jews survived the Holocaust. The survi-vors can be grouped into three catego-ries: the over 75,000 who survived the concentration camps; those who lived in hiding or used false identity papers to pretend they were not Jewish; and those who fought in the woods with partisan and guerrilla groups.

After the war was over, the largest part of these survivors immigrated to Israel, and over 92,000 survivors emigrated to the United States and other parts of the world. They have attempted to re-build their lives, and to pass along to the rest of the world the lessons they have learned from the Holocaust.

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In Remembranceof the Holocaust

tage.

WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGAN:

THE SLAVE TRADE

The Slave Trade started in Africa around the 600s and was by all accounts extraor-dinarily divisive, destructive and devastat-ing. Historical reports attribute internal slavery to various perpetrators such as the freedom traders who had to move within the continent, to the collusion of political elites (selling slaves for their own gain), and to economic distress such as drought and famine.

Over time, millions of Africans were trans-ported as slaves. Approximately 7.5 million were transported across the Sahara, the northern route, 10 million in the trans-At-lantic trade and about 5 million to the east across the Indian Ocean. The slave trade was motivated by mainly “push” and “pull” factors. The demands of the plantation owners in the Americas (the “pull”) and the human misery and social dislocation in West Africa (the “push”) helped drive the trade, particularly in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It is estimated that 80% of the slaves were transported between 1701 and 1850. Slavery disintegrated many so-cieties within the African Continent, while others were severely destabilized. Some scholars propose that the spread of disease became more prevalent and destructive.

By the 19th century, the slave trade was suppressed and “legitimate” commerce ex-panded. There was a growing interest in Africa, among Westerners and Europeans. A number of European explorers travelled to Africa to “discover” it. Europeans began ethnographic studies. Christian mission-aries began spreading through Africa. It was an opportunity to rebuild disintegrat-ing social structures and “organize and discipline the Africans”. The African sense

of hospitality enabled scien-tists, missionaries and traders to move relatively freely into the interior regions. After mid-century, European com-merce with sub-Saharan Af-rica changed. Prices declined and African middlemen were squeezed out. They began looking to education as a way of finding a place in the new structure. The “scramble for Africa” simply completed and fixed a long process of influence, change, and disruption.

COLONIALISM

Colonialism was a racially based (or racist) system of political, economic, and cultural domination forcibly imposed by a techno-logically superior foreign minority on an indigenous majority. It relied on “scientific” assumptions about White superiority. It assumed an innate moral inferiority of Af-ricans. Essentially, colonialism depended on economic exploitation and political oppression. There were several different kinds of colonial organization: White set-tler colonies (Kenya and Southern Rho-desia [Zimbabwe]); Indirect Rule Colonies (Nigeria and Botswana) and Direct Rule Colonies (Senegal). The direct and indirect rule systems relied heavily on traditional African rulers. They were not organized to develop (even over time) independent African nation-states.

The degree of colonization and its impact differed from place to place. The coloniz-ers were limited to small numbers of ad-ministrators, traders, and missionaries. For instance, in Northern Nigeria, there was one white administrator for every 100,000 Africans. Only 5% of the Africans were educated in missionary schools. They received a western style education, not in order to become leaders of their own

countries, but to assume subordinate positions in the colonial system. The Europeans established an export economy that ex-tracted raw materials and returned manufactured goods. Trade was oriented toward the metropolis. The economic advantages

accrued mainly to Europeans. This econo-my was developed at the expense of indig-enous populations. The Whites expropriat-ed vast areas of the best farm land. African farmers could not compete with the large commercial White farms and many were often forced into wage labour. It created a dependency which in most countries still persists. Hence, the term “neo-colonial-ism”. The legacy of colonialism continues to contribute significantly to the instability and fragility of the African Continent.

Western hemisphere economies were built through the forced unpaid labour of Blacks. Slavery is a subject that many people rarely discuss because it evokes an array of emotions such as pain, despair, anger and shame. However, it needs to be discussed as it shows man’s inhumanity to man. Blacks should never be ashamed of the history of slavery; instead, they should celebrate the sweetness of freedom won by people who persevered even in the face of brutality.

Food for thought: African countries are today paying more money every year in debt service payments to the IMF and World Bank than it receives in loans from them, thereby often depriving the inhabit-ants of those countries from actual neces-sities.

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Black History Month Celebrations

Here we are again for another edition of immigrants’ and visible minorities’ favourite newspaper. The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper and SISO are keen to en-sure important issues affecting integration of immigrants in our community are addressed using this medium. We are more inspired than ever to bring quality information to your homes, businesses and offices that would inform and edu-cate you about happenings in and around our community. SISO as a visionary or-ganization is totally committed to the settlement and integration of new comers in our community. This they successfully do through the various programs and services they make available to new comers. Starting from this February issue, SISO’s activities and programs would be an insert inside the Voice in Diaspora Newspaper. Thus, you are not only reading the Voice in Diaspora Newspaper to know what is happening in Hamilton and environs, but also, you are being con-nected to quality services in our community, courtesy of SISO.

A look at the themes for this month’s publication shows quite a wide range of topics. The themes were carefully chosen to cover most of the important pub-lic celebrations for the month of February. Some of which are: The Black History Month; Remembrance of the Jewish Holocaust; Valentine’s Day celebration, In-ternational Mother Language Day, amongst others. However, in the midst of our celebrations, let us reflect on the real meanings and importance of these events. It is important to remember what happened in the past, so that future occurrence of same ugly experiences would be averted.

Also, we are once again touching on the issue of immigration strategy for the city of Hamilton. We deemed this issue very important, not only for the interest of immigrants residing here in Hamilton, but also for the overall good and bene-fit of the entire city. We want the city of Hamilton to act now. For the ‘Personality profile, we carefully selected Dr. Gary Warner, a renowned Canadian. He talked to The Voice in Diaspora about his life, career, and the black history month cel-ebration. It is an interesting read.

Finally, it is our mission to serve you better. Hence, we solicit your opinions and advices on how to make this newspaper better serve your needs.

Thanks

Veronica Chris-Ike

(Publisher/Editor) “The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper”

Morteza Jafarpour

(Executive Director) Settlement and Integration Services Organization

✎EDITORIAL

The Voice in DiasporaP.O. Box 417 Hamilton, Ontario

Tel: 905.920.1752 - Fax: 905.769.548�www.thevoiceindiaspora.com

Our MissionUsing the power of the pen to facilitate smooth inte-

gration for immigrants into the Canadian society.

Publisher/EditorVeronica Chris-Ike

venike@thevoiceindiaspora.com

Art & Creative DesignJihan Aydin

www . A4AMEDIA . com

Advertising & MarketingContact Us @ 905.920.1752

or via venike@thevoiceindiaspora.com

ContributorsPhilip U. Okpala,

Veronica Chris-Ike, Sayed M. ToraSISO (Settlement and Integration

Services Organization)

Publication will be done Monthly. Free copies will be distrib-uted to businesses, shopping malls, churches, Non-profit

organizations, adult learning centers, etc, in Hamilton and environs.

The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper is published and distributed monthly free of charge. The views expressed by

writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without prior permission is prohibited. The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper is not

responsible for the accuracy of information provided by the advertisers & contributors.

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Highlights of Dr. Gary Warner’s biography:Retired McMaster Professor - 39 years

career as professor of French African and Caribbean 17th-Century literature, as well as peace and international development at McMaster.

Recipient - Hamilton Black History Month J.C. Holland Award 1998

Recipient - World Citizenship Award from the Hamilton Mundialization Com-mittee, 2002 (jointly with wife)

Recipient - McMaster Students Union Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004

Recipient – Order of Canada 2005

Recipient – Hamilton’s Citizen of the year, 2006

Inducted into Hamilton Gallery of Dis-tinction, 2006

Champion of human rights, equity and social justice

Past Board Chairman SISO

Past Chair - Working Committee of the Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Ini-tiative.

International assignments – CUSO (Si-erra Leone)

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Co-chaired the Advisory Committee for the Civic Centre project.

Interview

Q: You are a black person, a minority resid-ing in Canada

for many years, you have had your strug-gles (or still having them), and many suc-cesses. Tell me about yourself, with central focus on how the journey began for you and how you reached where you are pres-ently.

A: Originally from Trinidad, I went to France in 1960 on a French government scholarship. After completing my uni-versity studies in France, where I lived for seven years, I emigrated to Canada to take up a position in the French department at McMaster University. An experience I had within 10 days of my arrival in Hamilton sensitized me to the existence of racism in Canada. My wife and I went to view an apartment in Dundas, just opposite the University Plaza, and were promised the apartment. Half an hour later we received a telephone call, telling us that the apart-

] ment was not available, as it had been previously rented. I threatened to take the matter to the human rights authorities, and we ended up getting the apartment. This was an early eye opener for me that I have never forgotten. I taught French lit-erature for the first few years, until thanks to a chance encounter with a colleague from the University of Toronto; I began to turn my attention to African and Ca-ribbean literature. I created the first ever courses in francophone African and Ca-ribbean literature at McMaster University in the early 1970s. This led me to spend the 1973-1974 academic year on research leave with my family in Dakar, Senegal, where our son Remi was born on Martin Luther King’s birthday, January 15. Visiting the slave house on the island of Goree off the coast of Dakar from where slaves were dispatched on the Middle Passage to the Americas had special significance for me as a Caribbean-born person.We returned to Africa, three years later, this time to Si-erra Leone, where I was posted for two years as the director of the CUSO (a Ca-nadian international development NGO) program in that country, responsible for program planning and overseeing about 30 Canadian volunteers working mainly in education, agriculture and health and a budget for small local projects. I also had the opportunity to spend time in the Gam-bia, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. I later served on CUSO’s international Board, including as its Chair. On my return to McMaster Uni-versity I was fortunate to take on a variety of leadership roles, including as a depart-ment chair, Associate Dean, founding Di-rector of the international office focused at the time on inter-university linkages and international development projects, co-director of a program on international justice and human rights, and the Director of the interdisciplinary Arts and Science program. I served at the provincial level as vice-chair of the then Ontario Council on University Affairs that made recommenda-tions to the Minister of Colleges and Uni-versities and chaired its equity committee. My work in the university’s international office broadened my experience, taking me to Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba, Chile and Indonesia. A significant experience for me was meeting some of the top leader-ship of the ANC in Lusaka, Zambia, before the fall of the apartheid regime. Since the 1970s I have been engaged in broad social justice community activism related mainly to antiracism, human rights, immigration and international development.

This has included volunteer work with antiracist organizations, a scholarship pro-gram for African Caribbean youth, and the ‘And Still I Rise’ exhibit on the history of Af-rican Canadians in the 20th Century, SISO and Strengthening Hamilton Community Initiative. Fairly recently retired, I continue with my volunteer community work, with local poverty as an added focus.

Q: What does Black history month mean to you?

A: Carter G. Woodson initiated the first Black History Week in the U.S. in Febru-ary 1926 to counteract racist stereotypes about Black people by exploring the con-tributions of Black Americans in scholar-ship and civilization, subjects that were absent from the history books and educa-tional curricula. That week was expanded

to a month in the US in 1976 and adopted in the Canadian Parliament in 1995 on a motion by M.P. Jean Augustine. As late as the 1960s when the independence train was rolling across Africa and the Carib-bean, Oxford University historian, Hugh Trevor-Roper, publicly asserted that “Per-haps in the future there will be some Af-rican history to teach. But at the present there is none; there is only the history of Europeans in Africa. The rest is darkness ... and darkness is not the subject of history”. The obliteration of the history, culture and achievements of people of African descent from mainstream history and educational curricula reinforces anti-black racism and continues to this day. I support Black His-tory month as a strategic moment to counteract the negative stereotypes and to celebrate our African roots, resilience, achievements and the diversity of the con-temporary Black experience. I recognize at the same time that the essential issues today revolve around equitable access to services, employment opportunities and advancement, representation not only in educational curricula but in terms of civic and political influence, and the elimina-tion of negative pre-suppositions, latent or overt, about Black people - in other words, what is referred to as systemic rac-ism. From this perspective every month is Black History month for me.

It has been often pointed out that privi-lege and power are never ceded volun-tarily. So we have to be vigilant, assertive and strategic in demanding fairness and equity, particularly for those who are most grievously affected by the absence of eq-uitable treatment. Racism today is more often than not very subtle and denial of racism is rampant. The onus is also on the mainstream institutions to ensure that their practices meet the test of truly serv-ing our diverse communities. I believe that the work of groups such as HCCI which are helping these institutions by pointing the way forward, providing tools, advice and advocacy, while still clearly articulating the expectation of tangible outcomes, is abso-lutely crucial.

Q: There are diverse black population in Hamilton; the general consensus amongst them is lack of trust and unity. What do you think is the cause of this disunity and how could this be ratified?

A: We may be underestimating the di-versity of the black population in Hamilton – this is not a homogenous group. Some have been here for many generations; oth-ers have come here at different times over the past 60 years or so from different Afri-can countries and from various parts of the African Diaspora, including the Caribbean, the U.K., and the U.S. There are different religious beliefs, different experiences, and different day-to-day challenges. It is im-portant in my view to recognize the contri-bution of groups such as ACCA, the Black History Committee and others that work hard in different ways at bringing the Black community together. Maybe an important additional piece of the solution at present is to have more mechanisms that facilitate individual groups (i.e. associations based on country of origin or otherwise) part-nering on specific activities or supporting each other’s organizations and activities. I don’t think there is any one easy answer.

❖ to be continued

Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion – (HCCI)Strengthening Our Community

Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) is a community-based network, mobilizing all Hamiltonians to create an inclusive city, free of racism and hate.HCCI will assist the City, major institutions, business,

service providers, and others to initiate and sustain transformative processes to create racism-free and in-clusive environments. It will develop and share train-ing and education resources, and enable easier access to relevant research and information. HCCI will also be a source of support and information to newcomer immigrant and refugee communities, diverse ethno-racial and ethno-cultural groups and Aboriginal com-munities. It will help build community leadership and enable productive dialogues and partnerships between marginalized and ‘centralized’ communities, organizations and institutions. Our Vision: A united community that respects diversity, practices equity,

and speaks out against discrimination. Our Goal: To create in every sector, and among youth, effective and sustain-

able ways of integrating all Hamiltonians into the civic life of the community, using their contributions to create a strong and vibrant city

Strategic Directions:• Promote the safety and security of all Hamiltonians.• Develop broad-based strategies to eliminate racism and hate.• Foster inter-faith and inter-cultural understanding and respect.• Foster civic leadership across the diverse communities, particularly

youth.• Facilitate youth leadership and engagement.

Approaches:• Build relationships across the community• Challenge and respond to incidents of discrimination• Foster inclusive, equitable and enduring civic participation.• Facilitate opportunities for on-going public education and aware

ness.• Set strategic priorities using community input and sound research.

Madina WasugeExecutive Director

‘We may be underestimating the diversity of the black population in Hamilton – this is not a homogenous group’

The HR Matters-Hamilton Human Resource Strategy has iden-

tified the year 2013 as the year of critical impact for businesses in Hamilton to expe-rience a severe shortage of workers. The results would directly impact production and the local economy. Attraction and re-tention of a skilled workforce and a popu-lation that can sustain economic develop-ment is therefore critical for our economy. It is critical for all industrialized nations.

Studies from the Conference Board of Canada and Statistics Canada suggest that at current levels immigration will ac-count for 75% of net population growth by 2011 and 100% by 2025. It will also ac-count for 100% of net labour force growth by 2011. Immigration to Hamilton has fuelled its population growth for the past two decades. Based on data from Statis-tics Canada, the Canadian Business and Labour Centre released a report in 2003, which showed a retention rate of 130% for immigrants in Hamilton between 1996 and 2001. Since then, Hamilton has contin-ued to attract immigrants, but at a lower rate, from an annual 4,264 in 2001-2002 to 3,836 in 2005-2006, while the total net mi-gration has slipped from an annual 6,600 in 2001-2002 to 1,249 in 2005-2006.

The downturn in local manufacturing, coupled with the economic boom and an acute labour shortage in Alberta and B.C. are prompting important demographic shifts. For Hamilton, this translates into a significant slow-down in population growth, as well as an important slow-down

in immigration. Back in 2001, Hamilton was a destination of choice for secondary migration, registering 130% retention rate for immigrants. During the past few years Hamilton has considerably lost its “appeal”, becoming more of a “transit” city for new immigrants, who, after probing opportu-nities in Hamilton for a few months, turn their eyes on other communities.

Low net migration numbers for Hamil-ton in 2006 are not a surprise. The Hamil-ton Census Metropolitan area’s economy slumped in 2006, posting its worst perfor-mance in five years.

What is most disturbing is that this is hap-pening in the context of Hamilton being one of the designated “places to grow” on the provincial agenda, while our own Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy (GRIDS) identifies a target popu-lation of 700,000 by 2031 and an added 100,000 jobs by the same year.

Indeed, shocking numbers from Statis-tics Canada reveal that the overall popu-lation growth for Hamilton has slipped to a low 2,763 in 2005-2006 from 8,701 in 2001-2002.

Over the coming months we will publish excerpts from a SISO study which speaks about the economic importance of mov-ing towards an integrated Immigration Strategy for Hamilton. The study includes a compilation of recent population statis-tics, related research, studies, reports and plans which, when together considered, show that we need to act quickly.

The competition to attract global skills and talent, coupled with a general tenden-cy to “regionalize” immigration, has result-ed in a highly competitive environment for our provinces and for our city-regions to attract and retain immigrants. Hamilton is currently losing this game and it needs to re-take its place as a destination of choice for immigrants.

How can Hamilton achieve such a goal? The studies, reports and best practices re-lated to successful attraction and retention of skills and talent summarize the ingredi-ents for success as follows:

Job opportunities are critical

Existence of a welcoming community and adequate settlement and integration system is important

Quality of life matters

A strong, welcoming and inclusive com-munity, coupled with a strong employ-ment outlook, will attract skills and talent, while skills and talent will in turn attract more investment and economic growth. Unfortunately for Hamilton, population growth and attraction/retention of skills are not yet part of the City’s economic agenda, while immigration is still regarded as an entirely social matter.

Well paid jobs, affordable housing, health care, social services, legal system, educa-tion programs, childcare, a proper and affordable transportation system, proper representation in the local administration

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and access to meaningful opportunities are issues of equal importance for all Ham-ilton residents.

An Immigration Strategy ensures that the importance of immigrants is properly ac-knowledged and promoted by connecting a responsible population growth plan with economic and social development plans and strategies.

Hamilton’s growth and prosperity depend on a combination of factors. Amongst them, the city’s ability and capacity to both attract and retain global skills and talent is critical.

An Immigration Strategy, which balances attraction with retention of both skills and investments, is critically needed today for Hamilton’s economic growth and develop-ment.

The Immigration Strategy is needed now! The implications of not moving in this di-rection are far too important. In the words of the Singapore’s Minister of Trades and Industry “unless we succeed in this game, we will lose in every other game. Talent attraction is the foundation of everything else we do.”

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Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates: Census Metropolitan Areas, Eco-nomic Regions and Census Divisions, Age and Sex; 2001 to 2006

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Hamilton’s Immigration Strategy - The Time is Now!

2007 was an exceptionally challenging but very

successful year for all of us here at the Host Program. We have witnessed a tre-mendous increase in capacity to deliver quality programming throughout the year. Examples of our successes:

We have matched many newcomer families with Host volunteers.

We are now delivering English Con-versation Circles throughout the City of Hamilton.

One of the highlights of 2007 was the number of women and children who

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became involved in our regular program activities.

As always, we paid special attention to services and activities for newcomer youth, taking them to places where they have never been before, involving them in activities that they enjoy, at the same time providing them with opportunities for learning and socializing.

These achievements would not be pos-sible without the involvement of many community partners and the support re-ceived from members of our community who generously gave their time as volun-teers.

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About the Host Program

SISO ’s Host Program can help you meet someone from

another culture! It takes just two social hours a week and can make a world of difference for a newcomer in adjusting to life in Canada. There are individual, fam-ily, and group opportunities. The Host Program is an excellent way for families with children to volunteer together.

To learn more contact Susan at 905-667-7496 or scheeseman@sisohamil-ton.org

Volunteer Corner

S tarting life anew in an un-familiar culture comes with

many challenges. It is difficult for many newcomers to adjust to our fast-paced, “24/7” society because they have to learn a new language, adapt to unfamiliar foods and weather patterns, and deal with different banking, school, transpor-tation and government services. The stress of separation from fam-ily and friends at home, combined with the trauma some have expe-rienced in their homeland, make transition to Canada very difficult.

The work of SISO is fundamen-tally about breaking down barriers which often prevent newcomers from reaching their full potential as participants and contributors to

Canada’s prosperity and growth. SISO’s Host Program helps adult newcomers and their children adjust to life in Cana-da and learn about Canadian values and traditions. With the assistance and un-derstanding of Host Program volunteers, newcomers to Canada begin to feel more at home in their new country and com-munity.

Becoming involved in the Host Program gives Canadians an opportunity to learn about another country and language, dis-cover a new culture, and forge new friend-ships. They may see things about life here in Hamilton that they had never noticed or appreciated before, through someone else’s eyes. Most importantly, they have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a dif-ference in someone’s life and help them make a new beginning.

Join the Host Program and Make a New Friend!

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Break Down Barriers! Use Cultural Interpretation and Translation Services

If language is a barrier, we are a committed team working to serve newcomers from diverse communities by making all available services accessible.

What is Cultural Interpretation?

It is the art of actively listening, recalling the message, and instantly making an oral translation from one language to another, while using an awareness of cultural con-cepts and backgrounds to facilitate full understanding between the parties in an interaction.

What are the Purposes of Cultural In-terpretation?

• To enable service providers such as social, health, legal, educational, govern-mental and other essential services to communicate with clients who have lan-guage barriers

• To increase access to human services by linguistically and culturally diverse in-dividuals

• To reduce the possibility of decisions based on misunderstood information or racial/cultural stereotypes.

Liabilities with UNTRAINED Cultural In-terpreters:

• Confidentiality problems.

• Role conflicts

• Invalidated documents.

• Distortion, addition or omission of in-formation.

Training

After completing the recruitment pro-cess, SISO’s interpreters undergo an in-tensive training. Regular training sessions are held to ensure that a high standard is

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maintained.

Volunteer Orientation Session - month-ly

First face-to-face interview about their interest and confidentiality issues

Cultural Interpretation Training em-phasizing the matter of confidentiality, their knowledge about Balance of Power in a 3-Way Communication / Standards of Practice / Ethical Principles / Roles, Re-sponsibilities and Rights of Interpreter

Language Assessment Tests

We administer the following tests for the Hamilton area:

Interpreter Language and Skills Assess-ment Tool (ILSAT)

Cultural Interpreter Language and In-terpreting Skills Assessment Tool (CILISAT)

These tests are designed to test the profi-ciency in English and the other language, as well as the ability of the interpreter to perform consecutive interpretation and sight translation.

The purpose of these tests is to assess these skills as part of the requirements to provide efficient interpretation services.

How to Access Cultural Interpretation and Translation Services?

If you are not registered with SISO’s Cul-tural Interpretation and Translation Servic-es and you think your agency or business could benefit from the service, call 905-667-7500 to register. For registration, you

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need to provide the name and nature of your business, the address, and name and phone number of a contact person. We will send you a service agreement which includes an outline of the terms and con-ditions of the service. After this you are just one call away from accessing a high qual-ity, reliable service. The agreement does not commit you to frequency or minimum usage of the service.Direct fax number: 905-529-CITS (2487)24/7 Service: 905-928-CITS (2487)e-mail: cits@sisohamilton.orgDirect Line: 905-667-7500Interpretation: 905-667-�174Translation: 905-667-7501

Services Available

Interpretation

Consecutive Interpretation

Simultaneous Interpretation

Whispered Simultaneous Interpreta-tion

Sight Translation

Telephone Interpreting

Relay Interpreting

Video-conferencing Interpreting

Verbatim Translation

Telephone Message Relay

Translation

Regular Translation

Relay Translation

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Back Translation

Available Languages

Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, As-syrian, Azeri, Bahasa, Bengali, Bosnian, Bul-garian, Caldenean, Cambodian (Khmer), Cantonese, Creole, Croatian, Czech, Dan-ish, Dari, Dinka, Dutch, Dzaga, Estonian, Farsi (Persian), Filipino (Tagalog and Ilo-cano), Firulano, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hakka, Hebrew, Hindi, Hokkien, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Juba, Karen, Kirundi, Korean, Kurdish, Laotian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Luganda, Macedonian, Malay, Mandarin, Moldovan, Nuer, Ohomo, Pa-shto, Patois (Broken English), Polish, Por-tuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Ser-bian, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Ukraini-an, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Yoruba, Zulu

Who Benefits From Our Services?

SISO provides cultural interpretation and translation services directly to immigrants and refugees who are registered clients as well as to a variety of other service provid-ers, such as: health centres, social services, educational institutions, lawyers, shelters, etc.

Individuals and organizations interested in accessing cultural interpretation and translation services at SISO should con-tact the CITS Department directly, and inquire about the applicable fees. Cultural interpretation and translation services are available in over 80 languages.

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SISO’s Youth Program- Host Services

Welcome to our first SISO Host Youth Program insert! We are honored to take part in such a wonderful community newspaper. First, I would like to intro-duce you to the Youth Program. It fo-cuses on developing our youth with all the tools needed to integrate easily in our society to become advocates of their own destiny. The program encourages youth to build positive decision making skills, self-exploration and self-esteem, while allowing our youth to participate in fun recreational activities and work-shops. Our goal is to help newcomer youth to feel welcomed and settled, make new friends and assist them in the integration process. We offer many ac-tivities and programs including Home-work Clubs (French tutors on site), Eng-lish Conversation Circles, Francophone Boys Sports, Francophone Girls Club, Youth leadership, Girls Club, Field Trips, Dances, Special Events, Sports and more fun-based activities. You will find below our Youth Calendar and articles regard-ing our program.

We look forward to seeing all of you at our Youth Program!

Youth SportsOn December 27th SISO youth played

in the OSA Soccer Tournament at Soccer World. It was a great day playing against teams from around the Hamilton Area. It was so much fun and we look forward to playing in more tournaments in Soccer World’s house league as well as weekly soccer scrimmages at Soccer World.

If you are interested in participating in the Youth Soccer Program, we meet ev-ery Wednesday at 3:45 at Soccer World (40 Frid Street, right by the Hamilton Spectator Office).

A day at the Youth ProgramMy first day at SISO felt like it was the day that I was reborn. The atmosphere was peace-

ful and everywhere welcoming faces made you feel accepted. The more that I started learning about SISO, the more I realized that SISO is our Hamilton community. As a Child and Youth Worker, I now see how much SISO benefits new immigrant families and their youth. I feel privileged that I have this opportunity to be part of such an amazing move-ment. SISO helps strengthen our community and its people. This is my life, my work and my home.

Joana is one of our placement students from Mohawk College and will be with us until April. Welcome!

From Gigi, Youth Organizer

For further information and to regis-ter with our program please contact us at (905) 667-7476 or email youth@siso-hamilton.org. All our programs are free of charge.

Deanna is our Sport & Recreation Youth Worker.

Newcomer immigrants and refugees face various challenges in their efforts to adapt and integrate themselves in the society. Even though there are settlement services available to support newcomers in the first difficult stage of settlement, many new-comers don’t use them because of lack of information. It is important to take the ser-vices to the newcomers instead of waiting for them to come for the services.

Newcomer parents or guardians need information about schools and the Settle-ment Workers in Schools (SWIS) program was designed for this purpose. The pro-gram focuses on providing information to the newcomer students and parents about the Canadian educational system and on facilitating a smooth relationship with the

school.

Settlement Workers in Schools-Hamilton (SWISH) was launched in May 2001 within Settlement and Integration Services Or-ganization (SISO) and in collaboration with Hamilton-Wentworth Public District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth Cath-olic District School Board, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The pro-gram was developed to meet the needs of parents.

The program has nine SWISH workers op-erating in 41 Public and Catholic schools in the Hamilton area. A SWISH worker is also assigned to the Public and Catholic Assessment Centres where newcomer stu-dents are assessed for their English and Math level. The settlement workers in the

schools speak many different languages; French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnam-ese, Korean, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Farsi, Dari, Amharic and Russian, which is crucial in reaching out to those people who might not access the services due to language barriers. From April 2007-December 2007, SWISH workers had served 1,434 new cli-ents.

The other important role of the SWISH workers is facilitating active communica-tion between newcomer parents and the school. Through different sessions that bring the newcomer families together, the workers initiate parents’ involvement in their children’s education and outreach to parents who are difficult to reach, and bring them to the school. The SWISH work-

ers organize additional sessions on health care and other community issues for par-ticular groups with the aim of connecting the newcomers with available resources.

In future years, the SWISH team envisions increasing their network, thus reaching out to more newcomer families. This defi-nitely would not materialize without the involvement of the useful stakeholders like the school board members, principals, teachers, other school staff and most of all, the courageous parents and students who crossed oceans to come to Hamilton with strong will and hope. For more information, please contact Souhaila Dihaini, SWISH Manager, at 905-667-7494, or by email: sdihaini@sisohamilton.org

Settlement Counselling Program

Counselling Services are provided in three areas that facilitate and support a successful integration of immigrants and refugees in Hamilton.

Settlement Services: The program pro-vides a wide range of services that assist immigrants and refugees to settle, adapt and integrate, and to overcome the barri-ers they may face in accessing services to which they may be entitled.

A team of dedicated Counsellors pro-vides information and orientation to newcomers. They provide assistance with

various application forms such as: Subsi-dized Housing, Social Insurance Number, Health Card, Refugee Claims, Subsidized Childcare, Preparation for Canadian Citi-zenship, Child Tax Benefit and Immigra-tion related forms such as: work permits, spousal sponsorships as well as parent sponsorships.

Settlements services also include advo-cating for the client’s rights, individual or family counselling and offer other ser-vices.

Settlement Health Services: SISO has health workers who identify clients’ health issues through assessment of present and past medical history and refer them to

appropriate healthcare professionals as needed.

The goal of the Settlement Health Pro-gram is to support newcomers through education (plan and organize presenta-tions on health topics; coordinate training sessions and activities) and advocacy.

We support healthcare professionals who provide services to the target population: Government and community Sponsored Refugees and immigrant client with spe-cial needs, e.g., pregnant women

Children’s Mental Health Outreach Pro-gram (CMHOP): Provides culturally sen-sitive mental health services to children

0-18 years of age. This program mainly focuses on refugee children who are/have been directly and/or indirectly affected by postwar conflict and trauma. By providing individual/family counselling and advo-cating for the refugee children, CMHOP promotes the positive emotional health and well-being of children and their fami-lies who are new to Canada.

CMHOP collaborates with families, schools, social service organizations and community groups in order to address the emotional difficulties of children so that they can live full, rich and healthy lives.

Settlement Workers in Schools-Hamilton (SWISH)

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Highlights from The Labour Force Survey released by Statistics Canada for December �00�

1. Job Search Workshops for Newcom-ers Program (JSW)

Provides group and individual informa-tion, assistance and support related to: The Labour Market, Job Search Strategies, Career Decision Making, Portfolio Devel-opment, Workplace Culture, Licensing & Accreditation and Interview Skills.

�. Career Development

Provides Career Decision Making as-sistance and support for newcomers to Canada. Includes specialized assistance to identify career opportunities.

�. Job Development

Bridges labour force supply and demand, while providing assistance and support to both job seekers and employers. Provides direct links to employment by tapping into the hidden job market and raising aware-ness of local employers regarding the pool of skilled candidates.

�. The Newcomer Mentoring Program

Provides support in developing profes-sional networks by linking Internationally-Trained Professionals and Tradespeople with mentors working in the same field.

�. ELT (Enhanced Language Training) Program

Offers higher language training (bench-mark 7 and above), along with workplace exposure, including: paid and unpaid in-

ternships, student placements, mentoring or volunteering.

�. Resource Centre

Offers access to specialized resources,

information, training, and assistance to as-sist internationally-educated/trained pro-fessionals and trades people, employers and employment-service providers.

�. Career Transitions for International Medical Doctors (IMDs)

Group sessions and individual assistance for IMDs considering alternative careers in health care.

8. Bridging Program for Engineers

A modularized, participant-centred bridging program to assist International Engineers transition into their field and/or gaining registration with a professional regulatory body.

9. Workplace Development Toolkit

On-line HR-related tools, information and resources to assist employers recruit and hire internationally trained professionals/tradespeople and better integrate diver-sity in the workplace.

10. The SkillsAdvantage.Com

The SkillsAdvantage.Com is an interac-tive web site, which features a searchable resume database and the possibility for employers to view the resumes of all em-ployment-ready candidates registered

in our programs. Launched in November 2004, the web site hosts approximately 400 resumes at any given time. Approxi-mately 80 employers are registered at any given time.

Additional Services:

The Ontario Works Accreditation Project

Qualified social assistance recipients may obtain funding for training related to li-censing and accreditation.

Specialized Information Sessions

Workshops and sessions related to em-ployment for newcomer youth, licensing and accreditation and business start-up for newcomers.

Education Assessments

Assistance for newcomers to obtain edu-cational assessments for the purpose of employment or access to further educa-tion.

Corporate Training and Consulting

Specialized Corporate Training and Con-sulting for companies embarked on a pathway to recruit and integrate diversity. Services include information and training to address professional development for staff and management as well as consult-ing related to policies and practices.

“F ollowing seven consecutive months of increases, employment edged

down in December (-19,000). Over the year, however, employment was up an estimat-ed 2.2% (+370,000), similar to the growth rate of 2006 (+2.1%) and the fifteenth con-secutive year of employment growth. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.9% in December.

Manufacturing experienced another drop in December (-33,000). Following a decline of 2.4% in 2006, employment in this indus-try was further reduced by an estimated 6.2% in 2007.

All of the employment losses in Decem-ber were among employees in the private sector, leaving gains for this group of work-ers up a tepid 0.4% over the course of the year. Gains for the year were mostly in the public sector and self-employment.

Wages continued to rise in December, increasing to 4.9% from December 2006, exceeding the most recent increase in the Consumer Price Index of 2.5%. At $23.50, Alberta’s average hourly wage stood well above that of other provinces, up 8.8% or close to two dollars from 12 months earli-er, and far above that province’s Consumer Price Index change of 4.7%.

Employment in the service-producing sector rose an estimated 3.3% (+417,000) in 2007. Above-average gains occurred in public administration (+9.4%); informa-tion, culture and recreation (+8.9%); pro-fessional, scientific and technical services (+5.7%); transportation and warehousing (+4.8%) and “other services” (+4.8%).

Self-employment rose by an estimated 22,000 in December, bringing growth in 2007 to 4.5% (+114,000). This is in contrast

to 2006 when it edged down (-0.4%). All of the self-employment gains were in full-time work in 2007.

In December, employment in the private sector declined by 51,000, offsetting the gains made the previous month. Over the year, private sector employment notched up only 0.4% (+47,000), driven by part-time work.

Employment in Ontario also edged down in December, as losses in manufacturing; accommodation and food services; and finance, insurance, real estate and leasing were only partially offset by gains in trade and public administration. This brought Ontario’s unemployment rate up 0.3 per-centage points to 6.5% in December, 0.6 percentage points above the national av-erage.

Ontario’s employment growth was a tepid

1.4% in 2007, mainly due to weakness in the goods-producing sector (-5.6%). Not only were there losses in manufacturing, but also in agriculture; natural resources and construction over the year. Manufactur-ing employment in this province dropped 6.5% (-64,000) in 2007, primarily in motor vehicles, body and parts; fabricated metal; and wood products manufacturing.

Despite these weaknesses in the goods-producing sector in Ontario during 2007, there were notable gains in the services industries (+3.6%): public administration; education; information, culture and recre-ation; and professional, scientific and tech-nical services. Employment growth was all in full-time work in the province.”

A Quick Look at Employment Programs and Services at SISO

Library & SISO Settlement Partnership

(LSSP) Program

In partnership with the Hamilton-Public Library and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, SISO is pleased to offer the Li-brary SISO Settlement Program (LSSP).

The focus of this program is to provide settlement services to newcomer youth and their families who have been in Cana-

da for a short period of time. This program helps to connect them to resources in the community, as well as the Library’s pro-grams and services, and assisting them with their settlement needs.

Local Information and Referral coun-sellors for the LSSP program are placed in five branches of the Hamilton Public Library, including Central, Westdale, Ter-ryberry, Red Hill and Salt Fleet, as well as the Book Mobile, in order to serve our di-verse communities in Hamilton. The LSSP Counsellors are able to link their clients to many different programs and services within the community.

The LSSP Counsellors are able to provide their clients with a one-stop service point for newcomers, with direct access to set-tlement resources at the Hamilton Public Library branches, Book Mobile, SISO and services in the wider community. This program encourages recent immigrants and their families to become HPL mem-bers and to become more familiar with the library programs and services in order to assist with their settlement in the com-munity.

The Hamilton Public Library branches and Book Mobile will continue to add materials to their collection, to enable the

Library staff, LSSP Information and Refer-ral Counsellors and newcomer families to share information and become better informed of each other’s strengths, re-sources and newcomer needs. Through the LSSP Program, there has been an in-creased awareness and linkage between newcomer families, libraries and the com-munity.

Additional available services include Cul-tural Interpretation to parents or guard-ians as well as library staff if needed.

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9Fe b 2 0 0 8 • Vo l u m e 1 • I s s u e 4w w w. t h e v o i ce i n d i a s p o ra . co m

Report By Philip U. Okpala

Philip@okpalalaw.com

...continued from January.

It is proposed that eligible home be defined as follows:

1. A detached house;

2. A semi-detached house, including a dwelling house that is joined to another dwelling house at the footing or founda-tion by a wall above or below grade or both above and below grade;

3. A townhouse;

4. share or shares of the capital stock of a co-operative corporation if the share or Another reason to smile if you are a soon-to-be first time home buyer in Ontario: the province just announced a tax break of up to $2000 for all first time home buy-

ers in Ontario. The rebate will apply to the provincial land transfer tax on all new and resale properties for first time buyers. Pre-viously, this program was only available for first time buyers of new homes or condo-miniums.

The McGuinty government is giving all first-time homebuyers a break on land transfer tax by proposing to expand the Land Transfer Tax Refund Program to in-clude purchases of resale homes.

On December 13, 2007, proposed amend-ments to the Land Transfer Tax Act were announced in the 2007 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. The proposed amendments must be passed by the Legis-lature and receive Royal Assent to become law.

It is proposed that the Land Transfer Tax Refund Program for First-Time Homebuy-ers be expanded to include purchases of resale homes. The maximum refund would be $2000.

This proposal to include resale homes would be effective for agreements of pur-chase and sale entered into after Decem-ber 13, 2007. How to Claim the Refund

Until the Proposed Amendments Become Law;

Newly Constructed Homes

Eligible first-time homebuyers of newly constructed homes should continue to have their lawyers claim the refund un-der current procedures at the time of registration. The date the agreement of purchase and sale is entered into is not a factor with respect to newly constructed homes.

Resale Homes

Until the proposed amendments become law, first-time homebuyers of resale homes applying for a refund must pay Land trans-fer tax at registration and submit the fol-lowing documentation to the Ministry of Revenue:

1. A properly completed form - Ontario Land Transfer Tax Refund Affidavit for First-Time Purchasers of Eligible Homes (Re-sale)

2. A copy of the registered instrument on which land transfer tax was paid (in the case of electronic registration, please in-clude a copy of the docket summary which relates to the transaction);

3. A copy of the agreement of purchase and sale (only those agreements of pur-chase and sale entered into after Decem-ber 13, 2007 may qualify) along with a copy of the statement of adjustments. Re-fund applications on resale homes cannot currently be made electronically.

Although eligible first-time buyers of re-sale homes may apply for the refund once the transaction has closed and the tax has been paid, the ministry would retain the refund requests for processing and would issue refunds if the proposed amendments become law.

The following eligibility requirements are proposed to apply for resale homes, and continue to apply for newly constructed homes:

1. The purchaser must be at least 18 years of age.

2. Application for the refund must be made within 18 months after the date of the conveyance or disposition.

3. The purchaser must occupy the home as his or her principal residence within 9 months of the date of closing.

❖ to be continued

Land Transfer Tax Refund Program

All people are the descendants of one man and one woman, light

skinned and dark skinned, male and fe-male, poor and rich, noble and lowly. We all go back to the same origin. Islam does not pay attention to differences in colour, race or lineage. All people come from Adam, and Adam was created from dust.

God the Almighty says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into

nations and tribes, that you may know one another” [Quran �9:1�]

Racism was and still is one of the severe diseases of human society. Everyone remembers how our fellow black Afri-cans were transported across the oceans, packed in specially designed ships, treat-ed like livestock. They were made slaves, forced to change their names and religion and language, were not entitled to hope for true freedom, and were refused basic human rights.

When God’s Messenger was raised as a Prophet, the same kind of racism, under the name of tribalism, was prevalent in

Makka. The Makkan tribe “Quraish” consid-ered themselves in particular and Arabs in general, superior to all the other peoples of the world. God’s Messenger came with the Divine Message and proclaimed that no Arab is superior over a non-Arab, and no white is superior over black. And supe-riority is by righteousness and piety alone.

God the Almighty says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours; verily in that are Signs for those who know” [Quran �0:��]

“Never have I wit-nessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practised by people of all colours and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abra-ham, Muhammad, and all the other prophets of the Holy

Scriptures (Peace Be Upon Them). For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colours.” Malcolm X

From that land, and over fourteen centu-ries ago, Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) declared:

“All of you go back to Adam, and Adam is –created- of dust”

Racism is just plain ugly, is not it?

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Sayed M. ToraImam & Social Worker. Hamilton Downtown Mosque

Quran : �-�1�“And mankind is not but a single nation.”

Are you an ethnic/cultural artist? Do you want to

showcase your work and talent?

The Voice in Diaspora wants to hear from you

to participate in a cultural artistic exhibition taking

place fall next year. 90�-9�0-1���

for more information. Also visit our website at

www.thevoiceindiaspora.com

Fe b 2 0 0 8 • Vo l u m e 1 • I s s u e 4 w w w. t h e v o i ce i n d i a s p o ra . co m10

culturally, economically, linguistically and politically. Although most people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) speak Bangla, rulers of Pakistan that time attempted to impose Urdu (as the state language of Pakistan) over the 70 million Bangla speak-ing people (Bangalees) of East Pakistan. In 1948, the year after the partition Jin-nah, the leader of Pakistan, declared that “Urdu and Urdu only, will be the state lan-guage of Pakistan”. The people (especially the University Students) of East Pakistan strongly protested against Jinnah’s arro-gant statement. This was the beginning of the Language Movement and it reached its climax in February 1952. Students, poli-ticians and the general people banded to-gether in a move to implement Bangla as an official language, alongside Urdu, and the state language of East Pakistan. On February 21st in 1952 at Dhaka, the capital of then East Pakistan, the police and army opened fire on a mass-rally claiming Ban-gla as state language, and killed Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and others. They were the first martyrs of the East Pakistan Lan-guage Movement. It was a great sacrifice of human lives, the first in human history, for the defense of the mother tongue. This sacrifice to defend the mother tongue became the turning point of Language movement– which eventually led to War of Independence. As a result, East Pakistan disappeared and Bangladesh emerged on the world map in 1971 after a nine months bloody war against West Pakistanis. Bangla upheld its glory and became the official language of Bangladesh.

Bangla is an ancient language – over thousand years old. It evolved mainly from

Sanskrit. Also Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, English –all contributed lots of words and terms to form this language. The Bangla alpha-bet originated from the Brahmi alphabet of the Asokan inscription. Bangla at the present day has two literary styles. One is called “Sadhu Bhasha” and the other “Ch-alit Bhasa”. The former is the traditional lit-erary style based on the Middle Bangla of the sixteenth century. The latter is practi-cally a creation of the present century, and is based on the cultivated form of the dia-lect and day to day talks. The Sadhu Bhasa has the old and heavier forms while the Chalit Bhasa uses the Modern and lighter form. Bangla is a very rich language – pro-ducing lots of world-class writers, poets, musicians, actors, and film directors. There is a common saying that all Bangalees are poets by nature. In 1913, the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore received the NOBLE award in literature. Not only he - there were two more Bangalees, Professor Am-artya Sen and Professor Muhammad Yu-nus were awarded the NOBLE Prizes for Economics and Peace.

February 21st 1952 is one of the most sig-nificant days, not in Bangladesh only, but in human history because on that day there was unprecedented sacrifice made by the Bangla speaking people of Bangladesh to defend their sweet mother tongue. Since 1952, 21 February has been observed ev-ery year to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement. In 1999 UNESCO adopted a resolution proclaiming 21 Febru-ary as the International Mother Language Day to be observed globally in recognition of the sacrifices of Bangla language mar-tyrs who laid their lives in establishing the

rightful place of Bangla. In its resolutions UNESCO said – the recognition was given bearing in mind that all moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic di-versity and multilingual education, but also to develop fuller awareness about lin-guistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

The observance of International Mother Language Day – February 21st has great significance in Canada, considering Can-ada’s spectacular multilingual and multi-cultural society. When immigrants come in Canada they bring their linguistic and cultural heritages as well. Canada wants us to be integrated by keeping our own cultural roots and heritage and develop understanding, respect and tolerance for each other – which are unique in a Canadi-an Way. Canada has been exemplary in the world for living all together with peace, re-spect and tolerance as a multilingual and multicultural nation. But there is still room for improvement! Feb 21st – International Mother Language Day reminds us of that true message - love your mother tongue and support and protect your language and also other languages!

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Asm Tabaruk Jahan President Bangladesh Association of Hamilton275 James Street North Hamilton ON PO Box �7052 P.C. L8R �P1The Voice in Diaspora Newspaper and SISO are proud sponsors of the “World Mother Tongue Day” activities, Feb 24th, 2008.

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International Mother Language Day

...continued from page 1

The History of Valentine’s Daycelebrated in the honour of the Roman God of Fertility. This day falls on the 15th of February every year. According to a time worn custom, on the eve of Luper-calia (14th of Feb) a ritual of ‘name draw-ing’ was followed, during which a young man drew the name of a girl from the lot, who was to be his sweetheart for the whole year. Romance, has, of course al-ways made the world go round but we must say that these Romans knew how to make it official. Since then, this day (14th of Feb) has been considered as the day of Cupid, the mischievous son of Ve-nus -the Roman Goddess of Love. Lovers through the ages have taken this day as their own - a day to celebrate the finest human emotion. The reason for celebra-tion is ageless, but it was much later that a great lover gave the day his name.

The eternal lover that gave us the famous word ‘Valentine’ and originated the tradi-tion of writing love letters on this day is believed to be Bishop Valentine. He was a priest in Rome when, the city was ruled by ‘Claudius the Cruel’. In spite of the fact that Claudius had forbidden Christian conversions and Christian marriages, the Bishop refused to surrender to Roman Gods and carried on his religious duties in secret. He was imprisoned for disobe-dience, but even in prison he converted the convicts. While he was in prison, the jailer’s daughter became his friend and was loyal to him through his ordeal. When Claudius came to know that im-prisonment had not broken his enduring Christian spirit, the bishop was executed. However, on the day of his death Valen-tine wrote a note to his friend, ‘the jailer’s daughter’ and signed it - ‘From Your Val-entine’. This great man who died for his beliefs, for his enduring love of the Chris-tian God, was chosen as the patron Saint of lovers. 14th February has since been celebrated as Valentine’s Day. Romantic souls all over the world have preferred to focus on the romantic twist of this tale, the story of the man who united lovers in the holy bond of marriage; a man who loved his jailer’s daughter and started the tradition of writing love notes.Happy Valentine’s Day to our readers.

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(From the Voice in Diaspora Newspaper).

Dietary Habits/Patterns and Health OutcomesVeronica Chris-Ike

Contributed by Veronica Chris-Ike

D ietary patterns and habits are cru-cial to our overall health and well-

being. As the trend of migration is rapidly changing, people from different cultural backgrounds are living together and so, everything around us is changing. In the haze of this cultural blending, it is very easy to copy the wrong things; ignore sound nutritional advice; and stick to some of our ancient cultural practices and habits which increased the demise of some ethnic pop-ulations.

Some immigrants are from tropical cli-mates where delicacies prepared and con-sumed in that climate would contribute to serious health conditions if consumed here in Canada. Though many immigrants are living in Canada for many years now, little or no change has been noticed on their part in eliminating some harmful dietary

habits, which are the causes of many un-timely deaths in their countries of origin.

For some people, it is tradition to prepare certain foods in certain ways and whether that traditional method is harmful to one’s health or not, they do not worry about it. These traditions are still adopted and prac-ticed. We have heard so much about bak-ing food instead of frying it in deep oil, yet most of us choose to ignore this informa-tion and still fry our plantains, meats, fish and other delicacies. We are aware of the chemical transformations that fried oil un-dergoes which could contribute to added plagues to our arteries and cause cardio-vascular diseases, yet we ignore the advice. Most times, I think that it is a nonchalant attitude and nothing else that could be blamed when harmful cultural practices are passed down from one generation to the next.

With community education and enlight-enment, remarkable improvements on the health and well-being of our diverse popu-lation would be achieved. The onus is on well-meaning individuals to take up this challenge and create some health aware-ness activities for their communities. Hav-ing said that, it is not only the negative ‘cul-tural’ dietary habits that endanger the lives of the immigrants in our communities, but also the adoption of the host country’s neg-ative dietary habits and behaviour. These contribute to further negative health out-comes amongst immigrants. Some immi-grants are as quick to forget their heritage when in a new country as they are much more eager to erase horrible memories of years of abuse, neglect and torture from

their homeland. Therefore, some people copy the worst cultural trends from their host country believing that such things would accelerate their acceptance and in-tegration into their new abode.

Furthermore, some of the immigrants’ children are under intense peer pressure that as a result, they distance themselves from their cultures in order to be accepted by friends. Most immigrant parents are at loss as to which food or snack to prepare for their children. Even cooking traditional food at home is now being met with much criticism and resistance by some of our children growing up here. Most times, the children cover their nostrils to wade off ‘smells’ emanating from cultural foods be-ing prepared in the homes. It is disturbing, yet amusing to watch the calculated efforts these children make to hide their jackets away from the traditional food ‘odours.’ It is the opposite case when Canadian foods which they prefer and relish are being of-fered as meals.

Though humans are the same whether from cold or warm climates, there are cer-tain differences in genetic compositions that might predispose immigrants from warm climates not to tolerate certain Ca-nadian foods. I stand to be corrected if this assumption is erroneous, but that is my un-derstanding. Hence, knowing what foods your genetic composition could tolerate and sticking to them is a lesson in learn-ing. However, no matter where one comes from, whether a warm or cold climate, making wrong dietary choices of high fat, sugar, starch and low fibre can contribute to the development of chronic health con-

ditions and increase morbidity. stop

It is disturbing to see how much we con-sume during the summer months in this country, immigrants and Canadians alike. Almost every neighbourhood is filled with flesh burning aromas from the barbeques. Our community beaches are busy with ac-tivities centered around food and snacks and less on actual recreation.

Many community associations organize barbeques with the central purpose of sampling varieties of their native and Ca-nadian delicacies with no agenda left for physical activities. Going to some of these community barbeques and seeing the amount of food displayed and eventually consumed by invitees’ lingers on my mind. These practices make us put on unneces-sary weight and facilitate the development of multiple chronic illnesses.

❖ to be continued

11Fe b 2 0 0 8 • Vo l u m e 1 • I s s u e 4w w w. t h e v o i ce i n d i a s p o ra . co m

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Immigrant Women – Canadian Perspective

...continued from January.

A fter their arrival in Canada, three out of five women work in an occupation different

from their field prior to immigrating. Well more than half of immigrant women who arrived in Canada between 2001 and 1991 work part-time. The vast major-ity of home-workers and contract shop employees in Canada’s garment industry are immigrant women of colour. This sec-tor is unregulated with very low pay, ir-regular work, and no option for benefits. (Yanz, Lynda, Bob Jeffcott, Deena Ladd, and Joan Atlin, 1999. Policy Options to Improve Standards for Women Garment Workers in Canada and Internationally. Status of Women, Ottawa). Domestic workers are almost exclusively immi-grant women. Often living in the homes of their employers, they are particularly vulnerable to economic exploitation and human rights abuses. (National Organi-zation of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada, 2004. Releasing the Wellspring: Addressing the Economic Re-ality of Immigrant Women. Ottawa). The numbers of non-status workers in Can-ada is unknown, but the majorities are likely women and girls. They are at high risk of abuse because they have limited access to information, and contacting au-thorities puts them at risk of deportation (Rights of Non-Status Women Network, 2006. Non-Status Women in Canada: Fact Sheet. Toronto).

Alarmingly Low Incomes:

Recent immigrants make significantly less than other women. In 2000, women who immigrated to Canada in the previ-ous decade had an average income of just $16,700. This is about $6,000 less than the average for all foreign-born women ($22,400), as well as Canadian-born wom-en ($23,100). In 1980, immigrant women were paid 23% less than Canadian-born women of similar ages and education. By 2000, this gap had doubled to 45%. In 2000, 35% of women who immigrated to Canada between 1991 and 2001 were living in a low-income household. Forty-two percent of female immigrants under the age of 15 were living in a low-income household (almost three times as many as their non-immigrant counterparts at 17%). (Stats Can. 2006).

The Barriers to Employment:

Language barriers and the transferabil-ity of foreign credentials are the most common challenges for both immigrant women and men as they seek employ-ment (Stats Can. 2003). Immigrant wom-en have difficulty accessing employment and training services due to eligibility cri-teria (Khosla, Punam, 2003. If Low Income Women of Colour Counted in Toronto. The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, Toronto.). Refugee women, in particular, are frequently denied access to services because they are not perma-nent residents (National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada, 2006. Creating Employment Opportunities for Immigrant Women in Canada, Project Report. Ottawa). Lack of

childcare is a barrier for immigrant women trying gain Canadian experience through volunteer work or wanting to access em-ployment and training services. Child-care is also a tremendous challenge for the many immigrant women employed in seasonal, irregular and shift work po-sitions (Canadian Council on Social De-velopment, 2001. A Community Growing Apart: Income Gaps and Changing Needs in the City of Toronto in the 1990s. United Way of Greater Toronto, Toronto). Many studies link racial prejudice and unem-ployment (Ornstein, Michael, 2006. Eth-no-Racial Groups in Toronto, 1971-2001: A Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile, Institute for Social Research. York University, Downsview). From 1991 to 2001, 74% of all immigrant women were visible minorities, compared with 52% in the decade between 1971 and 1980,(Stats Can. March 2006) and since this time the income and employment gaps between immigrants and Canadian-born people have increased. Since the 1970s, income for most racialized groups of women has steadily declined in relation to non-racial-ized women’s income (Ornstein, Michael, 2006. Ethno-Racial Groups in Toronto, 1971-2001: A Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile, Institute for Social Re-search. York University, Downsview)

Very Limited Access to Old Age Pen-sion:

Immigrant women must live in Canada for ten years between the ages of 18 and 65 before they can collect 25% of Old Age Pension (OAP). To collect full OAP, they must reside in Canada for forty years or more between ages 18 and 65. (Women Elders in Action (WE*ACT). 2004. Pen-sions in Canada: Policy Reform Because Women Matter. Vancouver). This applies even if they have Landed Immigrant Status or are a Canadian Citizen and is a policy contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedom (Women Elders in Action (WE*ACT). 2004. Pensions in Canada: Policy Reform Because Women Matter. Vancouver in 2001, women made up 54% of the immigrant population aged 65 and over (Statistics Canada. March 2006. Women in Canada).

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