Interview with NDP Peggy Nash, M.P. for Parkdale-High Park in Toronto

By Volodymyr Paslavskyi

Volodymyr Paslavskyi: What is your general read on the whole immigration file? Is it going in the right direction?  Is it good as it is right now or is it in crisis requiring a major face-lift?

Peggy Nash: There are ongoing problems with our immigration system.  We have backlogs in our country and we have a very uneven immigration pattern, so that there are communities such as the Ukrainian community that feels its numbers are not adequately represented in Canada amongst new immigrants.  So there are many problems today, which might be different from some previous problems in the immigration system.  As long as Canada remains a country that is welcoming to new Canadians, that is the right direction.  But in today’s global economy, we are in fact in competition for new comers to Canada and I believe we are putting too many barriers in front of potential immigrants who want to come here and bring their skills and succeed.  Government often doesn’t help them the way it should. 

VP: In your own words, what is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act?

PN: System of rules to determine who will be permitted to immigrate to Canada and it tries to balance the humanitarian element with the social and economic elements of immigration.

VP: Tell me about the major components of “Once In a Lifetime” and why do you support it?

PN: Family reunification is a key part of Canada’s Immigration policy but current law very narrowly defines “family”.  We know that newcomers to Canada, who are sponsored by family members, do better in Canada than those who are not sponsored.  Sponsorship is a good predictor of success.  So, this Bill attempts to assist the family reunification process by allowing once in a person’s lifetime of landed immigrant or Canadian citizen to be able to sponsor a family member who today does not fit in the family status.

VP: On your website (ed. www.peggynash.ca) you outline differences between current immigration requirements and “Once In a Lifetime”.  Can you briefly describe how your proposed Bill is different from current immigration requirements?

PN: It would expand the family status classification by allowing a niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, a non-depended child over the age of 21 or an adult sibling over the age of 18 to be sponsored by a landed immigrant or citizen once in that person’s lifetime. 

VP: Who is going to benefit the most? 

PN: The sponsoring party will benefit and the newcomer will benefit from family reunification.  I believe that Canada as whole will benefit.  I know of many situations where young mothers want to go out to work but they would like to have a relative there to help take care of their kids, or I know elderly Canadians, who would like to have an adult child come and live with them, as they get older, and keep them in their home and out of health care homes.  I know of family members, who have been separated for decades, who just want to be reunited and live together as a family.  So, I believe that not only individuals involved will benefit but our country as a whole will benefit.  We will bring in newcomers, who will have a greater likelihood of success because they have family members here.  They will be able to support each other in a way that families do, complementary to our social services, and they will have a greater likelihood of using their skills, intelligence and hard work to contribute to our country.

VP: In your opinion, is immigration a priority for this current Conservative government?

PN: I haven’t seen the current government making immigration a priority, but I believe it not only makes good social and humanitarian sense, I believe it also makes good economic sense to make immigration a priority.  I should say that because of our aging population, for our society to grow, as well as economy to grow, we need newcomers to Canada.  In future, newcomers will be the only source of population growth for our country.  And Canada is not alone with regards to the stagnated birth rate and that is why we are competing with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Europe for the skills and intelligence that newcomers can bring to Canada.  

VP: Do you think changing the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is Stephen Harper’s way of saying that some changes are required in order to fix immigration?  Is it a way of endorsing your Bill?

PN: I am a hopeful person or I wouldn’t be involved in politics.  I will certainly try to use this opportunity of change in the immigration minister to push this bill forward.  But I do not know what Minister Diane Finley’s take on this Bill will be.  I did not have an opportunity to discuss it with her because it is early in the New Year and the House is not sitting yet.

VP: Your Bill has passed First Reading.  It is now ready to be taken up for Second Reading.  What arguments are you going to bring to defend your Bill?

PN: My arguments will be that what I am proposing will be a positive change for Canada’s immigration policy, it will be a strong improvement for immigration policy, it increases the likelihood of success for newcomers to Canada, it will be attractive for people who are considering moving to Canada to know that they can bring close relatives with them, and it will be a positive benefit to the Canadian economy and will be very, very popular with new Canadians or Canadians, who were born elsewhere.  Canada is a country of immigrants and anyone who has come here from other countries recognizes the values of family reunification.  So, these are the arguments that I will bring to defend my Bill when I get a chance to speak in the House.

VP: The petition is one of your “guns”, so to speak.  Can you explain to our readers how petitions work in Canada?

PN: A petition on my website for this Bill is in a format that can be introduced into the House of Commons (www.peggynash.ca/newsletter/Petition) … completed and sent to my office, I can take it to the House of Commons and introduce this particular petition into the debate in the House of Commons. I can speak on … this bill, and the petition and all these names go on the record of the House of Commons.  Petitions represent political “benchmarks”, the more names introduced, the stronger the political initiative.

VP: Do you know when the Second Reading of your Bill will take place?

PN: It will be later this winter.

VP: Did you get any support from the Ukrainian community?  Is the Ukrainian Canadian Congress involved in any shape or form?

PN: I have met with the Ukrainian Canadian Immigration Service and they hosted a news conference and are very supportive.  But I intend to work this month, now that I am here in Toronto, more closely with the community to build support.  I have built a coalition of support with ethnic communities in my riding that I want to expand.  There is great interest in this Bill; I have got a lot of messages of support.  So, I intend to work very hard on it.  I haven’t had a chance to meet directly with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, but I certainly intend to do that.

VP: Do you have a strategy that is attuned to this community and its needs, and can counter an opponent like Mr. Gerard Kennedy?

PN: I think people knew that when they were electing me, they were electing someone who was going to be speaking out on behalf of the community, locally and nationally, who was going to work very hard for them, and who is going to get results for this community.  So, citizens of Parkdale-High Park will make that decision when election time comes around but one thing that I know is that I have fought very hard for this community.

 Volodymyr Paslavskyi is a student at York University in Toronto.