Each Canadian quarter is initially represented at three different levels: municipal, provincial and federal. As for the beach area, I already had a chance to meet with the municipal representative, city councilor and deputy mayor Sandra Bussin, as well as with the provincial parliament Michael Prue. I was really looking forward to meeting the federal parliament for beaches / East York horse riding: Maria Minna.
Maria and I met at a small local Chinese restaurant called Honeybee. This restaurant, located directly opposite the Library of the Beaches, was forever, and this Saturday afternoon we sat down for a pleasant late lunch. Maria began to tell me about her origin and told me that she was born in the small town of Pofi, not far from Rome. The first nine years she spent in Italy and grew up on a farm. She treats her childhood as a privileged one, as she grew up with whole foods such as homemade grapes, fruits, and cherries. Her parents also raised chicken, rabbits and pigs for their family needs. Maria went to school for half a day, and in the afternoon she would work. Her parents take wheat to the mill and come back with bags of whole wheat flour. Even after many years in Canada, Maria’s mother never bought canned or frozen vegetables.
In 1957, Maria arrived at age 9 at Pier 21 in Halifax, along with her mother and brothers and sisters. None of them spoke English. Her father was already in Canada. A small anecdote from Mary’s arrival in Canada illustrated the initial cultural shock: on a train to Toronto, her mother wanted to buy bread for her children, but he was offered only white bread from wonder bread. Her mother looked at the bread and said: "This is not bread." To the end of her mother, white bread was only good for toast.
After two days and nights in the train through the snow, her mother wondered where their father had taken them from. Maria admitted that the first few years were tough: she did not speak English and was forced to leave her friends in Italy. Her dog was also left behind and died from a heart break. At first she had difficulties at school because she did not speak any English. She was put on school a year ago, had to study only basic math and write again with a pencil. In Italy, she already wrote with a fountain pen. In fourth grade, she finally missed the grade and paid off one year. Her mother was illiterate and worked in a factory, and her father worked in construction. It was a time when there were very few health and safety standards for workers, especially immigrant workers. Italian children were regularly sent to voluntary schools with lower academic standards. Even in 1987, only 7% of Italian children entered the university.
I asked me a little more about the fate of Italian immigrants a few years ago. During the war, many Italian-Canadian men were arrested and detained in the Petawawa military camp. Although they were Canadian citizens, their property was often sold for one or two dollars. The Italians were declared enemy aliens and imprinted with their fingers. When Maria arrived, some of the earlier Italian immigrants did not want to deal with new arrivals; they wanted to merge into Canadian society and did not notice. Italian men and women were often exploited and their health was endangered because they often had to work in inhuman conditions.
When the Toronto subway was built, a major accident occurred in an area called Hogs Hollow, south of York Mills Road. Maria explained that five Italian men were buried alive under the River Don. The head of the city had no idea about the construction. Many Italian immigrants worked in jobs that required hard physical labor and were at high risk of injury. When they are faced with an accident, workers' compensation will treat them as a piece of meat and compensate them in accordance with the “meat table” (they will not receive benefits depending on the severity of their disability). Many men suffered a broken back and would be diagnosed with “degenerative disc disease,” a diagnosis that would minimize their demands, and they were simply asked to get light work.
The difficult history of immigrants unfolded over the course of several years for Mary in Canada: she entered a Catholic primary school, and her brother studied disability and began working at the age of 16. Maria, on the other hand, took up a commercial course at 18, having worked part-time in high school, so Maria started working as a secretary and helped pay for her sisters. education and even paid off one of their mortgage loans in the family house.
Maria added that she always had to perform several duties at the same time. Since her parents came to Canada, Maria was supposed to be their translator and family affairs administrator when she spoke English. She also helped her parents and other immigrant neighbors with income tax refunds and generally managed the family. Until the recent death of both her parents, Maria performed her duties, and when she gave praise to her father in February 2006, she realized that now her work was really done. This funeral was to be the last responsibility that she had to decide on behalf of her parents. Starting a decade ago, Maria has been involved in many family responsibilities, including starting a dinner, preparing dinner for her father and brother, removing floors and doing homework. Looking back, she says that she never had a childhood; she does not remember ever playing as a child in Canada.
To make more money, Maria also did modeling for three years from 19 to 22 years. She stopped her secretarial work because she understood that modeling was more profitable. This helped her pay her parents. save more quickly and allow her to save money for the university. She could achieve these financial goals much faster as a model.
At the age of 24, she finally began her academic studies: she entered the sociological program in Toronto in 1972, and therefore began the struggle for social justice. Previously, she participated in municipal issues. She noted that in the area of the parish there is more infrastructure financing from the municipal government, and her neighborhood in the western part of Ossington and Christie, a predominantly immigrant area, received very few municipal projects. Maria explained that people in her neighborhood never asked for money to catch their streets; in fact, they got the impression that their taxes would increase if they asked for more resources from the city, so they didn’t even try.
Always interested in social justice issues, Maria took part as a volunteer activist and the public. She believes that immigrant communities are treated in different ways, and action is needed. In 1974, she was offered to work on a special project at the local organization COSTI Immigrant Services, which today is a community-based multicultural agency providing labor, education, settlement and social services to all immigrant communities, new Canadians and people in need.
More than 30 years ago, Maria was hired as part of a summer program to create a women's center specifically designed for Italian women in the Jane and Finch area. At that time, federal elections were held, and Maria received a call from Paul Hellier, a conservative politician who used to be a liberal, to help him with the federal elections. Maria did not want to work with this person and said: "If I do this kind of work, I will do it for free for a liberal candidate." Therefore, she called Eideu Nicholson, a liberal candidate, but did not call. A few days later, Adeyen appeared at her door and said: "We need you."
Maria helped former Prime Minister Trudeau with his campaign as he passed through local areas of Toronto to dare door-to-door. She will stay ahead of him and receive the names of the people and present them to the Prime Minister. At the end of the election, she agreed to work with the new MP Aideen Nicholson. This was correct at the time when she entered U.T. in her third year.
Her job was to take care of people, help them in matters of immigration and compensation for employees. Maria got involved with the liberals and turned out to be a good campaign leader. After finishing her studies in the field of sociology, Maria began consultations in the field of public policy and management. She continued to voluntarily participate in COSTI, and in 1981 she was elected president of the Board of Directors.
From 1974 to 1992, Maria volunteered with COSTI Immigrant Services and was president of the COSTI Board of Directors for 11.5 years. Mary’s interest in multilateral issues has always been strong, and Maria actively lobbied Canada’s Law on Multilateralism, a legislation to preserve and strengthen multiculturalism in Canada.
With the help of the Women's Legal Education Foundation, Maria helped initiate the Charter task on behalf of immigrant women. They were not given English as a second language course simply because they were women, and it was expected that they would still take on only the dirty work. Maria added that in essence these politicians are closing down women. As a result, she challenged in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights in 1986 for group discrimination and won. From that moment on, immigrant women became available to study English as a second language program. Maria fought numerous wars on behalf of immigrants and refugees as "crap."
In 1992, she was elected President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, which she gladly accepted. A year later, Jean Chrétien asked her to run for the federal election, and Maria agreed. It was strange to see her name in the brochure. Mary hated asking people about money or voting for her; it just was embarrassing for her. But then she thought that the only way to fight for people was to be elected, so she accepted the necessary evil.
Once in Parliament, she aggressively for a national childcare policy, and a child tax credit. She was part of the comic nickname “Tax Committee”, which established the National Child Benefit for Low-Income Families. Maria often attends schools and talks with children about management. One child noted that the money helped the mother buy milk and food.
Maria Minna has strong opinions: she supports the public health system 100% and will never accept the hybrid system. She feels like a slippery slope when you start privatizing a certain part of the health care system. Some time ago she received a delegation of Italian politicians who could not believe that rich people, as well as ordinary or even low-income Canadians, would go to the same doctors and sit in the same waiting rooms together.
In her travels on beaches — in East York, some of the achievements Maria provided for the area include the Leisure Center on the main square, which includes $ 5 million of federal funds that were compared to the city. In addition, Maria received federal funding for a series of overflow tanks to collect wastewater along the curb, which were part of a federal infrastructure investment program. In total, Maria discussed about $ 25 million in federal funding for her ride.
A politician’s life can be surprisingly tough: Maria spends from Monday to Thursday or sometimes from Monday to Friday in Ottawa, in the House of Commons, attending meetings of committees and meetings. On weekends, she returns to Toronto to go on a weekend ride and interact with her voters. She explained that her work has no downtime - you call 24 hours 7 days a week. She continued that there was no point in politics if you did not agree to accept this schedule.
With regard to the political system of Canada, most politicians come from a variety of professions. Maria clearly expressed the view that she believes that Canada is a very successful nation of the 21st century. Canada has one of the most transparent electoral processes. Even geographically close countries, such as the United States and Mexico, face constant problems with election scandals, while Canada was not at all affected by such problems. Although the population is sometimes cynical about politicians, from the experience of Mary, the vast majority of them, regardless of party affiliation, have good intentions. Naturally, she is very supportive of the Liberal Party and claims that at 13 years of liberal government, Canada moved from a country on the verge of bankruptcy, with more than 11% of employment to one of the most successful developed countries.
Maria added that she was dreaming that the long-standing liberal government turned the country around, began to systematically reduce the deficit and unemployment rate and created thousands of new jobs based on building strong infrastructure and investing in the country. An innovative fund was created for new technologies and the creation of 1000 departments of research at universities in Canada. Health research centers were established to invest in people and their health. Maria expresses very clearly that you cannot just cut taxes without reinvesting money into the country and its people.
Unfortunately, Maria says changes took place in the government, and when the liberals lost the elections in 2006, they transferred a very healthy economy. She added that the new Conservative government has begun to abolish the National Child Care Program, they have cut the Innovation Fund, and she regrets that they have canceled the mandate from the “status of women” in Canada, because conservatives believe that Canadian women already have equality, although they still only earn 70 cents to the dollar.
In addition to some of these serious issues, we also had the opportunity to discuss more everyday topics. One of Mary’s favorite games is to walk along Queen Street, buy presents and have a nice walk with coffee, tea or breakfast. On a nice summer day, she likes to sit on a rock by the lake, which makes her feel that she is on vacation. Many events that take place on Queen Street East also encourage Mary to come out, and many of them: school spring fairs, community center festivals, church markets, in addition to the big flag events: the beaches jazz festival, the Easter Parade and the Christmas Tree. Last year, “Yard Sale for the Cure”, Maria went to meet with some of those who participated and thanked them for supporting this important cause.
Maria was also part of a recent tree planting in the Glen Stewart Gorge, which was held in honor of Bob Hunter, an ecologist recently known in Toronto, who recently passed away. Other initiatives that Maria really appreciates are films on Fox: free movie tours organized and sponsored by the Beach Rotary Club. At Christmas there is a big party for the elderly, and after the free movie, all the elders go to St. Louis. The Church of Aidan, where the Bar and Bistro Quigley generously sponsor a dinner for 300 people.
Another important NGO that Maria fully supports is the Neighborhood Link / Senior Link, a non-profit social services agency that provides services mainly in east Toronto. Since 1975, with the assistance of more than 500 volunteers and 160 employees, this organization helps over 6,500 people annually. Maria played an important role in creating this organization and connecting Senior Link, which focused exclusively on elderly people, with COSTI, one of the leading immigration organizations in Toronto.
Together, these agencies were going to provide employment and job search services. Today, Neighborhood Link has become even more comprehensive and offers a variety of health and nursing services, housing and employment services, and social leisure services. Maria noted that SeniorLink’s response to the blackout in 2003 was phenomenal: they contacted more than 1,000 older people who were known to be on oxygen and supplied them with backup power generators, flashlights and candles so that they could stay healthy and safe. Мария добавила, что в окрестностях есть множество замечательных организаций, которые делают это сообщество работой.
Наш обед был закончен, и мы отправились на одну из любимых занятий Марии: прогуляться по улице Квин-стрит, чтобы проверить некоторые из эклектичных магазинов, которые предоставляют действительно разнообразный ассортимент товаров и услуг. В приятный субботний день с температурами, которые наконец поднялись выше уровня Арктики, мы направились на восток на Квин-стрит от Honeybee. Первым магазином, в который мы вошли, был Latitude for Living, эклектичный дизайн и домашний магазин. Прямо рядом с Latitude находится Kids at Home, магазин, в котором есть одеяла, коляски, одеяла, кушетки и многие другие предметы, необходимые молодым семьям, многие из которых считают пляж своим любимым районом, чтобы переехать.
Еще немного восточнее мы направились в компанию Pippins Tea Company Inc., где мы встретили владельца Барбару ДеАнглис и ее помощника Тамсина Солтера. Pippins - это старинный чайный магазин, в котором представлен широкий ассортимент чаев, чайных изделий, чайной кухни, посуды и подарков. Это напомнило мне немного старинного аптеки с деревянными счетчиками и канистрами, полными чая.
Наша следующая остановка была фанки бутик под названием Боа, который имеет красочные платья и стильные вершины. Молодой владелец Офра Ниссани спросила, есть ли у нее какие-либо способы посадки деревьев и другие экологические проблемы в этом районе, и Мария рекомендовала ее связаться с Алексом Винчем, крупным экологом на пляже.
Время Марии заканчивалось с тех пор, как ей пришлось вернуться в свой офис конституции на очередную встречу, но у нас было время еще на одну остановку: мы вышли на базар Антик, где владелец Джозеф Эдвардс сначала немного застенчиво, но затем открылся и сказал нам, что его магазин антиквариата и предметов коллекционирования был недавно выбран тайными покупателями и представлен в красивой книжке цветов «Сокровища Онтарио Тайных Покупателей». Вскоре после этого появился его партнер Шарон Исман, и у нас был шанс связаться с ней. Многие предметы в этом магазине напомнили Марии о доме ее тещи, который раньше был жадным коллекционером. Мы даже коротко поговорили о Библейском институте и отважных инструкциях Шарона, как добраться туда, так как сын в настоящее время ищет синагогу в Ист-Энте в Торонто.
Пришло время идти, и я быстро отправился к ее консульскому отделу по дороге на Дэнфорт-авеню. Мы хорошо поговорили о итальянской культуре и языке, особенно потому, что в ближайшем будущем я планирую сделать международное путешествие на юг Италии. Последние пару часов были замечательными; Я был связан с единомышленником, который на протяжении десятилетий был активным сторонником социальной справедливости, равных прав и защиты для общества, и у нас была возможность насладиться некоторыми прекрасными возможностями для покупки окон, которые Queen Street East предлагает солнечный субботний день.
