Interview with Marilyn Churley, NDP Candidate in Beaches-East York
Interview by Fayaz Soomro & Pitamber Roopani
Introduction:
As Honorable Jack Layton, the leader of Canada’s NDP said: "For 20 years, people in Toronto have known that Marilyn Churley is a fighter who gets things done." People like Marilyn Curley come into the world to bring something good. They are the agents of change. They come with a strong sense of integrity.
The energy, skill, and integrity, distinguish Marilyn Churley as one of Ontario’s most respected activists and political representatives.
As one of Ontario's most prominent environmentalists, Marilyn has been at the forefront of some of the most important and influential environmental legislation in the history of the province. Her Safe Drinking Water Act, designed to prevent another Walkerton tragedy, forced the previous Conservative government to bring in a similar bill based on her work.
She co-founded Citizens for a Safe Environment to close down the Commissioners garbage incinerator and stop sewage incineration and, before being elected to the public office, was the Executive Director of the Canadian Environmental Defense Fund.
First elected to Toronto City Council in 1988, Marilyn was an early leader in introducing measures to deal with global warming by finding the Energy Efficiency Office at Toronto City Hall – an important initiative that is helping Toronto meet its Kyoto commitments.
In addition to her prominent work on environmental issues, she has been front and center in the fight for affordable housing, accessible day care, adoption disclosure legislation, equality rights for women and minorities, and support for arts and culture.
Marilyn was elected to the provincial legislature in 1990 and re-elected in 1995, 1999, and 2003 by some of the widest margins in the province. She was the first female Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, the first female Deputy Speaker of the Ontario Legislature, the NDP's Deputy Leader and critic for the Environment, Women's Issues and Democratic Renewal. Marilyn was also named Best MPP by The Magazine several times.
The following is Marilyn Curley’s conversation with us at SANA Get-together, Malken community center, Markham.
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[Indus Asia Online Journal, IAOJ]: Thank you for joining us, Marilyn Curley.
Marilyn Curley: You are welcome.
IAOJ: The cost of University Education is too high in Ontario. What plans do you have to reduce it?
Marilyn Curley: Education is a right for every one. It is yet another Liberal and conservative parties’ promises to fund it properly but they never fulfill their promises. We will lower down the tuition fees and give grants to needy students to complete their education.
IAOJ: Immigrants Education from their back homes has not been accepted in Ontario. What plans do you have to accept the new immigrants’ foreign credentials?
Marilyn Curley: The conditions of new immigrants and their quality of life are getting worse and worse. They are living in a terrible poverty because they are not getting jobs according to their education. It is now identified that new immigrants and women are making less. It is like, our immigration system has tricked the immigrants. It is like we are making lies with them because when foreign trained immigrants arrived here they never get job according their education and skills. NDP has plans to give them some training and fix these key problems and will stop discrimination. My impression is that for it we need a system in place to produce the solution. NDP demands at least more than $10 per hour and controls the inflation. NDP has plans to invest more in supportive housing. If Liberals and conservatives came again, this will continue and we will lose everything we had.
IAOJ: Conservative government is changing immigration policy. What response do you have about that?
Marilyn Curley: We are against giving the immigration Minister, the sweeping arbitrary power to move people up-off waiting list, limit immigrants ability to re-unite with overseas family members on compassionate grounds, let officials prioritize temporary foreign labor over family class and economic class immigration. It is like getting cheap labor without giving them any rights. On this issue NDP is organizing an IMMIGRATION FORUM on Sunday, June 29, 2008, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at 9 Dawes Road W. (West of Victoria Park, South of Danforth). If the South Asian and especially Sindhi community, feels strongly about this issue than they should volunteer with the NDP. We believe working together with different communities for better, peaceful, prosperous and green Ontario and Canada.
IAOJ: Huge shortage of doctors in Ontario. What plans do you have to consider the experience of foreign doctors?
Marilyn Curley: More than 4 million Canadians are currently without a family doctor and it is a serious doctor’s shortage and due to it, presently working doctors, nurses, health care aides and support workers are feeling too much work load. Which messed up patients’ meds and other errors? It is yet another promise by Liberals and Conservative which they broke to properly fund the health care system and it was Paul Martin who promised more funds to health care but he cut the funding to health care, in result we are experiencing huge shortage of physicians and waiting lists. We believe in the public health care system and we want to keep health care in public so the Ontarians don’t lose money from their pockets. That’s why NDP is calling for set up improvements in health care and senior citizens facilities. Why big companies get tax cuts but not hardworking Canadians.
NDP has plans to start shadowing programs in hospitals for foreign trained immigrant doctors so they can get Canadian experience and get jobs in hospitals.
IAOJ: Private companies are Outsourcing Canadian jobs and jobs are going out from Canada. What plans do you have to stop that?
Marilyn Curley: I don’t know exactly how many jobs are going to other countries and I don’t have figures. Therefore, I am sorry that I’m unable to give you any statement about it.
Interview date: June 14, 2008
Markham, Ontario
