Vol. XXIX, No. 12 December 2011 http://www.filipinostar.org Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to our readers and advertisers On behalf of the management share our thoughts with all of you to let to all mankind. and staff of the North American you know that we consider it an honor Maligayang Pasko at Filipino Star, we wish all our readers and a privilege to be able to share our Manigong Bagong Taon! Maraming and advertisers a Merry Christmas, ideas, beliefs or values, and through salamat sa inyong pagtangkilik. Happy New Year and Happy the news we select, we hope to give Holidays. We also wish to express you the information that you need in Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi our sincere appreciation of your everyday life. We are looking forward support because without you we to continue serving you for many more would not have been able to continue years to come. publishing this newspaper. May we all share the At this time of the year, we blessings of Divine Providence and let would like to pause for a moment and there be peace on earth and goodwill See p. 2 - Filipina nurse awarded Montreal the only hip city in North America 07 December 2011 Montreal underground network of stores and recently made the New York Times list restaurants, bike paths – and relatedly of globally hip cities — the only one in the invention of a public bicycle system North America, alongside such luminaries as Shanghai, Berlin, and See Page 4 Montreal Barcelona. The global business report, See P. 4 - Anoother holiday added published in November, is aimed at a globalizing world where borders are disappearing, and young professionals are increasingly mobile, able to choose where they want to settle: “With its hearty French and North American mix, this city of 3.6 million has a real soul thanks to low living costs and long winter evenings. And it is no slouch when it comes to good food, hip culture, well- appointed museums and efficient transportation.” The report also brings up Montreal staples, like great universities, the nightlife, an extensive See P. 22 - Myriam elected to Int’l Court www.filipinostar.org 2 The North American Filipino Star DECEMBER 2011 Mr. Cotler, a member of Mount Royal's Citizenship and Immigration Minister exceptionally large Jewish community, was anti-semitic. Jason Kenney is focusing on increasing Conservative candidates in Montreal won more than 20 per cent of the vote in only two other ridings-the Conservative support in Montreal. district of Pierrefonds-Dallaire, which By TIM NAUMETZ | Dec. 14, Montreal, likely most of Quebec, constituents that he is set to retire and former Liberal MP Bernard Patry lost 2011 PARLIAMENT HILL-Citizenship compared to the greater Toronto area a byelection is imminent, a to New Democrat Lysane Blanchette- and Immigration Minister Jason and, despite the recent attacks against government official confirmed Mr. Lamothe, and the West Montreal Kenney has shifted his Conservative Mr. Cotler, are likely to flop. Kenney, responsible for voter outreach district of Lac-Saint-Louis, retained by Party ethnic-vote outreach to Montreal, "The various communities of into 'cultural' communities through the Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia. following the party's electoral gains in new arrivals in Montreal are very aware past two elections, is now applying his Conservative candidates the Toronto region last May. of what's happening here in Ottawa as skills to a rainbow of visible minority scraped through with under 10 per But opposition MPs said Mr. far as the Conservatives are voters in Montreal's 18 federal cent of the vote in eight of the Kenney's (Calgary Southeast, Alta.) concerned. They've expressed to me a electoral districts. Montreal ridings. own public announcements and lot of concern about that, about how Mr. Kenney has been to And Mr. Kenney's public voting results from the May election things are being done and how they Montreal at least four times since mid- announcements recently have show there is likely only one target Mr. seem to be targeted as election props November, including appearances in focused on policies that might not be Kenney has in his sights for now-the as opposed to actually caring about local communities which do not popular with certain elements of Mount Royal Liberal bastion now held their issues, and these are things that appear in the daily run of news immigrant and new-Canadian by former justice minister Irwin Cotler. are coming to me from my releases from his departments. The communities, including measures to Mr. Cotler and Montreal NDP constituents," Mr. Benskin told The Hill official said Mr. Kenney now has more compel Muslim women to lift religious MP Tyrone Benskin (Jeanne-Le Ber, Times. time to focus on Montreal, because veils when taking an oath of Que.) said the dynamics and political In the midst of a Commons the flood of new MPs the party gained citizenship and a watch-list for several views of recent and past immigrant uproar over Conservative Party in the GTA last week are able to take thousand immigrants with permanent communities are entirely different in attempts to mislead Mr. Cotler's up outreach duties he had in the resident status the government said region over the past three years. have been "implicated" in fraudulent But a look at voting results in applications. Montreal's 18 ridings last May 2 shows Mr. Cotler told The Hill Times that chances of catching up to the he has no way of knowing whether Mr. Toronto region results, even in the four Kenney ordered the Conservative years to the next election, may be dirty-tricks campaign against him over slim. the past two years, up to a Conservative candidates Conservative-party organized placed in distant third or even fourth telephone campaign, spreading the places in the election, with 10 of the false retirement and byelection city's ridings captured by the NDP as rumours. House Speaker Andrew the party swept through Quebec. Scheer (Regina-Qu'Appelle, Sask.) Liberal incumbents held on to seven described the actions this week as ridings, and the Bloc Québécois "reprehensible." retained one of its seats. "I don't know. He and I are The lone riding where a friendly. We work together on a Conservative candidate placed number of causes together. Our second was Mount Royal, the seat Mr. relationship personally is very good," Cotler's held since he won a Mr. Cotler said. "But you know, I think byelection in 1999. Mr. Cotler blames they go about their business the CPC gains on a barrage of dirty- sometimes at the directions and trick tactics that preceded the vote, Hon. Irwin Cotler, P.C., O.C., M.P. See Page 4 - Conservative focus on including Commons flyers sponsored Mount Royal Mount Royal by Conservative MPs that suggested Tel: 514-283-0171 Best wishes to the Filipino Community Tel.: 514-485-7861 5320-A Queen Mary Road E-Mail: [email protected] Montreal, Quebec H4C 1T7 Published by: Filcan Publications, Inc. for a Merry Christmas Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi Chief Editor & Publisher Hilda T. Veloso Al Abdon and a Sam Kevin W.G. Quiambao Jerry Estrada Community News Alberto Baens Santos News & Layout Editor Happy New Year. Columnists Bert Abiera Bernardo Sarmiento Founder Opinion Editorial The opinions expressed by the writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect that of the management of the North American Filipino Star nor its editors. www.filipinostar.org DECEMBER 2011 The North American Filipino Star 3 Editorial COOPERATIVE NEWS Will people vote for the “glitter of gold” or for End of the year accounting and old fashioned values of honesty and hard work? clearing up of backlog The elections of May 2011 had election to give support to the Good intentions of people who inventory, merchandising, marketing, been a disappointment for Liberal and Conservative candidate. Mr. Saulie kept on promising to help out with the selling, purchasing, accounting, and Bloc Quebecois supporters in Quebec. Sajdel, a former city councilor who was paper work of the Coop have not other business practices which they The NDP won 10 out of the 18 riding, subsequently given a position as materialized. Consequently, I find will learn as a volunteer at first, and and only 7 were retained by the regional advisor in Mr. James Moore’s myself in the same position of having eventually be the first one to be hired Liberals, and 1 for the Bloc. In the town office, the Heritage Minister. In this new to cope with a backlog. Fortunately, or when funds are available. of Mount Royal, the incumbent Liberal position, Mr. Sajdel’s job is to make unfortunately, the end of the year and As it is evident that many candidate, Mr. Irwin Cotler, won only by sure that the Conservatives’ programs the short holiday break may give me a Filipino Canadians have no clear more than 2,000 votes, a historical low are “understood” by the constituents of chance to see if I can catch up with the understanding of the objectives of a support considering that he had Mount Royal. This move by the overdue tax reports again. Once the cooperative, I will be willing to give enjoyed landslide victories in the past Conservatives did not escape criticism, accounting work has been updated, it seminars on the subject. If you are since 1999. What could have as Mr. Sajdel is seen as a “shadow MP’ will be possible to make a new interested to attend these seminars, happened? Mr. Cotler, as far as we doing the work that Mr. Cotler is business plan that will be used in the please call me at 514-485-7861 and know, has always been doing his job, supposed to be doing.