weekly

Karygiannis Says Immigration Back-log Will Get Worse
By Binoy Thomas

Jim Karygiannis is a bit of a tongue twister for most of his constituents. The riding of Scarborough-Agincourt, where Jim has spread his grass-roots, is one of Canada's most ethnically diverse constituencies. "If not the most," adds Jim. But then, the last names that are heard around the Finch and Kennedy corner are no less daunting than Jim's own. He jokes, "I thought I had a long last name with 11 letters till I hired someone from Sri Lanka with 14 letters!" He has developed a very cozy relationship with diverse sections of his people, and being an immigrant himself, he finds it easy to break bread or lead a campaign on behalf of his people. Born to Greek parents, he moved to Canada as a young boy. He's fiercely proud of his ethnicity and has retained his Greek citizenship till date. Jim has no problem then understanding people of other ethnicities feeling the same pride that he has in his homeland.

He says he can speak Greek, Italian, French and of course, English. On his staff are four people who among them can function in at least 12 different languages. "Guess what (which incidentally is a kind of a favourite word with Jim), I have these people in my constituency and I need to serve them well. I need people who can speak their languages."

He is feisty, a roll-up-the-sleeve-and-fight kind of Liberal politician who may even fit in well in the NDP mould. Naturally, he is controversial. When we met for this interview, he was very keen on learning more about the Anti-conversion law that the Tamil Nadu government passed recently. He believes that it is against all principles of a democratic state. And you can be sure that he would challenge the Indians on this the next time (sometime early next year), he is in that country. He is quick to join issue wherever there is a good fight. He claims that he had challenged once an Afghan minister over the destruction of the Buddhist statues and the forced branding of Hindus in that country. Jim also had a run-in with a Pakistani minister who defended the country's position vis-ı-vis its Ahmediyya and Christian minorities whose rights have been taken away from them. He says, "These are constant challenges that you have to confront. Hello, you have to let them know that this is no way we do things here in Canada. And if you want to do business with us, need humanitarian aid or economic assistance, then you have to challenge them."

But then, Jim hails from a place that's often considered the cradle of modern democracy. And he carries within him that same free spirit that allowed the ordinary Athenians to first rise up and ask for their share in the governance two thousand five hundred years ago. Needless to say that he is among the rebels who have recently revolted against Jean Chretien's style of leadership. "I am a supporter of Mr. Martin. I travel all over, campaign and fundraise for him. I believe that in a democracy everyone should be given a chance to vote for what or who he believes in." Jim is doing that with a firm conviction. And his people have noticed it too. They have given him their votes in huge numbers. And the way he keeps his people serviced, he is likely to keep going for some time to come.

Among the 10 top winners for the Liberal Party in the last elections (going by the victory margins), Jim is often a thorn in the side of his own caucus and certainly for the many officials who guide Canada's immigration policy. He admits that up to 90% of the work that is done in his constituency office is immigration-related. And for Jim, representing a largely new immigrant community who has moved into the country in the past 20 years, the current situation is difficult one.

Jim believes that the immigration climate will worsen in the coming months with people having to wait longer and longer. "Immigration is the biggest issue in my constituency. What's happening is that the length of time we take to process each application is taking longer and longer. For example, it used to take a year if you wanted to sponsor your spouse from inside Canada (that is, you have married someone who doesn't have a status here but is here anyway). Now it can take up to four years. And I have raised this with the caucus, with the minister of immigration, but unfortunately, it's falling on deaf ears."

When asked if he has detected any anti-immigrant feeling among the general community lately, he shoots back, "Not in my riding. And if anyone has such feelings, I would say to him thank you very much for coming to see me in my office, but I am not interested in talking to you. I am an immigrant myself." He says that it's true that not much attention is being paid to immigration these days in Ottawa. "It's not No.1 on their agenda. Which means you've to push it to make it the No.1 priority. And I am pushing hard." Of course, he has a whole riding full of people, in turn, pressing him for action. Not everyone in his caucus may feel as strongly as Jim does. In fact he says he has only received "peripheral support" from his colleagues. "I will not stop voicing my concerns."
Jim admits that there doesn't seem to be much of a chance for improvement. "Things are going to get much worse in immigration," he says. "The length of time is going to get even longer, and the number of people who want to come to Canada is not going to get less." Already it takes up to four years for a spouse if there's even a slightest of question about the legitimacy of the marriage. Of course, he's talking about marriage between a legal resident and a person without status, which for some reason, is No.1 on his list of priorities. He feels passionately about it and wants the immigration minister to give the waiting spouse health coverage and a work visa. "Not all applications may take four years. But if there is even the slightest doubt, they will kick into the local immigration office, then they'll see you in four years! You know the relationship between a husband and wife is something sacred. I am not talking about your elderly parents, or relatives. Husband-wife applications should be fast-tracked."

A feeling that Canada's immigration system has been wide open for abuse has been gaining ground in recent years. And it wouldn't be without merit too as thousands of fake refugees and alleged passport flushers took undue advantage of a system that seemed too innocent to cope with modern-day people smugglers. Guess what, Jim is not on board. "It's not for me to decide who is a refugee or who is not. They have to go through a proper process. Now if the panel of adjudicators needs to be cleansed, or if the process itself is being abused somehow, you have to look at that process. Have I heard about people misrepresenting themselves? Yeah, sure. People have come from Pakistan, for example, claiming to be Ahmediyyas and when they go to the local community to get some paper work, they say sorry sir, but we don't know you! Yeah, it happens. Not everyone who comes here is a legitimate refugee. But the fact is that we did sign the Convention. And we have to extend the full protection to every refugee who is determined to be a refugee by the panel."

Jim has come in for some sharp criticism because of his close to links to certain controversial organizations. Reports have linked him to terror-related associations. Jim counters, "You mean FACT (a Sri Lankan Tamil organization)? There are many organizations that are active in our country, promoting community activities, the well-being within their own communities, as well as challenging the Canadian system on an every day basis to help them with their lives in Canada. FACT, for example, there's a reverend that I know there. He used to come here and help me out anytime I had to help out a member of the Tamil community. He did it voluntarily. Now until he is challenged, until he's proven guilty, why should I believe what I merely hear? The Indian minister of defense George Fernandes used to be rebel and was jailed (during Indira Gandhi). He's a minister now. Do you mean to say that I should not be associating with him now? He was a friend of mine before he went to jail, he was a friend when he was in jail, and he is friend still. I have known him for several years. FACT, for example, they are said to be a terrorist organization. Guess what, the Tamil Tigers are right now sitting at a negotiating table, talking peace. All of a sudden they are for peace. Yesterday, they were called terrorists." Jim makes a subtle difference between terror organizations that are proscribed and those organizations that are promoting freedom, facilitating changes in societies. It's easy for him to accept this dynamic interpretation. His own father was among the first to pass his hat around at York University to raise funds for a movement that was banned in Greece as communists. The same set of people later became the legitimate rulers of that country. Now you know from where Jim comes from, democracy takes on an altogether different meaning. Some may even call it the real face of democracy.