Muslim Link Interview with NDP provincial candidate Bronwyn Funiciello

I think it is one of the things that we recognize as a problem. We face in Ontario the highest hydro rates among other provinces and a lot of that is due to the Liberals' policies put in place and not very well managed. So it's a priority for us to make things more affordable for families of small businesses. So we will be looking at a variety of ways to address those concerns and find reliable, sustainable and affordable forms of energy. So in some of the specifics in terms of how to reduce overall costs we know as users such as families and small businesses they pay much higher hydro rates. We are seeing that the CEOs of those companies are making significant amounts of money and continue to get raises and bonuses. So we will be looking at putting a cap on the CEO salaries, looking at also closing some of the tax loop holes for corporations, and also on the HST on home and electricity bills.

Muslim Link: Many Muslim Canadians we interviewed have noted disappointment with the Ontario Public Education System in terms of its low academic standards and are concerned that the system will not prepare their children to compete in an increasingly globalized workforce. What are your thoughts on this?

I have been a Public School Trustee in Ottawa for the past ten years in this area and we have been working very hard to try and address those issues. Working with the community, we are seeing things starting to turn, ensuring that we have programs in place to meet the variety of needs.. So there is a variety of things that are being done. It is a top priority for me personally as a trustee, and I would certainly continue that advocacy at the provincial level to ensure that we have the very best education system to meet the needs of all our students and to make sure that they all have access to the programs and services they need to be successful and so for some students who might be heading off to the post-secondary world, some students who will be heading right off into the world of work and for students who are heading off to trade or college, there is such a diversity. It really is about being in touch with those needs and making sure that we have policies in place that really are there to address the local needs in order to ensure the success of our students. Student achievement and student well-being has been a key focus for me during my 10 years on the school board and so I certainly would be advocating very strongly. And working with the communities, various communities including the Muslim community, I think some of the barriers and challenges that face the Muslim community might be different than what is facing other communities. Like language barriers and cultural barriers. I think Ottawa-South in particular is so diverse, we have a very broad range of students and those students all have their individual needs and it's having an awareness of that, because programs that might serve one community well might not be the suitable program for another. So it's really a question of really having that connection to the community, listening which is what I've tried really hard to do as a trustee, listening to those communities and then making sure that we build in that flexibility that allows all students to be successful. I don't believe that the one shoe fits all approach is the right way to go at all.

Muslim Link: According to the Simon Fraser Institute, several elementary and secondary schools in the riding, such as Charles H. Hulse Public School, Hawthorne Public School, Ridgemont High School and St. Patrick's High School, are under-performing. What immediate steps would you take to address this matter if you were elected?

I think that we have to be very cautious when we look at reports like the Fraser reports because it isn't a true indicator of what is happening in the schools, it is based on strictly EQAO results which are not reflective of some of the other factors and don't demonstrate some of the other successes. The EQAO office itself has come out and said that it`s an inappropriate use of the data to use it to rank schools in that way. Again as I said in response to the previous question, we need to understand what the different needs are and we need to make sure that we have programs in place geared to address those needs opposed to having one approach that is going to work across the board. Student achievement and student well-being are very important issues. And as a trustee I've worked hard to address those and we have seen overall improvement in this board over the past ten years. There has been an increase in student achievement, success rates too for students we're seeing the gap narrow and we're also seeing an increase in our graduation rate. So we're moving in the right direction, we are not all the way there but we're making sure that we have a properly funded public education system that is responding to the local needs. There's been a variety of things that have been put in place by the school board, a variety of strategies, again addressing the different needs, and so we are looking at the types of supports that are available, the way the supports are implemented at different schools. Also we've had instructional coaches who were able to work specifically on issues. There's a variety of approaches, there's not one single approach, but there's a variety of approaches and I am very open to working with the broader school community, because one of the key factors for student success as well is that engagement of parents and engagement of the whole community. {sidebar id=13}

Muslim Link:  In 1975, Dalton McGuinty had to work for a sum of only 6.4 weeks in the summer to pay off his undergraduate tuition fees. In 2006, students would have had to work for 16.6 weeks in order to finance only 1 year of undergraduate tuition fees. Over the past 15 years, tuition fees in Ontario have increased by over 200%. How do you propose students pay off their debt, especially with growing unemployment and underemployment of post-secondary graduates?

I can begin by saying as a parent of four with two in post-secondary; I absolutely understand and can fully appreciate the concern. We recognize, the NDP recognizes the tuition rates in Ontario are again the highest, some of the highest in the country, and something needs to be done to address that. Students are graduating with the highest debt load here in Ontario. Andrea Horwath was able to get in the most recent budget job creation for youth which is key, because not only are they facing high debt loads, but they're as you indicated facing unemployment. So as a start in the most recent budget, we've created 25,000 jobs to start addressing those issues and also looking at tuition and how we can make post-secondary more accessible, more affordable. And also make sure that students have access to employment when they are leaving the school system. It's hard to find jobs, I know with my own daughters to find even summer employment to save money to help to pay for it, to avoid going into debt, is really difficult to find even the jobs to do it. I certainly recognize it in terms of specifics on reducing tuition, putting a freeze on tuition. I think all of those things are things that are really important considerations, but it's absolutely an issue that we need to look at and take some action. I think there are challenges; the NDP is very committed in making things more affordable, more accessible. {sidebar id=15}

Muslim Link: Some Muslim Canadians refrain from taking student loans on religious grounds. Has your party ever considered creating alternatives to student loans for financing post-secondary education?

You know that is something that I will have to look at, that's a very interesting point, interesting suggestion. I don't have the answer to that right now, but certainly it is something that I will follow up on and get back to you. But I can say, speaking to people like yourself bringing forward ideas can be very beneficial. And I think a thing to consider now, is the programs that the Liberal government has put in place are very limited and only benefit a small fraction of the students. So we need to take a look at that as well.

Muslim Link: According to research conducted at York University, Muslims have the second highest unemployment rate in Canada with 14.4% of the population being unemployed as compared to 7.4% of the general population. This may be due to racism. This also may be due to the fact that some Muslim Canadians are newcomers and newcomers to Ontario face many barriers to finding gainful employment. What actions, if any, does your party propose to take to address unemployment amongst racialized Canadians and newcomers to Ontario?

It's another really great question; again I just should have highlighted the commitment to job creation which is key. I also just recently met with the Canadian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and we were discussing this exact issue and talking about some of the job creation incentives that will help small businesses to provide opportunities to create jobs and also one of the things that they noted was the opportunity for inter-generational workplaces. So to have newcomers and young people also having access to employment, within family businesses for example. We're very supportive of small business and job creation opportunities. From the NDP`s perspective, discrimination is unacceptable, and it is important to have representatives that are going to be strong advocates to ensure that that type of discrimination, such as discrimination against women who wear hijab, isn't taking place and taking action when it does.

Muslim Link: Many Muslim Canadians we interviewed complained about difficulties finding a family doctor. How does your party plan to address the lack of family doctors in Ontario cities?

I think that one thing as I go door-to-door is to say that healthcare is on the forefront of a lot of peoples' minds. I know, even myself, we've had difficulty as a family also having an access to family doctors. One of the things that the party has put in place to address some of the health care issues in the last budget was shortening the wait time for homecare. Right now in Ontario, the average wait-time for home-care is up to 100 days, 292 days in some parts of the province. Through Andrea Horwath, we were able to bring that down to 5 days, and in turn addressing the homecare wait times can take some of the pressure off the long-term care beds, which can take some of the pressure off the hospitable beds. So it's not going to address the family doctor issue, but it shows our commitment to responding to concerns out there about health care or about access to health care. Family doctors are another significant challenge which we need to look at, because we feel that everyone needs to have access to timely health care.  {sidebar id=16}

Muslim Link: According to Statistics Canada's 2001 Census, Ottawa has the fourth largest Muslim population in Canada, with the riding of Ottawa South having the highest concentration of Muslims. Taking that into consideration, how have you attempted to engage with Ottawa-South's ethno-culturally diverse Muslim Canadian community during your campaign?

I have to say that I was personally very disappointed at the timing of the by-election called by the Liberals, because I think that calling the by-election right before Ramadan is very disrespectful.  I think that the Muslim voice is very important to listen to, and to learn from. I feel that in the by-election we want to engage as much as possible. So we have made a variety of efforts and will continue to make those efforts. I really appreciate the opportunity for this interview, we also have met with the Lebanese Chambers of Commerce, we are setting up times to visit some mosques, and we're looking for Muslim supporters and contacts in the community to do as much outreach as possible, drawing on the network that has been created through my work with the school board. I have met with the Canadian Somali Mother's Association, so we are looking at any and all avenues. To me, it's so important to make those connections, and we're doing our very best. Wanting to engage, being very respectful of the observance of Ramadan right now, so it's a balance but we're getting out there and talking to as many people as possible. Also having open doors here, and a phone line, happy to chat with anyone, or meet with anyone. We are also making an effort to get some of the material translated as well to try and do additional outreach. Whatever outreach we could do that will help to allow the community to be as informed as possible when it's time to vote, and even outreach to members of the community that might not yet be eligible to vote, because it still is very important. At the end of the day, as an elected representative, I represent every single person in this riding, so I want to do whatever outreach I can. I've learned so much in my ten years as a school board trustee, I've learned so much from the community, from members of the Muslim community, from members of so many different groups in the community and it's what it's all about. Any advice you can provides we welcome! That was something that we were aware of right away, I was actually really shocked when the election was called at the time that it was; I think that there were some alternatives. There was time; it didn't have to be called right now, the two by-elections didn't have to be called until August the 14th which would have been outside the period of Ramadan and still allowed for a September election.

Muslim Link: The head of The Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, Asfia Sultan, claimed that she was fired due to Islamophobia. Although the case has now been settled without a public hearing, she, among others, such as members of the Canadian Somali Canadian Mothers' Association, have raised concerns about systematic discrimination against Muslims in Ontario detention centres, in which Muslims are often under-represented among ministry employees ”“and over-represented among the inmate population. What are your thoughts on how issues of discrimination and abuse of inmates can be addressed in Ontario?  How can Ontario detention centres become centres of rehabilitation and reintegration, particularly for young offenders, as opposed to the current situation where, according to many Muslim Canadians we interviewed, young people come out of prison worse off than when they went in?

I think again it's a very valid point that you are making in terms of the discrimination issue, it is totally unacceptable. I don't know anything about the specifics of that case and really can't comment on that. What I can say is I have heard from the Canadian Somali Mothers' Association about their concerns and am so impressed and inspired by the really good work that they have done and I think that working with the Muslim community to look at ways to address some of those issues and needs in a way that really serves the Muslim population is important. I think it's really important and I think that we can't simply look to a sort of a one size fits all approach. I think that ensuring there's programs and services in place that our youth are engaged in a meaningful way that really matters to them at an early age in a preventative sense, because I think we need to have things in place to prevent young people from getting into trouble, but also to ensure that there are those programs in place to support them, the youth, who are in detention because we all can make mistakes so often through circumstances beyond their own control, we need to ensure that there are also opportunities for engagement afterwards to help them. So it's something that I don't have all the answers for, but I think that Canadian Somali Mothers is one organization that probably has more answers and ideas than I do. So having that opportunity to really engage, to really talk about some different ways that we could best address those needs, I think of the work that is being done by the Canadian Somali Mothers and if we could build on that and replicate that and not have it all fall onto the hard work the mothers in the community. But again, it really highlights that there is this big need that is not being addressed, and we need to find creative ways and collaborative ways to address those concerns. To me, it's something that we need to look at, that's not what the results of the system should be. Absolutely it isn't! We need to find ways to mitigate that, to understand what is causing that and what programs or changes can be put in place to ensure that youth who get into trouble are having opportunities for rehabilitation and re-engagement rather than the opposite.  

To learn more about Bronwyn Funiciello visit her website