There will be dozens of citizenship ceremonies across Canada today welcoming hundreds of new Canadians into the fold. 

These rites of passage come with cake, warm embraces and a speech from a member of the community welcoming new Canadians. In one town this year Saudi Arabia-born MP Omar Alghabra will be one of those speakers. 

The Natural Resources critic immigrated to Canada in 1989 seeking an education and improved quality of life. 

Alghabra was only 19 and could barely speak English when he took the decision to leave the Saudi Arabian eastern coastal town of al-Khobar and his family behind. 

His Syrian-born parents had been living in Saudi Arabia on an extended work visa for his entire life but were due to bring Alghabra’s three sisters out the following year. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS 

So on his own, Alghabra landed in Toronto, attended Ryerson University, worked on his language skills, and began his degree in mechanical engineering. 

One year into his studies Alghabra’s family decided to return to Syria. 

Facing stark choices, Alghabra made what he describes as one of the toughest decisions of his life: To take Canada over his family. 

“I often say that people like myself, who have lived in other parts of the world, often have a greater appreciation for Canada, and for what Canada offers, than people who were born here,” said Alghabra. 

“We, many of us know, what the outside world offers. And are able to put an appreciation and a value to the differences we see and feel here in Canada.” 

Canada has been good to Alghabra. He quickly found work after finishing his degree and studied part time to attain a MBA from York University. In 1998 he became a Canadian and it is the only passport he currently holds. 

‘EFFORT, ENERGY’ 

In 2006 he crowned his Canadian identity by being elected as a Liberal MP for the riding of Mississauga–Erindale. 

His success at fitting into Canada is an experience and an achievement he tries to impart to other immigrants each year, on Canada Day. 

This year he will once again be addressing the 100 or so new Canadians being sworn in at Mississauga City Hall and showing them, by example, what they too can achieve here.

“I tell people I was in their place one day and they too can be whatever they want to be in Canada including a member of Parliament,” Alghabra explains. 

“In Canada, yes there are obstacles, yes there are challenges and some of them are unfair but by combining effort, energy, honesty and hard work they too can become, or realize, whatever they want.”

Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabra says it was an “awesome, educational, enlightening and humbling experience” to spend two days on a Navy frigate watching Canada’s defence forces at work.

            “This experience gave me a sense of what our Navy sailors live through on a regular basis and it provided me with a unique insight into what their challenges and aspirations are,” said Alghabra in his newsletter.  ”Most importantly, I was reminded of the great responsibility this country and its leaders have towards them.”

            Mississauga-Brampton South MP Navdeep Bains joined Alghabra on board the HMCS St. John’s, under the supervision of Captain Brian Santarpia.

            The pair wanted to learn more about the Canadian Armed Forces.

            “These men and women have volunteered to serve their country and are ready to do whatever it takes to protect us,” said Alghabra.

            Alghabra and Bains boarded the frigate July 24 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  Their excursion ended two days later in Halifax.

            The military regularly invites MPs on such outings, which provides them with first-hand experiences.

            Alghabra and Bains, who took the trip along side Bloc Quebecois MP Meili Faille, said they couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

            “Ever since I was elected, I’ve been doing everything I can to learn about our country and the institutions in our country,” said Alghabra.  “The military is a significant institution and a big part of who we are, and I wanted to learn a bit more about it and meet the men and women who serve.”

            The MPs spoke with crew members about many issues, including the war in Afghanistan, the environment, foreign affairs and our political system.

            Alghabra and Bains also watched several rescue training exercises, and got to see how a real emergency is handled.

            During one exercise, the ship received a Mayday call from a small boat that had caught fire.

            One of its passengers was injured.

            The St. John’s crew reacted immediately.  Ultimately, though, its help was not needed because another boat was closer.

            One week earlier, the crew had helped rescue a whale from a fishing net.

            Bains said the trip offered only a snapshot of life on board the frigate.

            Nonetheless, he added, it was an exceptional experience.

            “I took away an idea of how difficult the job is,” said Bains.  “They’re very professional and they take themselves very seriously.  I’ve never seen people so focused and disciplined.”

            The MPs experienced life as the crew does, eating with the crew members and sleeping in the same quarters.

            The beds were hard, the floor moved with the water and a fog horn sounded every two minutes – minor hardships, though well worth enduring to meet the crew, said Alghabra.

            “They were incredibly generous and welcoming,” he said.  “I would ask silly questions as a civilian who has never been on a frigate, but they were very patient.”

            The answers to those questions will help the MPs in the House of Commons, Alghabra added.

            “…I think it’s important for me to have a good understanding of the actual reality of the topics I’m discussing,” he said.

 OTTAWA—One of the things I have come to really enjoy in Ottawa is sitting down at the end of the day with fellow Liberal MPs Navdeep Bains and Omar Alghabra at our hotel to talk about our day, our lives, and politics, in general. Through these conversations, and others, I have made two best friends.

 I have often been struck in our talks by how idealistic and passionate they are. They care profoundly about the job they do as MPs and work hard to impact positive change. They are both deeply loyal and are among the most principled people I have ever met. Knowing them as I do makes the last couple of weeks all the more difficult. 

The recent debate on the renewal of the sunset clauses to the Anti-Terrorism Act had just begun, and like me, Omar was staunchly opposed to their extension. Unlike me, however, his motives were questioned. Certain media outlets speculated that Omar’s position was driven by a personal and ideological agenda. They even went so far as to posit that Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion’s position on the sunset clauses was a result of ‘ethnic politics’—propelled by people like Omar whose motives, they claimed, were counter to the best interests of this country. I then realized that Omar would always be seen by some as a hyphenated MP—a Muslim MP.

 I share Omar’s deep concern for the unequal application of the law, and his fear that the anti-terror provisions, now expired, had gone too far because they put our fundamental civil liberties at risk. I too am passionate that these provisions needed to expire. On the issue of the anti-terrorism sunset clauses, our minds were one. We shared everything on the issue…everything except the personal attacks that Omar endured and the aspersions cast on his motives. No one questioned my Irish or German roots. No one claimed my motive was anything but an interest in trying to balance individual civil liberties and collective security. But not so for Omar, who is Muslim—he was treated very differently.

Far worse was the treatment by the Prime Minister and others of Navdeep Bains. I can recall speaking with Nav about the sunset clauses—debating the risks and relative advantages. Nav was more receptive than I to supporting the extension of the sunset provisions—a fact that made what followed even more disturbing.

 The Vancouver Sun recently published a news story reporting that Nav’s father-in-law was on a potential secret list of individuals to be allegedly interviewed in the Air India case. Nav was understandably upset and disturbed by the story. I tried to imagine how he must feel; how I would feel if my family had their characters challenged. Unfortunately, the moment The Vancouver Sun published the story, the Prime Minister’s spin machine got hold of it. In Question Period that day, the Prime Minister implied and suggested that Nav had influenced the Liberal Party leader to take a position against extending the sunset clauses to protect his father-in-law. In the following days, several members of the Conservative caucus continued this erroneous smear.

 Forget the fact that his father-in-law hadn’t been questioned in 21 years or that the provision had been in place for five years and had never been used. Also forget the fact that the Prime Minister had no evidence to support this slanderous allegation. Nav was declared to have dark motives by the Prime Minister and by the National Post. They insinuated that he was trying to protect his family—that because he was Sikh, he didn’t care about Canadian security. I was completely flummoxed. 

In those ensuing days after the Prime Minister stood in the House and attacked Nav and his family—after several newspaper columns that perpetuated this falsehood, I tried to imagine being in Nav’s shoes—my family attacked and my motives questioned—all because of my ethnic and religious background. 

When Nav and Omar organize, it’s ethnic politics; when I organize—I’m just a good organizer. When Omar or Nav express concerns about anti-terrorism measures or foreign policy it’s because of their ancestry or religion; when I question it, either I’m debating hard choices or I’m caving under the pressure of their ideological interests.

 The debate on the sunset clauses reminds me why more visible minority Canadians don’t enter politics—why they feel cut out of the public discourse. Navdeep Bains and Omar Alghabra, two hard-working and loyal Member of Parliament, have become “hyphenated MPs,” not by choice but because people like this Prime Minister and some news outlets would rather promote a culture of fear and prejudice than engage in an honest debate about our civil liberties and collective security.

Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabra has tabled his first private member’s bill since being elected in January 2006, and he’s using the opportunity to try to extend unpaid sick leave for workers. 

If passed, Bill C-409 – An Act to Amend the Canada Labour Code – will extend unpaid sick leave from 12 to 52 weeks. Alghabra tabled the bill on Thursday. 

Currently, if an employee falls ill, their employer needs only to secure their job for 12 weeks. The bill would only cover industries that fall under the federal labour code. Industries are split between federal and provincial spheres, depending on what they do. 

“It wouldn’t cost the government any money; it doesn’t have an impact on employers because it doesn’t say you need to pay them, you just have to hold their spot,” said Alghabra. “It’s to give some safety net to people so they can concentrate on their illness and not worry about losing their job.” 

Alghabra decided to take up the cause when a constituent complained that she lost her job after surviving breast cancer. 

Alghabra was surprised to find that many workers aren’t protected when they leave work with a serious illness. 

“I was shocked when I heard it was only 12 weeks,” said Alghabra. “I did the research and found out she was right. Companies that don’t have benefit packages, all they have is the labour code.” 

The chance of Alghabra’s bill being debated on the floor of the House of Commons is slim, but he hopes to find a way to speed up the process. 

At the beginning of the term, a lottery took place to determine in what order private members’ bills came up for discussion. 

Alghabra has time to wait. 

His number could come up, he said, “if Parliament sits for two more years.” 

It’s unlikely, with a minority government, that it will, and rumours have an election coming as soon as May. Regardless, Alghabra thinks tabling his bill will raise the profile of the cause. 

“I’m hopefully making a statement,” he said. “Hopefully, the government adopts it and maybe the provinces adopt it.” 

“There is a deficiency and somebody has to remedy it.”

Newly-elected Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabra loves a challenge.

He was late in joining the campaign trail and then became embroiled in a battle with the Canadian Coalition of Democracies (CCD), which erroneously reported that Alghabra had made pro-Islam statements during his nomination acceptance speech in December.

The CCD eventually issued an apology to him.

 Additionally, the 36-year-old was a first-time candidate and not exactly a household name in the riding.

Armed with a degree in mechanical engineering, a Masters in business, a strong track record of community involvement and an entrepreneurial spirit, Alghabra found himself in a position of having to define himself and his values for tens of thousands of voters.

 “Every textbook challenge there is for a first-time campaign, I faced it,” Alghabra said.  “We got a late start, a lot of people didn’t know me, we dealt with a smear campaign, we had to build our campaign team and my opponent had run before and had (significant) resources.

 “We focused on our message and I spent five to six hours a day knocking on doors, meeting people.  That was my favourite part (of campaign), meeting people.  You can become buried in the difficult tasks and challenges (of a campaign) and that is stressful.  When I was out meeting people, that was where I really enjoyed being.” 

Now, a little over two months after claiming victory over Dechert,  Alghabra is still meeting people.  In fact, introducing himself to constituents and trying to immerse himself in their concerns sits atop the political neophyte’s priority list.

 “I’m a new face to Mississauga-Erindale, so I want to get to know as many people as I can and have them get to know me.  And, I want to further understand the various challenges and aspirations of the people in my riding,” said Alghabra, who has hired his staff and is in the final stages of securing a constituency office.

 Once his political infrastructure is in place, Alghabra said he will turn his attention to longer-term objectives. 

In addition to sitting in Ottawa as an MP, Alghabra will also serve as the Liberal associate critic of social development.

“Part of that is the daycare file and that is a big issue.  It resonates for a lot of people here,” he said.  “I want to make a difference and have a positive impact on the people of Mississauga-Erindale, the people of Mississauga and the country.

 (Being elected) is a very humbling experience and it is also a huge responsibility.  The magnitude of that responsibility motivates me and pushes me to work hard. 

Alghabra, who came to Canada in 1989 from his native Saudi Arabia, believes his ability to relate to people from all walks of life will serve him and his constituents well.

“I put myself in the other person’s shoes to try and understand them and their concerns,” said Alghabra, who shared a two-bedroom Scarborough apartment with three others upon arriving in Canada 17 years ago.

 “I’ve had a lot of different experiences in my lifetime, so I believe I can relate to people and their issues.  I have lived as part of the majority and as a minority.  I think that allows me to be sensitive to and cognizant of both sides.  It heightens your sense of awareness.”

Don’t be fooled by Omar Alghabra’s diminutive size or boyish looks. 

Beneath the wide smile and wiry 5-foot, 8-inch frame beats the passionate heart of a man eager to make his mark on Canada’s Parliament. 

“Size doesn’t matter,” he said yesterday as he prepared to head to Ottawa to be sworn in tomorrow as the rookie MP for Mississauga-Erindale. 

“I have a small frame and some people think that I’m in my 20s,” the 36-year-old mechanical engineer said. 

“It’s a compliment on one hand, but it also projects that I have less experience than I actually do. 

“It’s not about size. It’s about the message, the passion and the commitment to hard work. That’s what’s led me to where I am so far.” 

Since easily winning the west central Mississauga riding for the Liberals a week ago, Alghabra is still waiting for his victory to finally sink in. 

“But I’ve had a lot more sleep and a lot less stress,” he said. 

Stress from trying to fill a seat held for 13 years by Carolyn Parrish, the outspoken maverick MP who clashed with Prime Minister Paul Martin so often that he finally fired her from the Liberal caucus in late 2004. 

Stress from facing a strong and well-known Conservative candidate running his third area campaign. 

And stress from an attempted smear campaign just after he was nominated in December that put him on the defensive over pro-Islamic comments attributed to him, but which was proved he never uttered. 

“It’s been quite a journey,” Alghabra said after a short workout in the fitness centre of his Mississauga condominium, a place he’s had precious little time to visit in the past several weeks. 

“I’m not a politician. I’ve always been a community activist and advocate. 

“On the one hand, it’s humbling and rewarding to receive the confidence of the people of Mississauga-Erindale and to be part of the House of Commons, where I want to make a difference,” he said. 

“Yet the fact the Liberals lost the government is somewhat disappointing. 

“But that’s what elections are all about,” he said. “Canadians have sent a message about what type of government they want at this stage and we have to accept that choice and deal with it.” 

Born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents, Alghabra came to Toronto alone at the age of 19. 

“I chose Canada for the opportunities it offered, for the strong educational programs that it has,” he recalled. 

——————————————————————————– 
`I don’t agree with mixing politics and religion. This country was built on diversity.’ 

MP-elect Omar Alghabra 

——————————————————————————– 

He earned an engineering degree from Ryerson University and a master’s in business administration from York University. 

But he said the best course he ever took was working the graveyard shift at a Scarborough doughnut shop to put himself through school. It was where he learned a lot about Canada and what ordinary folks faced on a daily basis. 

“We often become self-absorbed about our families, our careers, our own aspirations,” he said. “Sometimes it’s very difficult to be sensitive or aware of others. 

“On the midnight shift, customers have more time to sit and talk with you. You hear the challenges that people face and that grounds you, puts life in perspective. It’s where I learned to have a passion for people,” Alghabra said. 

“Canada is woven from many backgrounds ethnic, religious, social and economic. Putting them all together makes our country what it is. You can’t lose sight of the big picture or the small picture.” 

All of which made it hard for him to understand why he was targeted by the Canadian Coalition for Democracies, which calls itself a non-partisan, multi-ethnic and multi-denominational advocacy group. The organization, which claimed he made Islamic-power statements in his nomination victory speech, later withdrew its accusations. 

“It was frustrating and disappointing, but I’m glad the truth came out,” Alghabra said. “I think the truth strengthened my credibility and weakened that of my accusers. 

“I don’t agree with mixing politics and religion,” he said. “This country was built on diversity. 

“We have one of the best countries in the world, if not the best, for converging all these backgrounds and benefiting from their richness, by establishing one rule of law and one set of standards that applies to everybody. 

“The only way to do that is to respect everybody’s religion and background, but not to use it as a measuring stick for how we evaluate our success in this country,” he said. 

“Canada has been extremely successful, compared to the rest of the world, in how we, on the one hand, celebrate our diversity but acknowledge our unity.” 

Alghabra was president of the Canadian Arab Federation for almost two years and has volunteered across Greater Toronto for a variety of organizations, including Junior Achievement, the Canadian African Legal Clinic, the Canadian Ukrainian Congress and Human Rights Watch. 

He was also a member of the Toronto Star’s community editorial board and wrote half a dozen articles offering perspectives about challenges faced by new Canadians. 

“I consider myself a realist and a pragmatist, so I think I brought some understanding of what some visible minorities are dealing with but perhaps are not articulating well enough,” he said. 

For the past six years, he’s been a manager with General Electric, running a seven-person department that troubleshoots problems across North America. 

When he’s not pumping iron or walking a treadmill at home, Alghabra tries to steal a few moments to read fiction, philosophy or the social sciences. 

“It’s all food for the mind and provides different insights to help shape your own interpretation of reality,” Alghabra said. 

The bachelor has just one cousin in Canada, so he’ll be taking a gaggle of friends to Ottawa with him for his swearing-in ceremony. 

“But a lot of my friends have become my family and many of them are even more excited about this than I am,” he said. 

“I don’t know what my role in Ottawa will be, but I’m really excited. I have strong convictions and values and aspirations. It’s been proven that hard work translates into results and my winning this campaign shows that,” he said. 

“A few months ago, I never dreamed of making a career of politics and now here I am. 

“It’s an eerie responsibility, but it’s also an awesome opportunity.”