Thursday, May 10, 2007

Canada & Italy on Fence about Voting of Italians Abroad

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Although Gino Bucchino, the first Italian MP for North America. is optimistic about the continuance of Voting of Italians Abroad in Canada, sources close to Prime Minister Stephen Harper are more pessimistic.

 

But more important, the concept of Italians Abroad continuing to vote is being reconsidered by the Italian Parliament.

 

Below is an interview by Tandem with MP Gino Bucchino.

 

 

"No veto from Ottawa to the Italian vote in Canada"

Gino Bucchino talks about the new law for reacquire the citizenship

Tandem News

Canada's Cosmopolitan News

By Luigi De Biase

May 13,2007 - May 20,2007

Ottawa will not oppose a veto to the election of MPs for the Italian Parliament on Canadian soil. Thats the opinion of Gino Bucchino, the first Italian MP for North America. In the coming days, he added, talks will be held in Rome, with the participation of Deputy Foreign Minister Danieli and myself, with the Canadian Ambassador to Italy.

I cannot anticipate the results of those talks, as Canada is of course entirely sovereign within its borders, but I dont think there will be problems when the time will come to renew our representatives to the Italian Parliament.

Bucchinos words came during the plenum of the Congress of Italians Abroad, which closed in Rome last week. Four days of discussions, with an eye to the demands coming from the base, and another to the political will coming from politicians. Now, after the time of demands, CGIE needs to open a phase of reflection.

Change is unavoidable, explained Gino Bucchino, because now Italians living abroad have obtained direct representation in both Houses of Parliament. We cannot dismiss the CGIE, but its structure and goals must change.


Dont you think that the presence of MPs and Senators elected abroad has turned the CGIE into a useless entity?

Not at all. CGIE remains a fundamental entity, which must be strengthened in order to carry out its new mandate, to link Italian communities abroad to their MPs and Senators. Weve managed to create three layers of representation: the first is the COMITES, elected by Italian citizens. Then comes the CGIE, whose members are appointed by the various COMITES. Finally, there are the MPs and Senators. No link of this chain can be discarded.


What will be CGIEs new goals, after the reform?

CGIE must generate proposals. MPs and Senators are planning to settle lawmaking disputes on issues of interest for our communities. Now CGIE will need to look beyond pensions, and deal with information and youth issues. We must reawaken interest for Italy in second- and third-generation Italians.


Do you think they may be interested in being represented in Italy?

I think so, yes. This is why we need to work harder to communicate with this new reality of the Italian diaspora. This will require a sharp cultural readjustment.
What will change, in practice?

The process has just begun; we have no set answers, just proposals. For sure, CGIE will get a leaner structure, because 95 people are probably too many. But resources will not be cut, only better used. This means fewer plenums in Rome and more continental meetings. There will also be quotas guaranteeing a presence of youth and women. In summary, fewer people, but greater capacity for travelling and working.


Lets go back to voting; has Ottawa withdrawn its objections of the past months?

I doubt that the case was ever that tough to begin with. I think that Ottawa might not like extending the same rights to other national groups, but there wont be problems with Italians. Canada is the land of diversity, and I dont think they will reject this trait by becoming the only country in the world denying Italians the right to choose their representatives. At worst we shall need to change how campaigns are conducted.

From my standpoint, I believe that the battle will be harder in Italy, where there have been signs that some people, in the centre-right coalition, is against renewing this right. There will be time to discuss this within the new electoral law.


The topic of citizenship is very hot among Italians. How is the bill faring?

It was sent to the committee, which should put it up for a vote in late May. We inserted two fundamental points. The first: unlimited reopening of the terms for applying to reacquire the citizenship. The second: descendants will be entitled to apply even if just one of their grandparents was Italian. We are also busy on pensions, especially making use of parliamentary questions, and with the coming budget law we shall also attend to the consolidation of the Consular network.

But for Harper's government: no more Italian MP

Gino Bucchinos optimism is unfortunately not confirmed by rumours coming from sources close to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

As we reported months ago, and again this week, the Government of Canada appears to have already decided that it will not allow Italy to include Canada within the Central and North America ward. This would imply that no one will be elected to the Italian Parliament from Canada.

The same source confirmed that the Government of Canada would be studying the possibility to allow Italian-Canadians to participate to the vote for candidates from other countries in the ward (United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador). The first decision, insisted the source, has been taken, and as soon as the Government will have finalized its official position on the second, everything will be ratified and made public.

Angelo Persichilli
Publication Date: 2007-05-13
Story Location: http://www.tandemnews.com/

viewstory.php?storyid=7298

 

 

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