MikeCohen.ca

A stimulating day on Parliament Hill

My friend Glenn J. Nashen  and I each wear a few hats. I work at the English Montreal School Board as the communications and marketing specialist, serve on Côte Saint-Luc city council and write for a number of newspapers, including  The Suburban, The Jewish Tribune, The Montrealer,  The Jewish  Standard and the Montreal Jewish Magazine. Glenn is the director of public affairs and communications for the Jewish General  Hospital and a city councillor as well in Côte Saint-Luc. He was first elected 20 years ago while  I came aboard in 2005, having covered the city for the local newspaper and then handled public relations assignments for more than two decades.

Glenn and I are naturally very much enamored with the political process – locally, provincially, federally and globally.  During the 11 years I worked for the Canadian Jewish Congress  (CJC),  I frequently went to Ottawa. It was this body’s role to represent the  Jewish community before government.

Last week we spent an enlightening day in Ottawa, starting a round of meetings at 10 a.m. and continuing through nightfall.

Glenn and I began our day with a trip to the Ottawa National Advocacy Office of  CJC. When  I worked for the organization, the head office was in Montreal.  Now, the major operation emanates out of Toronto. Eric Vernon, Joshua Rotblatt  and Susan Marcus hold the fort in Ottawa, sharing space with the Canada-Israel Committee. (Pictured at the right are Glenn, Joshua, Eric and myself).  Joshua is director of operations and Eric, director of government relations.  Only a few days after I started working at CJC my boss, Jack  Silverstone, informed me that we were headed to Ottawa for a meeting with the federal minister of justice. He told me to let him out of the car at Parliament Hill, park the car at the Chateau Laurier Hotel and go find Eric in the lobby. That marked the beginning of a wonderful friendship between Eric and I, which continues today. I may have left CJC 12 years ago, yet sitting down with Joshua and Eric felt so natural. I am glad we have kept in touch and they perform important duties for the community.

Our first meeting on Parliament Hill was with Justin Trudeau, the Liberal MP for Papineau.  Justin, of course, is the son of our late, great prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. I first met him about six years ago when I invited him to come speak at a school board function. Talk about a man who can keep his audience spellbound.

Justin (pictured at the right with Glenn) remains a regular at local schools and not only those in his riding. There is a great demand for his presence  across the country.  He seemed appropriately comfortable in his Confederation Building office.

 “I am abashed to admit how good this feels,” he told us. “Every aspect of this job is so incredibly satisfying.”

How would his father feel if he could see him now? “About a year before my dad died I realized that politics would be a possible path for me one day,” he recalled. “I knew that I needed to talk to him about this or I would regret it. Well, it turned out to be 10 minutes of the most awkward conversation I’d ever had. You see, he had basically already answered this question in the way he raised my brothers and I. ‘Know your values and principles,’ he would always say. He certainly did say that we should not do anything because we thought  it was our appropriate path and with that in mind I know that he was extremely proud  that I became a teacher.”

I personally believe that within the next decade Justin will be the leader of the Federal Liberal Party  and ultimately our prime minister.

We were delighted when the  Federal Minister of Health,  Leona Aglukkaq (below) , agreed to see us.

Ms. Aglukkaq was first elected to work for the Nunavummiut in the House of Commons in October 2008 and became the first Inuk to be sworn into the federal cabinet. Prior to entering federal politics she served in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly as the MLA for the district of NATTILIK (communities of Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak). During her time as an MLA, she was elected by her peers to be part of the Executive Council and  first given the responsibility of finance minister and house leader, before becoming the minister of health and social services and the minister for the status of Women. She was absolutely charming. We spoke about the H1N1 crisis and the medical isotope shortage.  The Minister may be making a trip to Montreal in the not too distant to visit some of our local cancer centers.

Did you know that Stockwell Day (right with Glenn and I), the president of the Federal Treasury Board, once lived in Montreal? Long before he became the Albert finance minister, leader of the Canadian Alliance and a trusted federal minister for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Day resided in St. Lambert, N.D.G. and Westmount.  He attended Westmount High School and looks forward to making a return visit there soon. The prime minister initially appointed him the public safety minister, moving him to international trade and now the treasury, where he  has been handed the crucial task of getting our country’s finances back on track.  

Every step of the way these last four years he has been supported by Neil Drabkin, a lawyer and long time Côte Saint-Luc resident, as his chief of staff. Neil has a significant background in the political process, going back to the era of Brian Mulroney as prime minister. At that time Neil  (right, with Glenn and I), was a senior policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to the minister of citizenship. He has also been a Tory candidate on a few occasions.

Via the English Montreal School Board I edit a special needs newspaper called Inspirations (www.emsb.qc.ca/inspirations). With this in mind I was particulary anxious to meet two cabinet ministers: Steven Fletcher and Diane Finley.
 
Fletcher (right, with Glenn and I),  was a young  mining engineer in Manitoba in 1996 when an automobile collision with a moose left him a quadriplegic. He is paralyzed from the neck down. Despite the odds, he returned to university for his MBA and has been elected to Parliament in the last three elections, now serving as the minister of democratic reform. He’s been travelling near Montreal recently to take  French classes.  He and his father David presented us with a copy of  the book The Steven  Fletcher Story: What Do You Do If You Don’t Die? “Have your hankerchief ready,” one of his executive assistants warned us. Fletcher has such a great disposition. What an inspiration he is!  His office is a beehive of activity, with meetings occurring non-stop.

Finley  (right, with Glenn and I), is  the minister of human resources and skills development.  The MP for Haldimand-Norfolk in Simcoe, Ontario told us that a number of years ago she spent a summer working at the Lachine plant of Rolls Royce Canada.  Her boss was a gentleman by the name of Doug Finley. The two would eventually become man and wife. Doug is now a Conservative Senator and the party’s national campaign director. Diane Finely shared with us her battle with Graves Disease,  an autoimmune condition  which causes over activity of the thyroid.  For some time she had to wear sunglasses in the House of Commons due to  a hypersensitivity to light. “I had five surgeries and I am fortunate that the last one was successful,” said the minister, who is also responsible for the Federal Office for Disability Issues.

Finley told us that when she was in opposition that the headquarters for the Office for Disability Issues  was ironically  not accessible for  the handicapped. “There were actually two offices at the time,” she said. “Now we have one office across the river in Gatineau . Not only is it accessible, it is  in fact a showcase for accessibility.”

Later in the day, at the posh Rideau Club, we met CTV national reporter Roger Smith (riight). I have always been a big fan of the way he delivers breaking news from the nation’s capital. He was interesting to speak to.

I must say that I came home from these meetings very impressed with the Parliamentarians and their senior staff whom we interacted with. They have all been invited to come visit some of our schools on future visits to Montreal.

Meeting Canada's Governor General

I met Canada’s Governor General, Her Excellency The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,  for the very first time. It was on the occasion  of her visit to   Share the Warmth in Point St. Charles, the wonderful organization which assists people living below the poverty line. Among the volunteers on hand that day were a group of students from John Grant High School in Côte Saint-Luc.

A well-known journalist and broadcaster in Quebec,   Jean immigrated from Haiti with her family at an early age. Fluent in five languages - French, English, Italian, Spanish and Haitian Creole - she is the first black Governor General of Canada. A social activist for women and children at risk, she has always said that her  plans called for  to using the office of Governor General to help disadvantaged young people.

Jean has been in this prestigious post for nearly five years. She travels around the world representing our country. Ironically her visits in  Montreal are few and far between. It is no surprise then that given her background as a social acfivisit she chose Share the Warmth, which began in the winter of 1989 after three women were moved to collect warm clothing and food for the homeless. They put out a plea to the public via an article in The Gazette.  The response was overwhelming.  People called to volunteer, to donate clothes, to sort clothes, to donate food and to help with deliveries.
The group incorporated in February 1990 and moved into Point St. Charles in 1991. They continued to collect and distribute food and clothing and deliver to the homeless on the street, to drop in centres and to shelters. It was in 1992 social workers and individuals from the community were requesting that food be given out to individuals and families living below the poverty line. That was the start of the food bank. The first month 39 baskets were prepared. In the next year the first request from a school for food came. James Lyng High School had a teacher who recognized that students were coming to school hungry. He began to give them snacks from his classroom. He asked for   help and that was the start of the School Food Program. From that base Share the Warmth expanded its programs to answer many more needs of the community. Each step of the way has helped thousands of people.
The Governor General spent almost two hours at Share the Warmth, shaking hands and talking to the many clients, playing with children and talking to students about their future. She is a classy lady and I can see why former Prime Minister Paul  Martin decided to recommend  her appointment to the Queen. Michaëlle Jean is a distinguished head of state and we  are lucky to have her.

Michael Polak: New Honourary Consul General in Montreal for the Netherlands

Since obtaining his law degree from McGill University in 1982 and passing the Quebec bar exam a year later,  attorney Michael Polak has enjoyed a successful career.

 

The son of parents of Dutch origin, Quebec Court Judge and retired  Liberal Member of the National Assembly Max Polak (pictured with Michael below),  and Celine Spier, Polak  grew up in Côte Saint-Luc. In fact his parents still reside in the same Wavell Road home.

 

Over the years Polak has travelled to the Netherlands several times, usually with his parents, and  served as a member of the Canada Netherlands Chamber of  Commerce. He has also assisted the Netherlands  Consulate in Montreal with Dutch-Quebec contracts on numerous levels. Ironically, while his parents had to surrender their Dutch citizenship when they came to Canada more  than 50 years ago, through what he calls a “loophole,” Michael was able to claim dual citizenship about a decade ago.

 

Polak believes that these factors led to his formal confirmation this month as the Honourary Consul General for the Netherlands in Montreal. “As the  title explains this is honourary and I will not get paid,” he told me. “I will, nonetheless, try to represent the Kingdom of the Netherlands at every opportunity here.”

 

Polak’s mother is a survivor of the Holocaust and the Theresienstadt  concentration camp in the former Czechoslovakia. Her experience was in fact described in detail in the novel What World Is Left. It was written by Monique Polak, Michael’s sister and while it focuses on a fictitious character named Anneke and her family, it is inspired by  he experiences of  Celine Spier.  Michael  Polak says that until  his sister  began doing the research for this book, their mother had never discussed her experience in Theresienstadt

 

Max Polak, born to a Jewish father and a  non-Jewish mother, met Celine after the war in Holland. They  moved to Canada in 1954  and raised three children: Michael, Monique and Caroline, also a lawyer.

 

“This honourary appointment means a great deal to my parents and they are just tickled pink,” says  Polak. “ For many years the Netherlands had a full Consulate here. In fact, there was a Jewish Consul General named Albert Moses.  For budgetary reasons they had to close and I was actually approached more than a year ago. Even though my post is honourary  I needed a former letter from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The Canadian government required a security clearance. This all took time. Now that it is done I am here to be of assistance. If people have VISA problems, I can help. I am in  constant communication with the embassy in Ottawa.”

 

Polak notes that this coming May will mark the 65^th anniversary of  the  liberation of Holland. “It was Canada,” he said, “which played the most significant role.”

 

Indeed Canada’s most notable role in bringing about the end of the Second World War was the liberation of the Netherlands on May 5, 1945. To this day, the Dutch Royal Family sends 10,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa each year as a show of thanks.  In the early hours of May 7, just two days after Canada’s victory in the Netherlands, Germany’s High Command of Armed Forces signed an unconditional surrender at a schoolhouse in Rheims, France. The following night, a second and final surrender was signed at a villa just outside Berlin.

 

Polak’s legal practice remains a busy one as the counsel for three international airlines,  a representative to a myriad of radio, television and production companies, handling licensing,  distribution, mergers and acquisitions for  foreign companies based in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Belgium, the United States, Germany and China . He is also involved in a  number of community activities.  His wife, Penelope Kershaw,  is the  president of one of the oldest philanthropic organizations in the city  The American Women’s Club of Montreal.  Polak says he will be counting on her  broad experience in community affairs in his efforts to  elevate the relations between the Netherlands and Montreal for greater cultural understanding and exchange.

 

Honourary Consul General Michael Polak can be reached at 514-935-6226.

Nikki Yanofsky's Canadian OIympic song

Teen singing sensatiom Nikki Yanofsky’s career continues to blossom. With her first studio album due out in the spring and just having come off two tours to the Orient, the energetic Hampstead resident will now be getting some truly worldwide exposure as the voice behind the official theme song for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. he theme music, written for Vancouver 2010 broadcasts by Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, has evolved into an original song that was released at the end of January to radio stations across the country and made available for download on I-Tunes.

I Believe, an original song performed by three prominent Canadian artists, is the lyrical manifestation of the theme music that will be featured throughout consortium broadcasts. The consortium is a unique arrangement involving CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Info Sports, Rogers Sportsnet, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, The Globe and Mail, Corus Québec and select Rogers radio stations across the country.I Believe was recorded in several different formats, including an English single performed by Yanofsky, a French single, entitled J’Imagine, performed by popular Quebec recording artist Annie Villeneuve (the girlfriend of Minnesota Wild hockey star Guillaume Latendresse); a bilingual version, also recorded by Villeneuve; and a full-length instrumental by the theme music’s award-winning Canadian composer, Stephan Moccio. Yanofsky’s recording of I Believe was produced by 14-time Grammy Award-winning legend Phil Ramone and Grammy Award-winner Jesse Harris.

How did this all come about? "I don't remember exactly when, but I met Stephan Moccio at the Juno Awards last year and I guess we were on each others radar," she told the Jewish Tribune. " I kinda learned the words and the melody at the same time. What can I say- what an incredible honour! I am speechless."

The song is just such a universal message," she remarked. "It doesn't even need to be applied to the Olympics. It's really just about believing in yourself and your talent, and that when you're down, there's people around you that really do support you. It's really something I believe in. Pardon the pun."

An EP, distributed by Universal Music Canada, hit stores on February 2 containing three versions of the song: I Believe, J’Imagine and the instrumental track, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the music/recordings in the making.

For more information log on to  www.nikkiyanofsky.com. To see her video click here:  Nikki's Olympic video.

  

　

CSL resident to head B'nai Brith

B'nai Brith Canada has its Quebec head office at the Cote Saint-Luc Shopping Centre. Immediate past national president Gerry Weinstein lives in CSL as do many others involved with this prestigious human rights organization. On January 4 a new regional director will be in place. Her name is Heidi Oppen and yes, she resides in CSL. Here is a story I filed on her for The Jewish Tribune. See page 3.

http://www.jewishtribune.ca/tribune/PDF/jt221209.pdf

 You can also see my review of the Olympic Torch Relay on  page 8, as I witnessed its visit to CSL.

Saluting a future mayor, a hero and our Public Works Department

There was a lot to celebrate at the Dec. 14, 2009 Côte Saint-Luc Council meeting.

The winner of the 2009 Mayor For a Day essay-writing contest, Rina Dayan, read her winning entry at the meeting. Rina received a book, a copy of which will be placed in the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library. In addition, her school, Yeshiva Yavné received a $100 gift card to buy books for its school library.

During this evening, for the second consecutive year, the association representing public works professionals in Canada awarded Côte Saint-Luc the top prize in its annual National Public Works Week Awards.The Canadian Public Works Association (CPWA) awarded the top prize to Côte Saint-Luc among cities with a population of 75,000 or fewer. The results will be announced formally at the CPWA Luncheon at the American Public Works Association Congress in Columbus, Ohio on September 14.　

Public Works Week in Côte Saint-Luc raised $4,000 for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation over the course of several days, from May 19 to 24. Staff helped raise money  in different ways, such   as a pie-throwing event. Grade 3 classes from Hebrew Academy toured the Public Works Department facilities and our waste education staff visited École Maimonides to promote waste-free lunches and recycling. The Public Works Carnival closed on Sunday, May 24 with a barbecue, inflatable games for children, wagon rides, household hazardous waste collection and more.

Meanwhile, we also recognized a true hero. 　 On the afternoon of Oct. 18, an elderly driver of a vehicle suffered a medical problem and lost control of his car. The car barreled through two fences and plunged into a half-filled private swimming pool. The man was pulled from the car at the bottom of the pool and successfully resuscitated. At the time he left for the hospital by ambulance, he had regained a pulse and was　 conscious. This miraculous story of survival would not have been possible if not for the rapid intervention of Martin Benko, a 17 year old Côte Saint-Luc resident who was walking his dog when he witnessed the accident.

Martin quickly tied up his dog and jumped into the pool. He broke the rear window of the car which, along with the trunk, was the only part of the car not submerged, and pulled the man out. He dragged the man to the stairs of the pool where, as a trained lifeguard, he assessed that the man had no pulse. Mr. Benko suffered lacerations to his arms during the rescue.　 We publicly saluted him at the meeting as well , with a special plaque.

Happy Birthday Ken Lerner

A happy 44th birthday to Ken Lerner, the city manager for Côte Saint-Luc and a resident of District  2. Since assuming the duties as our de facto CEO, Ken has run the city like a business. Bravo Ken! Ken is pictured above with myself at the left and Mayor Anthony Housefather at the right.