Politicians in the cafe
Coffee tea gathering
Dear residents of Markham-Unionville, Tomorrow, MP Bob Saroya and I will have a coffee and tea gathering. Hope to see you then. Date and time: July 7 (Saturday) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Location: Tim Hortons on 3010 16th Avenue, Markham, ON (Northeast corner Woodbine and 16th) See you then!
Billy Pang MPP-designate Markham-Unionville
This is an invitation message sent by politician Billy Pang to the residents of Markham-Unionville. The language is simple and modest, and the location is Tim Hortons, the favorite coffee shop of Canadians.
Members of Parliament and residents take a group photo in front of the cafe
We came to the cafe at 12:50 pm on July 7th. Business as usual in the cafe. MP Bob Saroya and provincial councillor Billy Pang's assistants put together three small tables in the cafe and prepared Tim Hortons’ coffee and simple desserts. There were guests in twos and threes. There are those who sit and drink coffee, and there are those who come and go freely. No one really cares about who has any activities today. Politics is a very common part of Canadian life.
First from left: MPP Billy Pang's Assistant Vivi, first from right: MP Bob Saroya's Assistant Michael
Guests come to buy coffee
At one o'clock in the afternoon, MP Bob Saroya, MPP Billy Pang and Markham election candidate Mr. Xiang (Shawn) Wang came to the cafe on time and chatted with the residents who had already arrived.
Bob was born in Punjab, India and moved to Canada in 1974. He owned five pizza franchises, an Indian restaurant and other catering businesses in the Greater Toronto Area. He ran for public office for the first time in 2008 and was promoted to the House of Representatives in the 2015 federal election. He is a member of parliament and also serves as deputy minister of citizenship, immigration and refugee affairs in the shadow cabinet of the Conservative Party.
Bob is approachable and humorous. After arriving at the coffee shop, residents of all ethnicities communicated with him happily. At the end of the event, a pair of white-haired elderly people came, holding a pile of materials, looking a little anxious. Bob works on site, reads carefully and explains in detail. The old man finally laughed easily! Bob has rich experience in handling government affairs and his ability to solve problems is very convincing. At this moment, there is a feeling of "loving the people like a father"!
MP Bob Saroya carefully reads the elder's materials
The gray-haired elder bursts into laughter.
MPP Billy Pang was elected as the Trustee of York Region District School Board in Markham in the 2014 municipal election. He has worked closely with students, parents and staff for many years. After taking office, Billy has worked to improve the public school education system and medical system in Ontario, and review the current transportation policy, so that the provincial citizens can save commuting time. He will also work hard to promote regular updates of Ontario’s current primary and secondary education curriculum.
During the coffee and tea gathering, Billy said sincerely to everyone: If there is anything that falls within the scope of the provincial legislator, he must be told. He will try his best to help solve it. Because his youngest daughter Alysa will be in the first grade of elementary school in September this year, Mr. Zhaoan Sui asked whether the school can provide lunch for students. Another parent from Pierre Elliot Trudeau High School, Mr. Deng, did not understand that the school does not have a student cafeteria. He suggested: “Students bring lunch from home every day, mostly prepared the night before. It will be cold when they arrive at school the next day. Nutrition is also lost, which is not good for the health of students. If every family prepares lunch for their children that day, they need to get up very early. The addition of a canteen in the school can not only solve the lunch problem of students, but also increase employment. Why not?
Mr. Deng was very pleasantly surprised by the politicians' approach to the people!
MPP Billy Pang listened carefully to everyone's ideas, and patiently explained that the YRDSB respects the opinions of every school. The problem of student cafeteria is more complicated. The number of students in each school is generally not large, ethnicity is different, and eating habits are different. Food safety and nutritional balance are all factors that schools should consider. Because the profit margin is very small, most of them rely on volunteers to complete the food ration, which is difficult to maintain for a long time. Regarding the issue of student cafeterias, Billy suggested that the parent committee of the school should do more work, which will be effective.
It seems that our parents still need to have a deeper learning and understanding of Ontario's education system, further communication with schools and more participation in school activities, it is possible to promote things in a more reasonable direction.
Politician's and citizens communicate freely.
MPP Billy Pang introduced friends to know each other
Shawn Wang, the election candidate for a riding in Markham, was particularly active today. MP Bob Saroya and MPP Billy Pang are his old friends. At this moment, he is introducing the different functions of Canada's three-level government to a group of new friends.
Shawn has been Bob's assistant since 2015. He worked hard to serve the residents of Markham, handling more than a thousand cases, including a large number of residents of Makrham District 6. Shawng is good at listening to the voices of the people, trying his best to help the people in the consitutency communicate smoothly with the three-level government and various departments, accumulating a lot of administrative experience, and gaining countless recognitions.
Cheerful group photo in the cafe
The federal government is generally composed of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons. The leader of this party is appointed by the Governor to become the Prime Minister. Generally speaking, the prime minister is granted a wide range of powers. The prime minister selects government ministers from members of the ruling party, and the cabinet under the leadership of the prime minister has real executive power. The Cabinet sets government policies and is accountable to the House of Representatives.
The federal government is responsible for national affairs, including foreign affairs, national defense, inter-provincial and international trade, criminal law, banking, currency systems, social welfare, fisheries, etc. Have jurisdiction over the aboriginal people and their reservations. The federal government and the provincial government have common jurisdiction over immigration, agriculture, and other matters. The court also authorized the federal government to manage work in areas such as aviation, shipping, railways, telecommunications, and nuclear energy.
Each province has governors, provincial assemblies, governors, and provincial cabinets. Voting in provincial elections is similar to federal elections. Provincial and regional governments are in charge of provincial affairs, responsible for education, family and child welfare, property rights, citizenship, judicial administration, medical and health, natural resources, social insurance, labor laws, municipal administration, and other local or private issues. In many respects, it has joint jurisdiction with the federal government. Provinces can set up local governments or municipal governments to give them the power to make laws and regulations such as parking regulations or building standards.
Shawn introduced the different functions of the three levels of government to new friends
The city government is in charge of local affairs such as schools, water affairs, building regulations, property taxes, parks and recreational facilities, transportation, fire protection, libraries, garbage collection and street cleaning. Big cities have their own police.
The three levels of government need to share some responsibilities, such as agriculture, law enforcement, human rights, environmental protection, family allowances, old age protection, and immigration policies. Governments at all levels may be composed of different political parties, and the decisions and services of the government are closely related to the cabinet formed by the majority party.
Shawn is determined to run for the election this year, aiming to make Markham-Unionville not only at the federal and provincial levels, but also at the municipal level where the policies are implemented. There are also people who represent the same values, master the government’s voice, and achieve real change. Shawn hopes to get everyone's encouragement and specific help.
I look forward to Shawn being elected as a city councillor in October this year!
Members of the Canada Gansu Federation of Chambers of Commerce continue to enthusiastically participate in and support community activities. Exchange opinions on community affairs with councillors, convey opinions from neighbors, listen to councillors’ suggestions, and jointly promote community development.
Front row left to right: Xiaochun Guo, Zhaoan Sui, MPP Billy Pang, Shawn Wang Second Row: MP Bob Saroya
The plan for this event is from 1 pm to 3 pm. Residents continue to come in one after another. The majority of residents are of Chinese and Indian descent. Later, there was a very interesting phenomenon. Most of the people communicating with Bob are residents of Indian origin; Billy is surrounded by Cantonese-speaking neighbors; and Shawn is communicating with friends who speak Mandarin.
The harmonious coexistence of multiple ethnic groups and the harmonious coexistence of multiple cultures is a unique cultural atmosphere of Canada. But the same language and the same ethnic group are still inexplicably close unconsciously. The demeanor and tone of the residents and the parliamentarians are like good neighbors who have known each other for many years. This is a lovely phenomenon.
Bob talking with residents of Indian descent
Billy is surrounded by Cantonese-speaking residents
Shawn chatting with Mr. Deng
Around 3:20 pm, the activity ended in a happy group photo. Talking to the politicians in the cafe is like running into your neighbours. You can talk about your problems if you have any, and if not you can just chat about things.
At the end of the event, everyone took a photo with joy, the third from the right: Bob's assistant, Sam
Note: On July 10, 2018, Billy Pang completed the oath of office at the Ontario Parliament Building.