Giuseppe Sciortino

Giuseppe Sciortino is a lawyer and political activist in the Canadian province of Quebec. He has run for both the National Assembly of Quebec and the House of Commons of Canada.

Early life

Sciortino was born in Sicily, Italy, and moved to Canada as an adolescent.[1] He speaks fluent French and has described himself as a francophone.[2]

Lawyer

Victor Regalado case

In the 1980s, Sciortino represented Salvadorean journalist Victor Regalado, one of the first persons in Canada to be detained on a security certificate. Government ministers Robert Kaplan and Lloyd Axworthy ordered Regalado's arrest and deportation in 1982, charging that his continued presence in Canada was "detrimental to the national interest." The evidence against Regalado was kept secret, although the government suggested that he had entered the country "to carry out certain activities which are prohibited under Canadian law" and was working for the overthrow of "a government" (which media sources noted was presumably a reference to the right-wing government of El Salvador). Regalado denied being involved in any illegal activity, but indicated that he had been a member of the Communist Party of El Salvador and would face persecution if deported.[3]

Shortly after Regalado's arrest, Sciortino issued subpoenas ordering Kaplan and Axworthy to testify at an immigration appeal board hearing on the matter.[4] The ministers refused to appear, and the immigration board did not compel them to attend.[5]

Regalado was later released from incarceration, but his deportation order was upheld by the Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal.[6] In January 1987, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a further appeal of his case.[7] Sciortino indicated that he hoped a "political solution" would be found permitting Regalado to remain in Canada and indicated that his client was still trying to find out why he had been deemed a "security risk" in the first place.[8]

In March 1987, Sciortino helped convince the federal New Democratic Party to pass a motion supporting Regalado.[9] He later brought the case before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, arguing that the government's use of secret evidence was a violation of Regalado's civil and political rights.[10] Regalado was ultimately allowed to stay in Canada, although the initial charges against him were never made public.[11]

Other cases

Sciortino represented the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques in 1999 during a dispute between independent Quebec truckers and the provincial government.[12] He represented the Concordia University student union in 2002 to oppose a moratorium on public events related to the Middle East conflict, and in 2005 he represented unionized workers at a Wal-Mart in Saguenay.[13] He has also represented the Alliance des Professeurs de Montreal and advised the Montreal branch of the American Federation of Musicians.[14]

Political activist

New Democratic Party

Sciortino ran for the New Democratic Party of Quebec (NDP) in the 1985 provincial election in the predominantly Italian division of Viau.[15] During the campaign, he was designated as the Quebec NDP's spokesperson for the province's cultural communities.[16] The New Democratic Party did not have a strong presence in Quebec during this period, and Sciortino finished third.

In 1987, Sciortino strongly criticized the Canadian government's decision to prevent eighty-five Chilean refugees stranded in Argentina from gaining access to Canada. When interviewed on the matter, he said that the Chileans wanted to come to Canada to escape the "terrifying dictatorship" of Augusto Pinochet.[17]

Sciortino defeated two challengers to win the federal New Democratic Party's nomination for Rosemont in the buildup to the 1988 federal election.[18] Considered as one of the party's strongest candidates in Quebec, Sciortino openly sympathized with Quebec nationalism and expressed his support for the province's Charter of the French Language.[19] Late in the campaign, he took part in a press conference called by NDP candidate Jean-Paul Harney to support using the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Constitution to protect Quebec's francophone culture and restrict the use of other languages.[20] This press conference was not endorsed by the NDP leadership, and many believe that it cost the party support among Quebec's anglophones. Sciortino finished a fairly strong third on election day, amid a rise in NDP support among Montreal's francophone voters.[21]

Parti Québécois

Sciortino later left the NDP and affiliated with the Quebec sovereigntist Parti Québécois (PQ), serving on its national executive. The PQ has traditionally had only limited support among Quebec's cultural communities, and Sciortino was one of its most prominent members from the Italian community. In 1992, he wrote a public letter defending PQ against charges that it was based around a narrow ethnic nationalism.[22] The following year, he called for a "new linguistic agreement" that would protect the spirit of Quebec's Charter of the French Language while also recognizing the concerns of other linguistic communities.[23]

In the buildup to the 1994 provincial election, Sciortino sought the PQ nomination for the east-end Montreal seat of Mercier. His candidacy was widely regarded as an important development for the PQ in building a support base among non-francophone voters. Sciortino initially won the nomination in a close contest over Robert Perreault, but the result was annulled due to voting irregularities.[24] Despite receiving an endorsement from party leader Jacques Parizeau, Sciortino was defeated by Perreault at a second meeting.[25] The nomination contest was very divisive; Sciortino has said that Perreault's supporters smeared him as a communist and attacked him on the basis of his ethnic background.[26]

The PQ won a majority government in the 1994 provincial election, and Sciortino initially remained a member of the party's executive. He supported the sovereigntist option in the 1995 Quebec referendum and, after its narrow defeat, acknowledged that the PQ's outreach efforts to minority communities had not been successful.[27] He resigned from the PQ executive in April 1996 and largely withdrew from party activities after this time.[28]

On the night of the 1995 referendum, PQ premier Jacques Parizeau delivered a speech that blamed the sovereigntist defeat on "money and the ethnic vote." Sciortino later described this as a "wretched phrase ... pointless, and objectively false" and "not what one would expect from a statesman, from a democrat, as many, myself included, consider or considered Jacques Parizeau to be."[29]

Italian community activism

In October 1996, Sciortino joined with other federalist and sovereigntist Italian Quebecers to issue a manifesto that recognized the right of all Quebecers to determine their future, called for reform in the Quebec Italian community's political culture, and encouraged the PQ to fully accept Quebec as a pluralistic society.[30] Four years later, he led a movement to have the Papineau-Leblanc Bridge between Montreal and Laval named after the late Canadian Senator Pietro Rizzuto. Sciortino indicated that he did not agree politically with Rizzuto, who was a Liberal, but nonetheless believed that his contributions to Quebec should be recognized.[31] The name change ultimately did not take place, due it part to opposition from others in the PQ.[32]

Electoral record

1988 Canadian federal election: Rosemont
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Progressive Conservative	Benoît Tremblay	17,127	37.84		$44,311
	Liberal	Jacques Guilbault	13,209	29.18	–	$45,624
	New Democratic	Giuseppe Sciortino	9,163	20.24		$37,493
	Independent	Suzanne Blais-Grenier	2,060	4.55		$8,864
	Rhinoceros	Christian Nettoyeur Jolicoeur	1,656	3.66	–	$0
	Green	Sylvain Auclair	1,383	3.06		$24
	Communist	Gaétan Trudel	151	0.33		$18
	Social Credit	Dollard Desjardins	148	0.33		$0
	Marxist–Leninist	Arnold August	122	0.27		$130
	Independent	Léo Larocque	122	0.27		$5,150
	Commonwealth of Canada	Christiane Deland-Gervais	120	0.27		$0
Total valid votes			45,261	100.00
Total rejected ballots			1,025
Turnout			46,286	68.31
Electors on the lists			67,754
Source: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Thirty-fourth General Election, 1988.

1985 Quebec general election: Viau
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	William Cusano	17,086	66.12
	Parti Québécois	Marie-Claire Nivolon	7,428	28.75
	New Democratic	Giuseppe Sciortino	864	3.34
	Humanist	Doris Gervais	196	0.76
	Commonwealth of Canada	Martin Daoust	148	0.57
	Christian Socialist	Jean-François Grenier	118	0.46
Total valid votes			25,840
Rejected and declined votes			491
Turnout			26,331	71.05
Electors on the lists			37,062
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

References

1. Ed Bantey, "PQ nomination in Mercier will measure political maturity," Montreal Gazette, 22 May 1994, A5.
2. Paul Gessell, "NDP thirsts for Quebec breakthrough," Ottawa Citizen, 8 August 1988, A5.
3. "Supreme Court refuses Salvadoran journalist leave to appeal deportation order," Ottawa Citizen, 30 January 1987, A11.
4. "Lawyers appeal deportation of Salvadorean," Globe and Mail, 6 May 1982, p. 20.
5. "Kaplan, Axworthy refuse to testify on deportation," Globe and Mail, 11 May 1982, p. 3.
6. Patricia Poirier, "Refugee from El Salvador loses six-year fight to stay in Canada," Globe and Mail, 30 January 1987, A3.
7. "Way cleared to deport Salvadoran," Montreal Gazette, 30 January 1987, A4.
8. Patricia Poirier, "Deportation order on hold as officials seek destination," Globe and Mail, 31 January 1987, A8.
9. Jennifer Robinson, "Party tells Ottawa: open doors for Chileans, other refugees," Montreal Gazette, 16 March 1987, A5.
10. "Ousted by Canada man appeals to UN," Montreal Gazette, 8 July 1987, A9.
11. Irwin Block, "Journalist is allowed to immigrate: Salvadoran says he hopes to apply for citizenship," Montreal Gazette, 8 June 1996, A4.
12. "Truckers lose injunction challenge," Montreal Gazette, 16 October 1999, A5.
13. Michelle MacAfee, "Concordia students obey court injunction, hold peaceful Mideast event outside," Canadian Press, 15 November 2002; "The Quebec Labour Relations Commission began Tuesday hearing a motion filed against giant retailer Wal-Mart to stop it from closing its Saguenay store," Canadian Press, 3 May 2005.
14. Catherine Solyom, "Union denies contempt: Essential Services ruling not binding on teachers: defence," Montreal Gazette, 10 January 2002, A2; Anne Sutherland, "Vote on Subirana not valid: parent union," Montreal Gazette, 31 July 2002, B8.
15. Veronique Robert, "PQ push rattles Liberals' ethnic base in Montreal," Montreal Gazette, 16 November 1985, B4.
16. At the time, the term "ethnic groups" was used instead than "cultural communities." The term was then not considered pejorative. See Marian Scott, "Viau: Miron dump raises the biggest stink in riding," Montreal Gazette, 28 November 1985, A7.
17. Jennifer Robinson, "Party tells Ottawa: open doors for Chileans, other refugees," Montreal Gazette, 16 March 1987, A5.
18. Paul Gessell, "Canada's cultural mosaic flexing its political muscles," Ottawa Citizen, 28 May 1988, B1.
19. Paul Gessell, "NDP thirsts for Quebec breakthrough," Ottawa Citizen, 8 August 1988, A5; Robert McKenzie, "Montreal vote holds key to PM's power in Quebec," Toronto Star, 13 November 1988, A1.
20. Jennifer Robinson, "NDP would restrict English rights; 'West Island' no longer running party, vice-president declares," Montreal Gazette, 5 November 1988, A1.
21. Elizabeth Thompson, "Tories hold Blais-Grenier's old riding," Montreal Gazette, 22 November 1988, B12; Ingrid Peritz, "Language hard-liners hurt NDP in west end," Montreal Gazette, 23 November 1988, A10.
22. Giuseppe Sciortino, "PQ invites all to keep an open mind" [letter], Montreal Gazette, 20 November 1992, B2.
23. Giuseppe Sciortino, "Quebec shouldn't rush to change language law," Montreal Gazette, 27 May 1993, B3.
24. The first round of balloting at the first nomination meeting saw Perreault receive 245 votes, compared with 114 for Sciortino, 89 for retired civil servant Claude Bernard, and 71 for Jean-Louis Hérivault. Perreault's opponents joined forces, and Sciortino was elected by fourteen votes on the second ballot. The results were annulled when it was discovered that at least fifteen of Bernard's supporters had given improper addresses. See Don Macpherson, "Minority candidate; Sciortino's nomination is a step forward for the PQ," Montreal Gazette, 22 June 1994, B3; Lysiane Gagnon, "Pauline Julien versus Camille Laurin: a spectacular match," Globe and Mail, 25 June 1994, D3; Ed Bantey, "Sciortino's nomination by PQ shows Quebec is growing up," Montreal Gazette, 26 June 1994, A5; Jean-Claude Leclerc, "A big sacrifice; PQ gave up top candidate to show its ethnic diversity," Montreal Gazette, 27 June 1994, B3; Philip Authier, "PQ will hold new nomination meeting because of `irregularities' in Mercier," Montreal Gazette, 21 July 1994, A10.
25. Hubert Bauch, "Parizeau angers members by making pick in Mercier," Montreal Gazette, 3 August 1994, A1; Andre Picard, "Parizeau-backed star loses nomination bid," Globe and Mail, 9 August 1994, A6.
26. Alexander Norris, "PQ nomination fight in Mercier takes nasty turn; Contest to be settled tomorrow," Montreal Gazette, 6 August 1994, A12.
27. Richard Mackie, "Parizeau's ethnic view hurt cause, PQ admits," Globe and Mail, 14 November 1995, A4. See also Giuseppe Sciortino, "Bridge building: Sovereignists have work to do in making ethnic Quebecers feel welcome," Montreal Gazette, 30 November 1995, B3.
28. Don MacPherson, "Sciortino's resignation is a blow to PQ's image," Montreal Gazette, 23 April 1996, B3.
29. Giuseppe Sciortino, "Growing intolerence: Both sides in unity debate resorting to new lows," Montreal Gazette, 22 September 1997, B3.
30. Ed Bantey, "Theres Italian wisdom in Declaration of the Fourteen," Montreal Gazette, 13 October 1996, A4; Robert McKenzie, "Parizeau keeps Quebec guessing," Toronto Star, 27 October 1996, A1.
31. Ingrid Peritz, "A name change rekindles an old Quebec passion," Montreal Gazette, 12 January 2000, A5.
32. Jennifer Robinson, "PQ unable to bridge credibility gap with ethnics," Montreal Gazette, 13 January 2000, B2; Don MacPherson, "A bridge too far: PQ's Charlie Brown never learns; keeps coming back for more," Montreal Gazette, 20 January 2000, B3.