Vaughan community members angered by mayor’s endorsement of Italian senate candidate

Yorkregion.com
March 2, 2018
By Fatima Syed

York professor Caroline Hossein has pulled out of an International Women’s Day event held by the City of Vaughan in protest of the Vaughan mayor’s support of a candidate in the upcoming Italian election who is aligned with a controversial right-wing political coalition.

Hossein was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at an International Women’s Day event hosted by the City of Vaughan on Feb. 28. The York University professor of social science was going to celebrate racialized women in an event promoting the city’s vibrant and inclusive developmental agenda.

On Monday, Hossein refused the invitation.

She had learned from news sources that the mayor of Vaughan, Maurizio Bevilacqua, had publicly endorsed well-known Toronto developer Mario Cortellucci, who is running for the Central and North America seat in the Italian senate -- as a voice for the Italian diasporas located here.

Dr. Caroline Hossein, a York University professor, pulled out of an International Women's Day event hosted by the City of Vaughan after learning of the Vaughan mayor's endorsement of a candidate in the upcoming Italian election who is aligned with a controversial right-wing political coalition.

Cortellucci is running alongside a coalition of right-wing parties, which have made international headlines in the lead-up to the March 4 election for their anti-immigrant promises, such as closing Italian mosques and removing hundreds of thousands of migrants from the country.

The coalition has also made anti-LGBTQ remarks, promised to name streets after Italian fascist leaders, and denounced female politicians. A former candidate for the coalition was also found to be a suspect in the shooting of six Africans in central Italy.

“I couldn’t stomach it,” said Hossein. “With all the integrity in me, I couldn’t go to City Hall and talk about women’s issues, especially racialized women’s issues, and sit before a mayor who supports such racism.”

“How can the mayor endorse a candidate running under that ticket knowing he represents the population in Vaughan?”

Hossein, whose father lives in Vaughan, is offended by the Mayor’s endorsement.

In an email, Mayor Bevilacqua said that he was “proud to support” Cortellucci “and his lifelong work to serve the greater good.”

“Like many men and women who emigrated to Canada, (Cortellucci) has spent his life giving back, helping all people, and especially our most vulnerable citizens including Indigenous communities, women and youth at risk, and many other noble causes,” wrote Bevilacqua

The Mayor also mentioned the national and international recognition Cortellucci has received, including the Order of Ontario and the order of Vaughan.

“I will continue to work with (Cortellucci) and others to ensure Vaughan remains a leader as a welcoming, inclusive and dynamic city,” wrote Bevilacqua, “where the quality of life is safeguarded and elevated for everyone — no matter a person’s ethnicity, culture, faith or sexual orientation.”

Richard Lorello, an Italian-Canadian and resident of Vaughan filed a complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner about the Mayor’s endorsement, stating his actions “have demonstrated an egregious lack of respect for several groups within the City of Vaughan and beyond our municipal borders.”

“Our Mayor stood up and spoke for us as the Mayor supporting this candidate,” said Lorello. “That’s completely offensive.”

“I want an explanation,” said Richard Lorello, whose eldest daughter is a Muslim. “The hateful messaging in this election is coming from this group. This ideology should not be allowed to be exported to Canada…its hateful discussion.”

Lorello said the Mayor has appeared at two rallies held by Cortellucci at Riveria Parqu Banquet Hall, where he spoke of his support. He did so as well in a radio interview and in an automated telephone message sent out to Lorello and other Italians in the community.

In each of these statements, Lorello says the Mayor never mentions Cortellucci’s affiliation with the coalition.

Suzanne Craig, Vaughan's integrity commissioner, confirmed that she had received Lorello’s complaint and is in the early stages of processing it.

Craig said she could not comment on an active complaint. She spoke of how members of councils undergo several orientation presentations, including one by her in the City’s code of conduct.

“Members of council are also private citizens and are allowed to have rights and are able to express their perspectives…as long as they don’t use the resources of the city,” said Craig.

Craig recognizes that the fact that elected members of council are recognizable is a complicating factor in this.

“I try to encourage them to distinguish when they’re attending a function in their official capacity and private citizen,” she said. “If (they’re) attending a fundraiser as a private citizen, as long as their not using official city resources…the fact that you recognize that member of the council of Vaughan is a situation you can’t avoid.”

Lorello, however, disagrees.

“When you stand up and say the city of Vaughan is an inclusive city…then you can’t turn around and support a coalition of extremists.”