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Jamaicans have been praised for their contribution to the economic and social development of Canada, but are being encouraged to get more involved in the North American country's political affairs.
The urging came from Canadian parliamentarians and politicians, who addressed the summit of Jamaicans held recently at the Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto.
Leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jack Layton, in his remarks at the event organised by the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation, praised Jamaicans, including reggae superstar Bob Marley, for having had a "wonderful" influence on his life and urged those present to get involved politically so that "you can help us change our country for the better".
Part of mosaic
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent, noted that Jamaican Canadians form an essential part of the country's mosaic, while leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff, admitted that the Parliament of Canada does not reflect that country's diversity.
Ontario's Fairness Commissioner Jean Augustine, who is originally from Grenada, and Toronto City Councillor, Jamaica-born Michael Thompson, both agreed that the Jamaican Diaspora is not a political force in Canada.
"We're not considered a political force because we're not taken into consideration when decisions are made and when policy directions are taken," said Augustine, who was the first black woman to be elected to Canada's federal parliament.
Not one voice
The former parliamentary secretary to a former Canadian prime minister, who also served as minister of state for multiculturalism and the status of women, said the community does not speak with one voice.
"Our voices are usually fragmented and there is no one issue that we can say we stand together on," she stated.
Thompson said Jamaicans in Canada need to do more and should start by grasping every available opportunity.
"The community needs to reach out and get involved and we need to establish a database so we know where our people are," he suggested.
Former speaker of the Ontario legislature, Jamaica-born Alvin Curling, on the other hand, disagreed that Jamaicans were not a political force.
"Wi likkle but wi tallawah," said Curling, who served 20 years as a member of provincial parliament and was also Canada's ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
He said Jamaicans have always been politically inclined and he paid tribute to the late Jamaica-born Rosemary Brown who in 1972 became the first black woman in Canada to be elected to a provincial legislature, and eventually made a bid to lead the federal NDP.