Conservative MP Candidate at home with diverse Mississauga riding

Conservative MP Candidate at home with diverse Mississauga riding

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For Julius Tiangson it starts with the community

By Mark A. Cadiz

With perhaps a little luck on his side, Julius Tiangson, upon arriving in Saskatoon in 1985 found some success early in his newly adopted country.

Through a job exchange program with Deloitte Canada, Tiangson then 21, was offered a permanent position after working 10 weeks with one of the leading financial service companies in the country.

Tiangson during his 2014 nomination race to be the official candidate for
Mississauga Centre.

A long-time Conservative supporter, Tiangson now living in Mississauga, Ontario has been a dedicated community member since his days in Saskatchewan and has been extremely active in numerous campaigns in both provinces.
“I’ve always been an active citizen and I make sure I have a voice come election time,” Tiangson said. “And part of expressing that voice is to be involved in campaigning for a candidate or party I believe in.”

This time around instead of rallying supporters for another candidate – he has decisively taken the leadership role – throwing his name in the nomination race for the Conservative MP for Mississauga Centre riding.

Running on the hashtag #TeamTiangson2015, Tiangson ran an inclusive campaign that included people of different backgrounds, a strength he said helped him win the official Conservative nomination last November.

“We won by just 27 votes and over 40 per cent of those who voted for me were not from the Filipino community and that was really inspiring to watch and see unfold,” he said. “At first, nobody believed that we could win because people saw the power in the other candidates, but to come out on top with only 27 votes, it was wonderful.”

Possessing an ability to attract the typical Canadian mosaic in Mississauga Centre, it was clear Tiangson and his platform appealed to the diverse community where over 50 per cent of its population were born outside of Canada—approximately 59,000 of the 116,619 living in the riding.

Tiangson and wife Nona Lee and three children, Dana Mae, Francis and Nathan. (Photos courtesy of J. Tiangson)

“I have made my home in Mississauga and much of my work has been done here, it’s the city that has allowed me to raise my own family and express my own personal mission in life through the community centre I founded,” he said.

Tiangson it seems has always been dedicated to the community, founding The Gateway Centre for New Canadians in 2003, a response to the growing immigrant population in Mississauga. The 25,000 square feet facility is home to many immigrant re-settlement programs, skills-training and youth programs. It also boasts two dance studios, a martial arts studio, a gymnasium, a community hall, offices and boardrooms.

For the issues in his riding, jobs, immigration reform and youth unemployment are big concerns especially for youth who are taking the brunt of the economic downturn.

Tiangson already on top of the issues, has participated in a number of discussions with advisory council boards and committees within the federal level – bringing those issues to the table.

“One of the things I really like to tackle is in the area of jobs and jobs for young people,” he said.

Currently the unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 is pegged at 13 per cent, which is double the national rate and it’s even worse for immigrant youth which Tiangson estimates to be at 19 per cent.

“There needs to be national job strategy for young people because this issue needs that type of attention. I would like to champion that and as a person who has worked at the grassroots level I would be able to bring a perspective that is closer to reality in terms of programs that can be created,” Tiangson added.

Another possible alternative to help stimulate the youth job sector comes in the form of social financing reform which Tiangson has been working on tirelessly. If successful, a regulatory change will allow a percentage of funds from family foundations to be invested in microloans or businesses. These funds could be an investment in youth entrepreneurship programs generating an avenue for profits and new jobs he said.

Mississauga youth helping with Tiangson’s nomination campaign preparing to sign up family and friends to support his candidacy.

“You’re impacting about half-a-million young people aged 16-29, and a boost of money coming from foundations to fund social enterprises where many of these young people could be involved in would be great,” he said.

When asked about the recent changes in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) which affects many women throughout the country, he said the overall changes were positive.

“Any changes towards ensuring the safety and fairness for those in the program and to have better outcomes in terms of integration and transition into other opportunities is a good thing,” he said.

Tiangson mentions that the government is trying to fast track the permanent resident backlog where 60,000 caregivers find themselves caught in the system.

“The government has released 17,000 permanent residencies in 2014 and the goal is to release 30,000 permanent residency visas in 2015 and another 30,000 in 2016,” he said.

This might help some who participated in the LCP prior to the new adjustments, but with the new cap only 5,500 from the program will be allowed to apply for permanent residencies per year.

Tiangson said he is supportive of the on-going changes to the immigration programs. He believes the system needs to be modernized to meet both economic realities, population replenishment requirements and growth.

“The overall changes to both the Temporary Workers Program and PR programs are geared to our times and would meet the economic and population needs of Canada,” he said. “We might not like everything that is being regulated or changed, but any step towards achieving fairness is a step in the right direction.”

Aside from his political goals he is fully focused on the activities happening at The Gateway Centre for New Canadians. The centre helps over 300 newly arrived newcomers every year where 36 per cent are from the Philippines, 33 per cent are Mandarin-speaking Chinese, 20 per cent are South Asian and the rest come from 15 other nationalities.

Currently he is leading discussions with Mississauga’s new Syrian community developing refugee programs where the centre is attempting to re-settle 50-70 Syrian families.

It’s this type of dedication to the community and his grassroots political approach which has put him in a position to build relationships with people.

In his speech after becoming the official MP candidate for the Conservative Party, Tiangson spoke passionately. It was obvious how a man from the Philippines and a former Saskatonian was able to gather support.

“I would like to invite everyone to be part of this team, it’s a growing team, a multicultural team, it’s a diverse team, an inclusive team…It is a team that we can all be proud of and I want to make sure to give my utmost commitment in such a way, that this riding can truly represent the best of what Conservatives have to offer in this country,” he said after winning the official nomination.

If Tiangson wins his federal riding in October, he will become the first MP of Filipino descent to represent the Conservative Party.