ETHNIC MEDIA CONTRIBUTING TREMENDOUSLY, PLAYING VERY IMPORTANT ROLE
BY JAVED ZAHEER, HONORARY EDITOR & FREE EXPRESSION AWARD WINNER
TORONTO: With the passage of time and without any doubt, the NEPMCC has emerged very strong, effective and influential and is proving as one of the most powerful platforms and voice of the ethnic community in Canada.
By providing opportunity, identity and recognition to the Ethnic Media and making it really a powerful force, the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) is definitely playing the true leadership role and making the ethnic community proud. Ethnic Media’s tremendous contributions, remarkable achievements, wonderful progress and real success prove this and need proper recognition, acceptance and promotion at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels and by all people and communities on the basis of merit and equality. Ethnic Media too is playing very important role in the overall progress of Canada. This is all again due to the tremendous contributions and hard work of the NEPMCC President and CEO, Thomas S. Saras, directors, members and supporters including VVIPs, VIPs, Dignitaries and Distinguished Personalities of all government levels, public and communities. Without this the achievements would not have been made possible and success and progress a reality. Visit www.nepmcc.ca to know what NEPMCC really is and practically doing. The most recent achievement was the 2009 NEPMCC Development Training Seminar held from November 20-22, 2009, at the Seneca College, Markham, Ontario, in which a large number of NEPMCC members from all over Canada participated and benefited including Shaukat A. Malik, Editor-in-Chief of English Weekly `Pakistan Abroad’. It was very informative and educative. English Weekly `Pakistan Abroad’, one of the leading publications of the South Asian and Pakistani Communities, was presented the NEPMCC 2009 Award on October 26, 2009, at the Annual NEPMCC Awards Ceremony held at the Queen’s Park, Toronto. English Weekly `Pakistan Abroad’ became a member of the NEPMCC hardly a year ago and within such a short span of time got the distinction of getting the NEPMCC 2009 Award on Merit Basis. Javed Zaheer, Honorary Editor, was presented the Free Expression Award by NEPMCC in September, 2006. This shows the contributions and achievements of members of the Pakistani Community. Keeping in view importance of the Academic Professional Development Training Seminar, Gala Dinner was held on November 21, 2009, at the Seneca College in which Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper was the Special Honoured Guest and presented awards and certificates. Others who presented awards and certificates were Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, David Agnew, President of Seneca College, and Thomas S. Saras, President of National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada. STEPHEN HARPER: Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, in his address, praised the NEPMCC for organizing the important seminar. He assured Thomas S. Saras of NEPMCC that the suggestions and advices will be taken up for consideration. He said: “It will be hard to exaggerate the hard work you do. You focus on domestic issues. As citizen of this country, you educate your community about the rights and equalities. In freedom of press the words have meaning. Our government gives freedom to journalists to express freely. The rights of journalists have been upheld by the courts.” According to a Press release issued by the PMO Press Office: “Prime Minister Stephen Harper highlighted the importance of cultural media in Canadian society at a training seminar organized by the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) at Seneca College’s Markham Campus. “We believe strongly that freedom for Canadians goes hand-in-hand with journalistic freedom,” said the Prime Minister. “Our liberty is strengthened when journalists are free to pursue truth, shine light into dark corners and assist the process of holding governments accountable.” The Press release added: “The Prime Minister was named Honourary Life Chair of the NEPMCC. The NEPMCC is a non-profit media organization made up of journalists representing editors and publishers of diverse cultural media across Canada. The organization promotes excellence, understanding and cooperation among its members. The purpose of the seminar is to provide training on best practices in Canadian journalism and skills development for the NEPMCC members. “The Government of Canada is providing funding toward the seminar through the Canada Magazine Fund’s Support for Industry program. This program invests in industry-wide or association-based projects that contribute to the long-term viability of the Canadian magazine and periodical industry. “Our government will continue to collaborate with cultural media and communities in pursuit of a common vision of a stronger, richer sense of Canadian citizenship,” said the Prime Minister. Jason Kenney, MP, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, in his address said that the NEPMCC is doing an important work and deserves congratulation. Timothy Hudak, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and Dimitris Azemopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Toronto, also praised the role, efforts, achievements and contributions of NEPMCC and the ethnic community. THOMAS SARAS: Thomas S. Saras, President of NEPMCC, in his welcome address, said that he was preparing for three years for this special occasion---the first educational seminar held by the NEPMCC. He said: “Today we are recognizing the contributions and achievements. We are celebrating the democracy, freedom and equality here. We are a nation of many nationalities, religions and cultures. The focus is on equality and the progress depends on success of all communities. NEPMCC is playing an important role in this connection.” Thomas S. Saras said: “To promote democracy express wisely. One of the roles is to educate the newcomers so that they can prepare properly for the tough challenges and understand the realities instead.” He said: “The ethnic media’s role and contributions must be recognized. This is because ethnic media and community play one of the most important roles in the progress of Canada. They play an important role in Canada’s economic growth but, unfortunately, this has not been properly recognized.” Thomas S. Saras repeated the demand that NEPMCC members should also be considered and given necessary benefits and facilities like given to others. This demand has been repeated many times but, unfortunately, not considered, he added. DAVID AGNEW: David Agnew, President of Seneca College, in his address highlighted the importance of the seminar and praised and thanked the professors, students and volunteers of Seneca College for helping make the seminar a real success. He also highlighted the contributions of Seneca College in the education field. TIGHT SECURITY: Due to tight security arrangements, the guests of the Gala Dinner were not allowed to reach the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper. The Press and Guests were both restricted to their seats. Those eager and desirous of meeting and greeting Prime Minister Stephen Harper, particularly families of the NEPMCC members and guests, were badly disappointed. Although it became a barrier between the elected leaders and the people who elect them, security arrangements too were necessary. Irrespective of liking and disliking, it is our duty and responsibility to respect and protect the leaders. Liking and disliking matter most at the time of elections or when the leaders act irresponsibly and fail to serve the people and the country. Then the situation demands zero tolerance and change of leadership, in the larger interest of the people and national interest of the country. In the past such events of the NEPMCC, members of NEPMCC and guests mixed freely with the dignitaries and VIPS. Now it seems that the ethnic media and community need to regain trust and confidence in order to reach the PM, VIPs and Dignitaries. Only during election times and for votes, people are approached by leaders with smiling faces and warm welcomes. People remain lucky enough to see them from close and even get political hugs. The real beneficiary of the votes and elections are the political parties and not the people. When are the people going to understand that only true leadership can lead and serve the people and the country? The Gala Dinner program started with national anthem of Canada. Asha Rajak, Vice President, Event Coordinator, NEPMCC, was the Master of Ceremony. Musical entertainment kept cheering the audience, which was restricted and made uncomfortable by the security arrangements. SPECIAL THANKS: In acknowledgement, special thanks were offered to: Government Officials: 1. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. 2. Jason Kenney, MP, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. 3. Peter Kent, MP, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. 4. Lois Brown, MP, Newmarket-Aurora. 5. Royal Galipeau, MP, Ottawa-Orleans. 6. Peter Braid, MP, Kitchener-Waterloo. 7. Gerry Phillips, MPP, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. 8. Timothy Hudak, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. 9. Mike Colle, MPP, Eglinton-Lawrence. 10. Reza Moridi, MPP, Richmond Hill. 11. Khalil Ramal, MPP. London-Fanshawe. 12. Robert Andrusevich, Senior Communication Advisor, Strategic Communications, City Manager’s Office. Seneca College: 1. David Agnew, President. 2. Henry Decock, Associate Vice President Academic. 3. Martha Lowrie, Director of Marketing & Communications. 4. Peter Constantinou, Director, Government Relations. 5. Jed DeCory, Chair, School of Communication Arts. 6. Chris Dudley, Chair, School of Business Management. 7. Laura Mandell, Manager, Public Affairs and Media Relations. 8. Nadine Ellul, Support, School of Business Management. 9. Cynthia Riley, Support, School of Business Management. 10. Dan Wilson, Alumni, School of Communications. Canadian Heritage: 1. Scott Shortliffe, Director, Policy and Program, Canada Magazine Fund. Event Project Management (Balmoral Marketing): 1. Sharifa Khan, President and CEO. 2. Andrew Siu, Executive Vice President. 3. Johnson Chang, Corporate Development Manager. 4. Nicholas Chan, Creative Director. 5. Yuli Wang, Event Coordinator. Gala Evening Wine Sponsor: 1. Dimitris Azemopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Toronto. Entertainment Sponsor: 1. Luba Cherny, President, Canadian Courier and NTV Canada. Event Sponsors: 1. Tom Michalopoulos, President, Coffee Time. 2. Jack Kyriazakos, President, Canadian Brasilian Coffee. 3. Dr. Joseph Kurian, President and CEO, Alpha Industries. Flower Arrangement Sponsors: 1. Kathy Lin, Publisher, Chinese Canadian Times. 2. Irene Keroglides, Vice President, Public Relations, NEPMCC. 3. Hassan Zerehi, Publisher, Shahrvand.
NEPMCC PLANS: The NEPMCC has plans to hold more of such highly informative and educative events. It keeps organizing get-togethers and meetings with VIPs and dignitaries. The National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada is a non-profit organization established since 1958 (formerly Canada Ethnic Press Federation) whose mission is to promote and integrate economic, social and culture interest of ethnic communities into the mainstream of Canadian society. For more than seven decades the ethnic newspapers have been meeting the challenges of assistance, guidance and integration of millions of newcomers who have immigrated to Canada from many lands. It performed this role in full awareness of a great responsibility towards a country which has been developed by many cultural and linguistic groups. With the influx of immigrants over the years, both the duties and the influence of the ethnic press in Canada have multiplied. Four hundred newspapers and magazines today are published all over Canada, serving more than twelve million Canadians from all over the world, including those who have been here for a generation or more but still retain the habit of reading papers in their own heritage language. In addition to educating those who have come here to make Canada their home about settlement issues and available assistance, the ethnic press also helped them to be introduced to the democratic institutions and the new way of living. Canada, today, is in a period of socio-economic changes in a world that is rapidly becoming more internationally- oriented, looking for new markets and searching for new partnerships. In this connection, the ethnic press and the communities they serve can prove to be an important participant in the Canadian economic growth because of their ability to speak all the languages of the world, their global contacts and their global knowledge. Through the years, the NEPMCC creates platforms of discussions with three levels of government, private and public sectors to foster and promote better understanding of the diverse ethnic groups in Canada. ---Javed Zaheer, Free Expression Award Winner (NEPMCC---Canada), Desi Idol Recognition Award Winner, Member & Honorary Director of NEPMCC, Veteran Active Member (VAM) of Toronto Press Club, Honorary Editor of English Weekly `Pakistan Abroad’, Chief Editor (Honorary) of English Weekly `The Ambassador’ and ex-Senior Sub-Editor of English Daily DAWN, Pakistan, is contributing voluntarily in the media on purely Honorary Basis in order to serve the people and community with the spirit of community and humanity service. The objective is to make both the media and the community powerful, influential and effective. Contact: (416)696-0981/
