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Viewing cable 05OTTAWA3696, DEMOCRACY IN ACTION -- PURPLE FINGERS ACROSS CANADA

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05OTTAWA3696 2005-12-16 20:40 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Ottawa
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 003696 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR JEANNETTE E. DAVIS, DRL/PHD 
PASS TO DHS FOR WESLEY WILLIAMS, 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PREL KPAO CA IZ JO
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY IN ACTION -- PURPLE FINGERS ACROSS CANADA 
 
 1.  (U) Summary.  In contrast to sealed borders and security 
curfews in Iraq to protect Iraqi voters, Iraqis resident in 
Canada overcame only bitter temperatures in their efforts to 
make their political will known on December 13, 14 and 15. 
Approximately 8,700 of the 15,000 to 20,000 eligible voters 
headed to voting stations in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and 
Montreal.  The unofficial estimate of Iraqis living in Canada 
is 25,000 to 40,000.   While this number represents a slight 
decrease from the 10,000 who voted in the January interim 
parliamentary elections, it includes at least one busload of 
voters from upstate New York.  Ahmed Al-Hayderi, Media 
Director and Accreditation Officer for the Independent 
Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) and a dual Canadian-Iraqi 
citizen who has lived in Canada for 25 years, attributes the 
decrease to a brief two-week organization period, a media 
campaign that began late as well as mid-week, rather than 
weekend, voting.  He highlighted the presence of new voters, 
whose participation was facilitated by the same-day 
registration and voting system implemented for this election. 
 Showing off his inked purple index finger, he called it a 
"badge in defiance of terrorism" and stated that "democracy 
in Iraq is a process and it is now irreversible."  End 
summary. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
More Efficient Process is More Inclusive 
---------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U)  In Ottawa, the single polling station in a strip 
mall in the southern part of the city attracted a variety of 
secular and religiously observant Iraqis -- Sunni, Shia and 
Kurd.  Poloff, who visited the storefront polling station on 
14 December, witnessed democracy in action, as volunteers 
eagerly facilitated voters' registration and balloting. 
Security was evident but not intrusive; a Royal Mounted 
Canadian Police (RCMP) Officer was posted at the external 
door.  Thomas P. Haney, Program Director of the Police 
Leadership Program in charge of site security, said that 
cooperation with the RCMP and the Canadian Security 
Intelligence Service (CSIS) had resulted in few, if any, 
security risks.  Voters passed through airport-like security 
measures prior to entering what appeared to be a converted 
office that housed four registration and balloting stations 
manned by male and female volunteers, some wearing kafiyah 
turbans, others bare-headed, some in hijab and others bundled 
in Western winter clothing.  Several official election 
observers from the International Mission for Iraqi Elections 
monitored the process along with several "agents" from 
several of the political parties and movements running in the 
election.  There were no visible signs of active campaigning 
or any posters or information leaflets on the site. 
 
3.  (U)  According to Al-Hayderi, simultaneous registration 
and voting (contrasted with January's two-part process) 
brought new voters out for this election, as did the recent 
passage of the more inclusive Iraqi Constitution and the 
addition from January of a Monreal voting station.  He said 
that Saddam's trial, while long anticipated and welcomed, was 
not a factor in the increased turnout.  Polls opened at 9:00 
a.m. and remained open until 9:00 p.m. but the heaviest 
turnout was in the mid-morning and late afternoon/evening. 
 
4.  (U)  After presenting photo identification, a voter 
registered his/her name and received a four-page printed 
Arabic-language ballot with over 300 movements and parties 
(and their associated symbols) listed for the 275 
Parliamentary seats.  The voter took the ballot to a table 
and, behind a cardboard screen, marked one box for the 
desired party.  Once the balloting was completed, the voter 
separated the three unmarked sheets and placed them in a 
basket, dipped his/her right index finger in special 
long-lasting purple ink and deposited the folded page with 
his/her choice into a plastic bin secured with special ties. 
Ballot boxes were stored in a secure location and official 
election observers began counting the ballots on 15 December. 
 Final results will be transmitted to the IECI as soon as 
they are available and the ballot forms will be packaged and 
hand-carried to Amman next week. 
 
------------------------- 
The View from Mississauga 
------------------------- 
 
5.  (U)  ConGen Toronto reported that the Greater Toronto 
Area polling station in a suburban Mississauga office park 
was busy with registrants and voters.  Manager Anwar Hamasoor 
told Toronto poloff that his polling site had accommodated 
several families from the Buffalo, NY area who had crossed 
the border to cast their ballots.  He added that this 
election's streamlined one-day registration and voting system 
had encouraged participation from the border areas of the 
U.S.  A woman who supervised the translators assigned to each 
of the 15 voting tables said that the Toronto voters included 
many ethnic Assyrians, and that many of them had told her 
that, while still optimistic about the current election, 
their overall enthusiasm was beginning to wane because of the 
prolonged strife in Iraq.  Five monitors from the 
International Mission for Iraqi Elections, under the auspices 
of Elections Canada, were well positioned to view 
registration and balloting.  They reported no incidents or 
irregularities as of mid-day December 14. 
 
----------------------------- 
The U.S. Must Stay -- For Now 
----------------------------- 
 
6.  (U) An interview with a thirty-something female voter, a 
dual citizen who had lived in Canada for ten years and who 
had previously voted in the January election, revealed her 
pride in participating in her country's unique democratic 
transition.  She identified security as the most pressing 
issue facing Iraq but, while acknowledging that Iraqis are 
better prepared to handle their own security concerns, she 
stressed that now was not the time for the Americans to 
leave.  Al-Hayderi, who had participated in the USG-sponsored 
Future of Iraq Working Group on Infrastructure and Economy, 
expressed his disappointment that the Department of State's 
initiative had lost out to bureaucratic infighting with the 
Department of Defense, the result of which was the 
side-lining of recommendations that might have created a more 
stable environment in post-Saddam Iraq. 
 
-------------------- 
The Diaspora Engaged 
-------------------- 
 
7.  (U)  Both Al-Hayderi and the anonymous voter acknowledged 
that many Iraqis currently living in the Diaspora would and 
are considering a return to a peaceful and stable Iraq. 
While Al-Hayderi admitted to being set in his ways and not 
having any plans to return permanently to Iraq, he cited that 
a friend who had not lived in Iraq for 15 years had returned 
two years ago with his family to open a holding company in 
the communications field.  Al-Hayderi estimated that he 
employs hundreds of people.  The anonymous voter said that, 
while she values her Canadian citizenship and plans to vote 
in the January 2006 Canadian elections, she and her family 
(half-Iraqi husband and two young children) would consider 
returning permanently to Iraq when the security situation 
improves. 
 
8.  (U)  Comment:  While Canada actively recruits immigrants 
to fill labor gaps and augment a shrinking and aging 
population, it is less successful at utilizing the skills 
that many immigrants bring to the country.  J.P. Melville, 
Director of Cross-Cultural Training and Community Development 
at the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization 
(OCISO) confirmed that, like many immigrants, those from Iraq 
have difficulty getting their professional credentials 
recognized and finding suitable professional employment in 
Canada.  He added that, while many more recent immigrants 
talk about returning to their home countries, by and large 
they remain in Canada because of the potential for their 
children.  End Comment. 
 
9.  (U)  ConGen Toronto contributed to this cable. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS