US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA1888

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 001888 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE 
 
SECSTATE FOR ECA/PE/V/R/W - EWILKES-SCOTT; 
WHA/PDA - JCARPENTER-ROCK 
MONTREAL, TORONTO AND VANCOUVER FOR PAOS AND CONGENS; 
HALIFAX AND QUEBEC FOR CONGENS; 
CALGARY FOR FIELD REPS; CALGARY PLEASE PASS TO WINNIPEG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, CA, IV Program 
SUBJECT: FY 2006 IVLP Individual Program - Yolande James 
(Principal Candidate) 
 
REFERENCE:  OTTAWA 1504 
 
1.   Post nominates Yolande James, Member of the Quebec 
National Assembly for a 21-day Individual project.  EVDB 
nomination follows. 
 
2.   START FIXED-FORMAT TEXT (PLEASE DO NOT EDIT): 
: The following data is in a fixed format which enables 
: automated processing in Washington and should not be 
: edited except by means of the Post-EVDB software. 
EXPORT-SOURCE: POST-EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.7 
POST-EMAIL: slw@pd.state.gov 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS Ottawa 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 6540 
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA 
START NOMINATION: 
ECA-OFFICE: E/VRW 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 365 
ECA-PROJ-NO: 
PROJ-NAME: James, Yolanda - Individual 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Individual 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2006 
DEPART-POST: 
SESSION-DATE: 
RETURN-POST: 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 0 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
ECA-OFFICE-ID: 1037 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: IND 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 29 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 6540 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 322158 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: Immigration 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Ms. 
F-NAME: Yolande 
M-NAME: Roxanne 
L-NAME: James 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 116 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: 15000 Pierrefonds Boulevard 
M-ADDR2: Suite 204 
M-ADDR3: 
M-CITY: Pierrefonds 
M-STATE: Quebec 
M-CNTRY: Canada 
M-ZONE: H9H 4G2 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (514) 696-8747 
M-FAX: (514) 696-8751 
M-EMAIL: yjames@assnat.qc.ca 
M-CNTRY-ID: CA 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: F 
DOB: 11/21/1977 
MAR-STAT: U 
BIRTH-CITY: Montreal 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Canada 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Canada 
RES-CNTRY: Canada 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Member - Quebec National Assembly (Nelligan Riding) 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Press attache for former Nelligan Member of National 
(Quebec) Assembly Russell Williams; Political aide, Quebec 
Health and Social Services Ministry 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
Family vacations in New York, Florida, Washington, D.C. etc. 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
None 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
Common Law Bachelor's Degree from Queen's University 
(Ontario); Civil Law Bachelor's Degree from Universit de 
Montral (Quebec); Post-secondary diploma in Arts and 
Sciences from Vanier College (Montreal, Quebec) 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Quebec Bar Association; Commonwealth Parliamentary 
Association, Quebec Chapter; National Assembly Delegation 
on 
for Relations with the United States 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
None 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
 
END MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
FIRST-LANG: French 
ENGL-READ: 5 
ENGL-SPEAK: 5 
ENGL-COMP: 5 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
START MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
START MEMO VIS-REC: 
 
END MEMO VIS-REC: 
NOMINATING-OFFICER:  PAO Alyson Grunder 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
In the Fall of 2004, Yolande James, a 27-year-old lawyer, 
became the first black woman to be elected to Quebec's 
provincial legislative assembly.  James is perfectly 
bilingual -- she has a B.A in civil law from the Universit 
de Montral and a B.A. in common law from Queen's University 
- and very politically-connected, despite her young age. 
Prior to her own election to Quebec's parliament, James put 
in time for two other legislators, as a political aid and as 
a press attach.  James has many other supporters in elite 
e 
Liberal Parti du Quebec circles: she has already been named 
to two standing committees (Social Affairs and Labor and the 
Economy) and has just taken on the role of Parliamentary 
Assistant to Quebec's Immigration and Cultural Communities 
Minister (a recent IV alum by the name of Lise Theriault). 
The population of James' political district, Nelligan, is 35 
percent anglophone, and 23 percent allophone (neither French 
nor English as mother tongue) - both linguistic groups from 
which the Liberal Party of Quebec can count on votes.  James 
is acutely interested in the issues of minority and 
immigrant integration in Quebec; she has expressed interest 
in gaining exposure to the way that minorities and 
immigrants are drawn into the U.S. political and economic 
systems - as well as the successes and challenges that 
American racial and religious minorities have faced and 
continue to experience. She is also eager to understand U.S. 
immigration policies better.  James is also very interested 
in the U.S.-Canada relationship: a member of the Quebec 
provincial legislature's Delegation on Relations with the 
United States, James knows that given U.S.-Canadian economic 
interdependence, it behooves her to know more about how our 
two countries exist side by side, and work together.  Her 
district is host to a large number of high-tech corporations 
whose survival depends on their ability to compete in a 
globalized economy.  James would like to hear American 
perspectives on outsourcing, industrial promotion and 
subsidy, and possible NAFTA expansion.  Finally, she would 
like to see how American politicians and policymakers are 
dealing with issues that are high priorities for Quebec 
voters:  delivery of social services and healthcare, 
education improvement, and aid to working parents. 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: ConGen Montreal 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: No 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: No 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: ELEO 
NOMINEE-ID: 526 
PERSON-ID: 404 
BIRTH-CNTRY-ID: CA 
CITIZ-CNTRY-ID: CA 
RES-CNTRY-ID: CA 
FIRST-LANG-ID: FR 
E-I-TYPE-ID: E 
NOM-POST-ID: 96589 
NOM-FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 322158 
NOM-STATUS: N 
DS2019-ACTION: 1 
DS2019-SUBJECT: 44.0401 
SPONS-FUNDS: 0 
SPONS-AGENCY1: 
USGOVT-AGENCY1: 
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 0 
USGOVT-AGENCY2: 
US-AGENCY-AMT2: 0 
INTL-ORG1: 
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT1: 0 
INTL-ORG2: 
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT2: 0 
VIS-GOVT-AMT: 0 
COMMISSION: 0 
OTHER-AMOUNT: 0 
VIS-AMOUNT: 0 
VIS-CAT: 5 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
END FIXED-FORMAT TEXT: 
 
DICKSON, CHARGE