Diaspora Group in Canada to Establish New Chapters

The Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation (JDCF) will be extending its reach in Canada this year.
President of the organisation, Mrs. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, informed that two new chapters will be set up in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec.
Speaking at a fundraising event held recently at the Destiny Banquet Hall in Toronto, she informed that the new divisions will come on stream before the June 2010 Jamaican Biennial Conference in Ocho Rios St. Ann.
The new chapters will bring to five, the number of JDCF branches in Canada. In addition to the main chapter in Toronto, two were launched in 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In the meantime, the JDCF President encouraged Jamaican nationals in Canada to make submissions to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora Affairs, which will meet in late January. The body will discuss issues pertaining to dual citizenship, voting rights, and representation for the Diaspora in Parliament.
“We need to dialogue and make submissions on these issues so that we can continue to play an integral role in the development and sustained future of Jamaica,” she stated.
Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams said that 2010 will be a challenging year but expressed confidence in the ability of Jamaicans to overcome.
“There are many challenges ahead but Jamaicans are world-class leaders, not only in sports and music, and we must distinguish ourselves in governance and fiscal responsibility, and show the world what a small nation with determination, dedication and faith in God can do,” she stated.
The fundraiser will benefit children in the inner-city communities of Southside and Rose Town in Kingston.