Ombudsman Ontario:

"Working to ensure fair and account-able provincial government service"

The first open letter of protest was registered on May 26, 2003 at the Ombudsman office.

It  has been  more  than
a year since I began this protest, but the Ombudsman does not care about it!  ???

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am a Canadian and Romanian citizen, having immigrated to Canada eleven years ago with my wife and daughter. After living under Ceausescu's Communist Party dictatorship, we came in the province of Ontario with great hopes of a better life and future for our daughter, but we have been very disappointed.

When the Harris government came to power in 1995, I was a professional landed immigrant on welfare engaged in a volunteer placement designed to lead to full employment at the Ministry of Environment. Although I received a successful assessment and I signed an agreement for one of four Systems Support Officer available positions, the Ministry hired someone else and directed me to an immigration agency to find a job. I was by then 50, and that placement had been intended to help me get off welfare. Later, the Harris government repealed the "Employment Equity Commission", and, ironically, pretended that it has created the workfare for helping people on welfare get jobs!

This is a clear case of discrimination in employment against the grounds of ethnic and place of origin, citizenship, age, and receipt of public assistance. Some of these grounds were invoked against me by some co-workers who harassed and treated me like an intruder immigrant and Romanian virus into their workplace. One of them told me quite angrily: "It is not your fault that you came here, but you have to leave". He gave me then a piece of paper with the name an immigration agency telling me to go there if I wanted a job. Also, the Harris government came out at that time with the ideas of the "Common Sense Revolution" which conveyed a discriminatory policy towards immigrants and the poor. I have tried to resolve my case by complaining to the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and the Ombudsman, but without success so far.

Initially, my case had been investigated at the Ombudsman office, but the Deputy Minister under the Harris government was not willing to co-operate for and the ministry refused to rehire me. But, although I complained many times that my human rights have been violated, the investigator ignored my complaints. However, the former Ombudsman acknowledged in her decision of January 1998 that: "the Ontario Human Rights Commission is the proper authority to investigate complaints about discrimination and it is the most appropriate body to deal with your concerns. It was for this reason that your complaints about discrimination were not included in our investigation into the actions of the Ministry of Environment". The former Ombudsman wrote further that: "If you have a new complaint about an organization that falls within our jurisdiction, we will review it".

The big problem is that the Commission mishandled my case and made a flawed decision that covered up the Harris government's discriminatory policy implemented at its government offices. Having a right of reconsideration within 15 days and realising that nobody could stop the Commission from upholding its unfair decision, I complained in time directly to the Ombudsman. But, despite my right of reconsideration and my repeated appeals, the new appointed Ombudsman is refusing to investigate the Commission's flawed decision. This is surely an obstruction of justice.

That discrimination ruined my professional career, our family life, and the prospects of my daughter. Because of our ongoing problems my daughter dropped out of high school almost five years ago. Now, she is isolated and struggling with severe depression. This is not the life and future that we expected to build for our daughter in this country!

I am fighting for my rights because I strongly believe that such discrimination should not be tolerated in a country like Canada. I also speak up in the interest of Canadian public and many other people like me. For more details, please visit my Home Page at http://home.ica.net/~imoraru/. It's just respect for human dignity, human rights, and justice.

I hope you would be touched by the pain and troubles caused to my family by this unbearable discrimination. Please support my case and ask the Ombudsman to investigate the Human Rights Commission's unjust decision by signing an attached petition or contacting the Ombudsman at:

Mr. Clare Lewis, Q.C., Ombudsman
125 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C7
Tel.: 416-586-3300 or 1-800-263-1830, Fax: 416-586-3485, E-mail: info@ombudsman.on.ca

Thank you so much,
Ioan Moraru
Toronto, Ontario, E-mail: ionmoraru@ica.net.

P.S. Last year in May, I held a hunger strike protest for twelve days nearby the Ombudsman office. I stopped it because a person from the Ombudsman's staff came out from the office and told me that "the Ombudsman had read my letter of protest, and the office will take action". Because no action was taken afterwards – I was misled, I restarted my protest at the end of May/03 (not hunger strike this time). After six months of protest and having a petition with 700 signatures in support for my case, I complained for the third time to the Ombudsman's reception office that no action had been taken. Finally, I received in November 2003 the Ombudsman's answer stating that he “has not changed his view about my case and my file remains closed". Very nice decision after that person from his staff told me that “the office will take action”! Unfortunately, I do not buy this kind of service – it is not a fair and accountable public service – and I decided to continue my protest.

The role of the Ombudsman is to receive and investigate citizen’s grievances against the government institutions. Moreover, his mission is to serve people equitably, justly and fairly and, most importantly, to treat them with dignity and respect. That’s why I am standing up for my rights and I am asking again the Ombudsman to investigate the Commission’s flawed decision.

Thank you again for your understanding, appreciation and support.

Note:
I showed this letter of protest to passers-by who were interested in my case since I have started this protest (May 26, 2003) nearby the Ombudsman office. The petition attached to this letter of protest was signed by 1,040 persons (registered 800 signatures) so far, and it has been registered together with the letter of protest at the Ombudsman office (please see the stamp on top, right corner). Also, many other letters had been handed out to some people who were interested in, but could not sign the petition (drivers and hurried people).
I have been very pleased with the support, sympathy, and comments received from so many amiable Canadians citizens or immigrants of all ages, races and colours. Some of them even thanked me for being there, on my spot, and they understood very well that I was not fighting only for my rights. They convinced me that Canada is still a wonderful country, and I will never forget their help and support.

During my hunger strike protest, I handed out over 400 letters, and I have been overwhelmed by the public support. I did not expect to meet so many amiable Canadian people who expressed their sympathy about my case. Many of them expressed their commitment to contact the Ombudsman office by sending faxes or e-mails. Thank again to all of them.

Petition

We, undersigned, have been informed about Mr. Ioan Moraru's case of discrimination in employment by a letter of protest which is attached. We are supporting his case and sign this petition addressed to the Ontario Ombudsman asking to investigate the Human Rights Commission's unjust decision.