«Immigrating is starting your live over»

Catherine Leroux: Why having chosen Québec?

Maria Mourani: It was a family choice. My parents wanted to reunify the family, which was spread over three continents, and Québec appealed to them as the best place to settle. They thought it would be easier to integrate because French language was spoken.

C.L.: Did integration go as smoothly as your parents hoped?

M.M.:It was hard at the beginning. I had to leave my friends and build a new social network here. Concerning studies, I had to retake certain courses for which I didn't have any equivalence. Immigrating is starting your live over. I think it's more difficult for an adult; I had the chance to arrive young. That being said, I didn't have to deal with racism or exclusion.

C.L.: Did you have a cultural shock?

M.M.: Yes, values here are very different from what I was used to in Ivory Coast or France, which are countries with a strong community life. Here society is more individualistic. I remember that when I first came, I was saying hello to people in the street of Ahuntsic, and they would look at me oddly. Other things that did shock me when I arrived were the weather change, and food. I also had a lot of trouble understanding the Québécois accent and vocabulary, which caused some weird misunderstanding. For instance, one would ask me "Do you have a «Chum» (boyfriend)?", and I would think the person wanted to know if I had a bedroom (chamber)! It's funny but these are small things that put you off.

C.L: But you finally succeeded in integrating yourself to the point that you became a leader in your community. How did you get into politics?

MM: I always liked politics. In Ivory Coast, I used to participate to social activities, debates… When I came here, I put it aside because first, I had to think about integrating myself, survive. You can’t think about politics when you have to struggle to succeed in your studies and find yourself a job. But when I got more stable, I found myself in an assembly of the Parti Quebecois -my parents were members – and it reminded me my interests for politics. I became an official member in 2002.

C.L: Why did you choose Parti Quebecois?

M.M.L: For my family, we did not move to Canada, we moved to Quebec. I always found Quebec different from other Canadian provinces. The Parti Quebecois values like, those of the Bloc, are similar to mine: patriotism, progress, promoting French…

CL: Being a woman, did you find it hard to make yourself a place in politics?

M.M.: Yes, in general it is more difficult for women to make it in politics than for men. You always have to prove yourself, show that you are capable, even if sometimes women are better! Combining family and work is also a big problem. I just had a baby, and I don’t want to leave him, but I can’t have a maternity leave. I’m going to set a bed in my two offices. I’ll have to organize myself to be present for my child despite my MP duty. Men don’t have the same dilemma. If we want more women in politics we’ll have to accommodate more.

At the same time, it’s because women experience these difficult realities, that they can bring changes in politics, like the 5 dollars daycares. Women are close to these realities.

C.L.: Do you think that your immigration experience has a similar impact on your work?

M.M: Oh yes, when it comes to degrees accreditation for example. I have been through this situation, and I understand what it means to see your degree rejected, the impact on your daily life. It doesn’t mean that someone who hasn’t gone through this kind of situation doesn't understand, but the emotion would simply not be the same.

(Translated by Catherine Samaké)