Curling in his Parliamentary robes.

"IT'S like falling in love all over again," were the first words uttered by Alvin Curling, the Jamaican-born sitting Speaker of the Houses of Parliament for the province of Ontario, Canada, on being inducted into his alma mater's Hall of Fame last month.

Last year Curling, running on an Ontario Liberal Party ticket, retained his seat as a member of parliament in the provincial elections. He was subsequently voted Speaker by MPs on both sides of the house, becoming the first black Canadian - and the first Jamaican - to hold the prestigious position.

His achievement did not go completely unnoticed in Jamaica at the time; in fact, on the day the news arrived, government MP OT Williams moved a resolution in Gordon House congratulating Curling, a motion seconded by opposition MP Pearnel Charles to rousing applause. Months later, as part of their 46th anniversary celebrations, the University of Technology (which was called the College of Arts Science and Technology when Curling attended) chose to honour Curling by making him the third inductee into the institution's Hall of Fame.

But even with the plethora of honours and citations bestowed on him since becoming Speaker, Curling intimated that he was humbled by the move by his former school.

CURLING. Jamaicans on a whole are extremely strong, determined and intelligent people

"I don't think I can describe it any other way. I thought when the government awarded me the Order of Distinction that was the best feeling ever, then I was elected Speaker, and now this comes along. It doesn't feel 'better', but it does feel as if I'm falling in love all over again," the Ontario House Speaker told the Observer.

Affable and energetic, Curling's speech and mannerisms evoke a sense of Jamaica in bygone years, when community participation was the norm rather than the exception, and when elocution was an important element in the development of every well-rounded person. His experiences growing up in Franklyn Town, he recalls, set the path along which he would travel in life, instilling in him solid foundations and a critical sense of his role as an individual and a citizen within society.

"My father was the president of the Passmore Town People's National Party Group at that time, and he encouraged us to speak well, to rehearse our elocution, to recite and basically how to have some stage presence," Curling explained, replete with anecdotes of his family life. "When we were young we hated having to stand up and recite, but he would say, just go up there and do it. And we did it, shaking like dickens, but we did it and got through it and that prepared me."

As a young boy, Curling joined the Franklyn Town Youth Club, the local Boy Scout groups and various sport teams - activities which all allowed his leadership potential to shine through.

CURLING. once I start talking about politics, immediately I am energised

It was that easygoing but firm leadership quality which took him through school in Jamaica, and after leaving CAST to migrate to Canada, it propelled him to leadership positions at Seneca College where he became president of the Students' Council.

But although Curling's pattern of participation and leadership seemed the obvious preparation for a career in politics, he maintains that he never seriously considered it until late in life.

"Did I know I would end up in Parliament? My friends say yes. they say the things I have done would all lead up to my being a politician," he laughs humbly. His attraction to public service, he says, developed over time, and was sustained by his passion for politics.

"I think I was sort of gravitating to this all the time. I presume that fate and destiny and the things that I was doing all led me in this direction. No matter how tired I am, once I start talking about politics, immediately I am energised."

It is largely this energy and enthusiasm that pulls people to him, but it is his practical handling of everyday matters that keeps getting him elected and makes him a masterful conversationalist. People, he says, are the motivation behind the enthusiasm, and working for the people is its own daily reward for being in politics.

"The part of politics I like more than anything else is the campaigning. Campaigns are the best part because it's great to meet people. People always ask if I'm concerned about being rejected, but I know people are wonderful," he said.

"Sure they'll tell you, 'I'll never vote for you, you politicians are thieves', and I'm amused by that. I always ask 'what did I steal from you?' I mean I have couple things at home, but really." he chuckled at his own joke.

Curling sees the job of an MP as being more about learning how to relate to people and their difficulties, about empowering people, and for him, this magic formula has made his job much easier.

"I would say 90 per cent of the challenges I encounter with people asking me about the answers to things, they have the answer and they answer it," he said.

In his fairly new role as Speaker of the House, his responsibilities now include much more diplomacy and facilitation as well as a principled stand on all matters, but Alvin Curling is the first to say that he is up to the challenge.
He has before, in the face of great opposition even among his colleagues, taken a principled stand that caused contention and a long stand-off in Parliament. As an MP, he once caused the Parliament to come to a grinding halt, and prevented the passing of a bill that gave sweeping powers to the central government.

He refused to vote, he said, because he hadn't read the bill, and he thought many other Canadians had neither read nor understood the changes.

"When it was my time to vote, I refused to, and they can't move past you till you have voted. I decided I was not moving. It was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and we stayed there all night, blocked the Parliament, but I refused to vote," he said.

And so he insisted that the bill be broken down into more manageable parts. The stand-off took several days, but eventually, in a compromise with the authorities, Parliament on his suggestion agreed to split the bill and educate the public before it voted - in exchange for Curling's apology.

"Its ironic - here I protest against a procedural matter, and now I'm Speaker of the House!" he now laughs.
Now, his conduct in the house is more crucial than ever, and he stresses the importance of being non-partisan.

"You are non-partisan, but you can still be political," he stressed. "It (being Speaker) allows me the position and opportunity to do things that I couldn't do normally as a liberal or a conservative or as a socialist, because I don't have a leader of a party to answer to. But I follow my conscience, my principles and of course the order of the Speaker."

During his tenure, Curling hopes to use his stature and influence to encourage more Jamaicans living in Canada to become more involved in the political process. Jamaicans, he says, are involved in every sector of Canadian society, but are not yet significantly represented in areas of power.

"Jamaicans on a whole are extremely strong, determined and intelligent people, and I'm not talking about merely academic intelligence. They are astute, hard-working, focused - some are focused in the wrong direction - but Jamaicans are making their contribution consistently," he said.

He made reference to Jamaicans such as Mary-Ann Chambers, the recently appointed minister of colleges and universities, and David Sloley, a former football star who Curling expects will eventually become police chief of Toronto.

"Jamaicans, normally, although we are political animals, don't participate well in Canada. That may be a surprise, but Jamaicans on a wide scale don't become citizens of the country, and you have to be a citizen - without being a citizen, you can't vote, and voting is an integral part of the democratic process. We are lacking in involvement in the political process, and that is something we will have to address. My task then, is to encourage that."

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