Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will focus on one issue. I commend the Taoiseach and those involved with the national Famine commemoration in Sligo yesterday. It was a fitting and meaningful event. The Taoiseach stated, "The best way we can honour those who suffered and died during the Great Famine is by showing empathy with those who are suffering today." He said this in the context of the 1 million Irish people who were ultimately made refugees, having been forced from their homeland because of famine. I could not get to Sligo, although I was invited and had intended to go. Reading his words, I was reminded of the great issues by which we are challenged today and what we are doing about them. I will bounce around a few ideas in that regard.

In the context of the Taoiseach's words and in our knowledge of the great many people who left for Ellis Island and all the other places, forced from their homeland in need and who sought shelter, we, as legislators, must consider what we are doing. Many of the people to whom I refer were rejected, cursed, damned and given no opportunities. Others got such opportunities in the great places of America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. The challenge for us must be to follow through on what the Taoiseach said. What are we doing about direct provision and the segregation of families? How are we enabling, supporting and establishing new homes and safe communities? How are we addressing migrant integration, particularly in the context of migrant children? What are we doing to provide job opportunities, education and social care? What are we doing to respect language, faith and difference? What are we doing to address hate crimes and racism? Why do we not celebrate more the arts, rich music, tradition and culinary aspects that come with the diverse cultures of our people? We are talking about a real republic with a capital "R". As legislators, we in these Houses must challenge ourselves and ask what we are doing and how we can empower migrant civil society to ensure that it can participate in the democratic process and governance. I say that mindful of the elections coming up in the next few days or those that will take place in the future.I will finish on this point. I think we need to tap in and create a new coalition of willing people who want to address this issue. We need a debate in the House on the importance of migration flows.

The Leader is a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe - Parliamentary Assembly, OSCE-PA, as I am, and we were furnished with a book at our last conference in Vienna entitled Local Authorities Migrant Integration Guide. I circulated it to every local authority. We need to visit this and see how we as representatives of local, national and European governments can address the issue of extending a real warm welcome to migrants. We must remember our past and our experience as migrant people. I would like the Taoiseach to acknowledge that he has tapped into something really strong and powerful. Let us take it to the next stage and debate those issues in this House and have meaningful engagement to discuss and address them.