Brampton councillor’s comments prompt complaints to integrity commissioner

It’s the email response that was read across Ontario.

“I hope that newcomers will learn the values of the white people,” Brampton Coun. John Sprovieri wrote in a widely distributed email to a constituent, “so that Brampton and Canada will continue to be a favourite destination for people who want a better and peaceful lifestyle.”

When CityNews first reported this story last week, Sprovieri said he was standing by what he wrote.

“Was it a poor choice of words? I don’t believe so,” he said. “Maybe it doesn’t sound good, but really I don’t see how it’s incorrect. It may be improper, possibly, but it’s certainly not incorrect.”

CityNews has learned that his comments have been brought to the attention of Brampton’s integrity commissioner after multiple complaints were filed, a fact that Sprovieri confirmed.

“There’s been a couple of complaints with the integrity commissioner. It’s not going away,” he said. “The mayor did not help the situation, I think she inflamed the whole thing — the way that people and the public reacted.”

In a statement to CityNews, Integrity Commissioner Guy Giorno said he could neither “confirm nor decline to confirm any matter that might or might not be under investigation until the time of reporting to council.”

The controversy began when a constituent sent a highly inflammatory email to council, questioning the city’s hiring process. The subject was, “Why are white people still deciding Brampton’s future?” and included phrases like, “It seems like inmates are still running the asylum at city hall.” Instead of ignoring the email, as his colleagues had, Sprovieri responded.

“To be fair, people of all races, colour and creeds are eager to come to Brampton and Canada because the white people of this nation have developed a great system where everyone is welcome and can live peacefully together,” Sprovieri wrote.

“I hope that the newcomers will learn the values of the white people so that Brampton and Canada will continue to be a favourite destination for people who want a better and peaceful lifestyle.”

Mayor Linda Jeffrey then responded.

“Unfortunately, my office was recently included on an email exchange between Coun. Sprovieri and a resident on corporate email,” she wrote. “I find it disheartening to hear such insensitive language being used by a member of my council. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. I urge my colleague to seek some diversity training in order to better understand the role of multiculturalism in building our national fabric.”

Sprovieri later responded, saying, “the native people want their land back. Any suggestions on how that may happen?”.

After a week of receiving negative social media comment, Sprovieri is still standing by his words.

On Wednesday night, he took to Twitter.

Peel District School Board trustee Harkirat Singh, who represents the same wards as Sprovieri, said he is shocked by the comments.

“I think its a failure to understand the community we represent — a failure in general, but [also] a failure to understand the community we represent,” he explained.

“For example, that comment about white people … a lot of the community here comes from a history of colonization and they’ve lived through the atrocities associated with that, so they may not have the most positive association with those values. And it also implies that other values are inferior.”

Brampton Coun. Martin Medeiros said he expected more from a councillor with nearly 30 years’ experience.

“I would’ve expected an immediate apology and an immediate public denouncing or explaining that it was said out of context or some other reason, but it just seems he’s not moving from his position and that’s concerning,” Medeiros wrote in an email.

Sprovieri said he doesn’t regret responding to the constituent’s email.

“I felt that I had to put a stop to that and the only way I could do that was to point out that white people, we’re not bad people. We’ve done some horrible things in the past and in history but we’re talking about today, about Brampton, about Canada. So I tried to explain to her that white people who governed Canada have done a pretty good job in building this nation.

“Not all white people are bad. Sure we’ve had some bad characters, but we’ve done a pretty good job – not I, but white people and British Canada. I know there’s an issue with the native people but that’s a federal matter.’ he explains.

He isn’t concerned about the complaints to and investigations by the integrity commissioner.

“Not at all, the claims are that I violated human rights. So I’m asking, whose human rights did I violate and in what matter?” he said. “I don’t believe I’ve done that. And that’s the basis of the complaints.”

CityNews asked all Brampton councillors if they condoned Sprovieri’s comments, if they believed he should face sanctions and if the city’s Code of Conduct for Councillors should contain a clause to deal with comments like his.

Councillors Grant Gibson and Martin Medeiros both said they do not condone Sprovieri’s comments and believe he should face discipline for his comments.

“I believe Coun. Sprovieri should seek some form of diversity training and offer a public apology,” Medeiros explained.

Coun. Elaine Moore, reached while on vacation, asked that her comments be published in their entirety. Her response did not directly address the questions.

“For months now [a constituent] has been sending hateful emails about specific individuals and their cultural backgrounds, to a fairly robust list of recipients. What is truly troubling is that it appears nobody on that distribution list, including Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey, members of her staff, and the members of the media, have called her out on her hateful racist comments, or sent them to the police where I believe they can appropriately be dealt with. I wish Councillor Sprovieri had never responded to emails that were not worthy of a response; however he did and I wish he had chosen his words more carefully, because I believe we live in a country of shared values. I have never known Councillor Sprovieri to be disingenuous in his commitment to and respect for all citizens who make up this community”

Councillors Doug Whillans, Gael Miles, Michael Palleschi, Jeff Bowman, Pat Fortini and Gurpreet Dhillon did not respond.