February 15, 2001

BUSINESS

Team Canada lineup includes sibling lawyers

By-JANICE ARNOLD

Staff Reporter

Montreal-Montreal immigration lawyer Herbert Brownstein is part of the Team Canada trade mission to China, an official delegation led by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

The mission is made up of provincial premiers, territorial leader and more than 300 selected business people, young entrepreneur, head of educational institutions and representatives.

Brownstein or his brother and partners Mitchell have participated in every Team Canada mission since 1996 when they want to India. They also went to the Philippines in 1997, Latin America in 1998, and Japan last year.

They are immigration lawyers, heading Brownstein, Brownstein and Associates, a small firm of 16 employees , including seven lawyers, serving mainly business category immigration, from 50 to 100 families a year.

The staff is multicultural, and Indian and Chinese languages are used commonly in the offices as English and French.

The firm has represented offices in 17 countries, per-dominantly in Asia, as well as Europe and the United States. Since 1997, the Brownstein have hung their shingle in Shanghai and Beijing, two cities on Team Canada's itinerary along with Hong Kong.

The Brownstein are convinced of the value of these tours. Mitchell, the firms managing partner, said previous missions have helped the firm established international partnership and bring foreign entrepreneurs to Canada to invest in Canadian companies or start business of their own. The firm represents a number of Canadian banks under the Business Immigrant Program.

‘On our own, it would take us at least a month to established contract we make in only three or four days per city with Team Canada,' said Mitchell , 40. Herbert, 43, is the senoir partner. They founded the firm in 1988.

The team Canada mission will also help the Brownsteins match their non-immigrant clients, generally mid-sized Canadian and Chinese companies seeking partners for imports/exports, business collaboration or technology transfer agreements. They also assist companies in transferring employees to offices in other countries.

Being part of the high-profile delegation has not only proven to be an economical way to conduct business, it has opened many doors for the firm by enhancing its credibly in the eyes of the potential partners.

‘We meet some people in host countries that we never would otherwise,' he said.

Mitchell Brownstein is conscious of the criticism that this mission leaves the impression Canada is putting trade ahead of human rights.

‘ The Canadian government should condemn human rights abuses in China, and I think Prime Minister Chétien can make statement while he is there. He can take advantage of the situation and say,' we want to do business, but we have certain expectations also about improving conditions for the Chinese people.'

As a lawyer , Brownstein sees his role as helping people who cannot find freedom in their own countries. That's why Brownstein feels no personal conflict over opening offices in several Arab and Muslim countries, including Iran, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and as of October, Tunisia.

‘ We are concerned with the individuals who want to make a contribution to our society, not the ppolitics of their country,' Brownstein said. In Tuunisia, he was surprised to discover that about 5,000 Jews still live there.

The Brownsteins are conscious of their own immigrant roots; their grandfather came to Canada from a small town in Poland in 1927. Mitchell's father in-law is a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto.

One country where the Brownstein will not open an office is Israel because they do not want to encourage emigration.

Not all of the Brownstein's client have fistful of cash to spend. At a Chinese New Year party the brothers held before Herbert Brownstein headed off on a mission, they introduced Maggie-Pashkova as one of the people who make working in immigration law rewarding.

Pashkova is from Bulgaria. She, her husband and two daughters desperately wanted to immigrant to Canada, but had no idea how they might qualify, not having any particular skills.

Brownstein suggested, a program under which she could work as a domestic here for 24 months and then sponsors her family. She took a job as a caretaker to Dora Wasserman, founder of the Yiddish Theatre, who was disabled by a stroke.

The story doesn't end there. After arriving here, Pashkova was diagnosed with cancer. Brownstein urged her to stay and get medical care. She was successfully treated and was able to complete her two years of service and applied for landed immigrant status.

At the party she introduced her recently arrived husband and teenaged daughters.

‘I realized now that Canada is not just a name or the pictures you see,' a grateful Pashkova said , ‘it's the people who make you feel like a human being, who give you hope.'