Victoria Strassler | Copy Editor
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay
Since Governor General Julie Payette and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dissolved the 42nd Parliament on September 11, 2019, there has been an array of controversies surrounding the 2019 federal election. From news broadcasts to social media posts, each and every day approaching October 21 has had new information surface on the screens of Canadians to help them decide who to elect in less than two weeks. Not only have Canadians had their eyes on the candidates to see who will say what next or who will spark controversy, but Canadians have collectively noticed and can agree on one major observation: there is underrepresentation among the candidates. With Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer leading the Liberal and Conservative Parties respectively, both are heterosexual Caucasian males. Green Party leader Elizabeth May, a woman, and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh man, are both essentially representing all (visible) minorities in Canada, yet this is far from being enough; but has Canada ever had enough representation in elections?
According to Statistics Canada, a visible minority is a person “who identifies themselves as a part of one of four groups designated under the Employment Equity Act.” The Employment Equity Act defined visible minorities as consisting of women, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, and people of colour. Statistics Canada also stated that as of 2011, one in five Canadians is foreign-born. This means that immigrants represented 20.6 per cent of Canada’s population, which is an increase compared to 19.8 per cent in the 2006 Census. Since Canada has over a fifth of its population as immigrants, one can only wonder: why is it the same race representing the entire country, when Canada is known to be a cultural mosaic?
Statistics Canada also reported that “according to the 2016 Census, 7.5 million foreign-born people came to Canada through the immigration process.” There were also more than 250 different ethnic origins or ancestries reported in this Census. The Library of Parliament noted the various historical background and processes regarding multiculturalism. In a chart outlining the “Chronology of Federal Policy on Multiculturalism,” 35 moments of progress in Canadian history have been acknowledged: from “Canada adhering to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which applies to all human beings, regardless of race, religion, culture or ideology,” in 1948; to “Parliament passing the Employment Equity Act,” in 1986; to “the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage publishing a report entitled Taking Action Against Systemic Racism and Religious Discrimination Including Islamophobia” in 2018. It seems as if the Canadian government has acknowledged the multiculturalism that exists in the country, yet it continuously lacks in showing representation among those who are essentially representing the country itself. There is a lack of representation in the Parliament of Canada among three major groups: women, people of colour, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
According to the Library of Parliament, the first woman elected to the House of Commons of Canada was Agnes Macphail in the 1921 election. After her election, a steady growth in representation of women in parliament began; between 1997 and 2006, progress remained near the 20 per cent level.
“Canada now ranks 45th internationally in the representation of women in the lower house of national parliaments,” the Library of Parliament website stated. The website also displayed data where the representation of elected women remains at around 25 per cent at each level of the Canadian government: 25 per cent on municipal councils; 25.5 per cent in provincial/territorial legislatures; and 24.8 per cent at the federal level. To compare this to the progress made by other countries, Rwanda became the first country in 2008 to have more female members of parliament than male, having 56.3 per cent of women represented. The website also stated that “women running for office in Canada are only slightly less likely than men to be elected.” This is because of evidence from 2011: only 17 per cent of female candidates were elected and went on to represent women in parliament. The most notable act of progress for Canada is the country’s first and only female Prime Minister: Kim Campbell. However, her time as Prime Minister is often forgotten or neglected because she only had the role by winning the leadership of the governing PC Party. Despite its progress for representation of women in the Canadian Parliament, no woman has since been elected as Prime Minister.
The Library of Parliament addressed the issue of underrepresentation of women in the Canadian Parliament. It is noted that it is important that the Canadian government represents the Canadian electorate in all its diversity, as well as addresses the concerns of Canadian women. Although men and women are candidates in elections, women continue to represent a minority of these candidates in federal elections. The Library of Parliament proposed that to address this imbalance, the following should be included: “education and mentoring activities to increase interest in political office among women; voluntary or mandatory changes to how candidates are selected; a re-examination of Canada’s electoral system; and changes to make Parliament a more welcoming work environment for women.” Considering that the only time a woman has held a high position of power in the Parliament of Canada was Campbell, but for only 132 days, it is quite ironic that a country that is known for its multiculturalism and inclusivity continues to lack diversity in its leaders and representatives. In a Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) meeting in June 2018, Sarah Childs, a professor in politics and gender at the University of London, said that “our parliaments should be representative of the countries they serve. Gender is a salient characteristic. Women are diverse, and that diversity should be present within our parliaments.”
At the same FEWO meeting, witnesses emphasized the need for diverse parliaments, legislatures and local and municipal governments in Canada. In a report by Karen Vecchio, Chair of FEWO, she wrote that “increasing diversity in electoral politics would be beneficial for several reasons: it could change the culture of politics; it could add diverse perspectives to decision-making which could improve policies; different issues could be brought forward; it could bring more role models and mentors; and it could make networking easier for women of all backgrounds and environments.” Yolaine Kirlew, Third Vice-President and Councillor for the municipality of Sioux Lookout, asserted in the meeting that “the visibility of women from diverse backgrounds in politics is important for teaching future generations that leadership comes from diverse backgrounds.”
In addition to there being a lack of representation of women in parliament, there is also an underrepresentation of visible minorities, specifically those who are persons of colour, which includes those who are a part of one or more of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean, or Japanese. In a study conducted by Kai Chan, a member at INSEAD’s Centre for Economic Growth, Chan concluded that the House of Commons is “still mostly white, male and English-speaking. Of the 338 seats, only 56 are filled with visible minority candidates, representing 16 per cent of the House — lower than the 21 per cent they represent in Canada’s population.”
There is also demographics to be taken into consideration regarding the success rate of visible minority candidates. In areas like Brampton and Toronto, Andrew Griffith, a researcher at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said, “MPs from visible minority backgrounds will have a better chance of being elected. All parties have to find ways to ensure that their candidate recruitment in other ridings is more diverse than just strict political calculations might represent.” Indigenous people have 10 representatives in the House of Commons, which is equal to three per cent represented in the House, despite representing five per cent of Canada’s total population, according to Chan.
“Add outreach activities to the mandates of the 35 or so political staff working on the appointment process for ministers and within the PMO to find ideal candidates through national organizations to encourage more representation for minority groups,” former political advisor, Victor Choi, suggested. “Another benefit of increasing outreach activities is to get MPs to nominate people outside of their immediate networks to run for leadership positions,” Chan also proposed.
In a report conducted for Elections Canada by Jerome H. Black, associate professor for the Department of Political Science at McGill University, and Bruce M. Hicks, Associate for the Canada Research Chair in Electoral Studies at Université de Montréal, the 2004 Canadian Candidate Survey was analyzed. This survey was conducted during and following the general election held on June 28, 2004. Candidates were asked what they thought about the fact that “there are relatively few members of visible minorities in the House of Commons.” It is indicated in the report that “members of visible minorities were somewhat more concerned about under-representation, but that party affiliation had the largest impact on responses.”
Third-year communications student at York, Diandra Mamorno, comments on the Canadian government and its lack of representation in the 2019 federal election from the perspective of a Filipino-Canadian. “In my opinion, race has nothing to do with a candidate’s potential,” says Mamorno. “I think there is underrepresentation; minorities aren’t as accepted as a majority race to run as a candidate and therefore they’ve had to hold back and stay quiet. Though as an individual, I don’t necessarily feel underrepresented; I would still be interested in seeing a Filipino-Canadian run for office.”
Third-year culture & expression student at York, Emily Phung, also expresses her thoughts as a Vietnamese-Canadian on underrepresentation in the Parliament of Canada. “I do think there is underrepresentation because even if we do get ‘representation,’ the government will not address the issues of the others who aren’t represented,” explains Phung. “I strongly believe it’s important that there is representation for myself and other visible minorities,” Phung states. “Issues that concern us should have a fair chance to be discussed and addressed.”
In a recent article by Fatima Syed of the Canada’s National Observer, Syed suggested that the 2019 federal election has always been about race. She commented on the impact of race and the controversies surrounding such in the present candidates: the current prime minister, who has just admitted to past episodes of brownface; the Conservative leader, who refuses to denounce or remove members who have racist and homophobic perspectives; a female leader for the Green Party, who is the only woman in the race and who has had to deflect accusations of racism; and a fifth party leader, who does not stand for race and diversity. Syed noted how Singh of the NDP is “the first-ever racialized candidate for prime minister in Canada. A National Observer survey into the make up of candidates across the five political parties found that, other than the NDP, the remaining parties are not representative of Canada’s visible minority population — black, Indigenous or people of colour.” Syed acknowledged that the NDP is the most representative and diverse party, with 32 per cent of its representatives being visible minorities, 20 of whom are Indigenous and 22 who are Black Canadians. “Too many Canadians have refused to acknowledge in this election — and every election before this one — that Canada’s political spaces continue to be disproportionately white and yet are also shaping policies that impact the lives of racialized people,” wrote Syed. “If Canadians want to continue to brand themselves as the global ambassadors of the most multicultural country in the world, then it’s time they elect leaders that understand what it means to purport and protect that.”
There is also a need to acknowledge the lack of representation of the LGBTQ+ community in parliament. In an article for CTV News, Josh Dehaas wrote about how this community in particular hoped for more representation in parliament following the 2015 federal election. Needless to say, the community should not have gotten their hopes up very high for this upcoming federal election. At the time of 2015 federal election, before dissolution, six of the 308 MPs, about two per cent, were openly gay or bisexual, and none were transgender, according to NDP incumbent Randall Garrison. When posed the question, “Why aren’t there more openly LGBTQ+ candidates?” Dehaas wrote that according to Liberal Scott Brison, “It may have to do with the Conservative party’s perceived lack of openness to LGBTQ+ candidates.” Dehaas also included that Scott Brison, the Liberal Party’s only openly gay incumbent at the time, said he was surprised there has not been more representatives of the LGBTQ+ community, considering he was the first openly gay cabinet member from 2004 to 2006.
A transgender woman who ran for the NDP nomination in Toronto Centre, Susan Gapka, said the NDP’s action policies, which involves the attempt or success of recruiting women, visible minorities, people with disabilities or members of the LGBTQ+ community, helped her run for the nomination, although she was unsuccessful with the outcome. Gapka said she did not face any “direct discrimination” when seeking the nomination. However, she acknowledged, like Garrison, that there is “a perception of who can get elected and who can’t.” Gapka claimed she is unsure what will need to happen for the first openly transgender MP to be elected in Canada, but she suggested that “a proportional representation system of government where people vote directly for a party instead of just local representative might help assuage some of the fears parties have about electability.”
Ultimately, it comes down to the voters to take a step forward and to make a change in order to have more representation among candidates and among members of parliament. Dr. Rich Shivener, assistant professor in the Writing Department at York, comments on the importance of voters to ensure an increase in representation in the Canadian government: “I am hopeful that students who can vote this election cycle do so. Every vote counts! And those votes can contribute to diverse representation in the political landscape.”
