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Ethnic diversity of Toronto vs. elected representatives

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3cp1

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Why is it that virtually all elected representatives in Toronto at the municipal, provincial and federal levels are white? Fewer than 40% of the people in Toronto are white (and the percentage declines every year), yet they seem to hold almost all of the political power in the city. Wouldn't it be neat to have a non white mayor to represent Toronto? It would certainly reflect the ethnic make up of its citizens more accurately. And it might send a message to any ethnic groups that feel marginalized or excluded that they too can rise to great heights.
 
Does it really matter what colour the representatives are, just as long as they're working for the people who elected them, and were the best possible candidate?
 
Fewer than 40% of the people in Toronto are white
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Wrong! Head over to statcan before making such claims. In the 2001 census, 58% of Toronto was "white", and that figure rose to 70% in the former borough of Toronto (which is actually among the "whitest" parts of the inner GTA).

What difference should a person's skin colour make so long as they are qualified to do their job, and represent all of their constituents in an unbiased manner?
 
Chuck said:
Wrong! Head over to statcan before making such claims. In the 2001 census, 58% of Toronto was "white", and that figure rose to 70% in the former borough of Toronto (which is actually among the "whitest" parts of the inner GTA).

What difference should a person's skin colour make so long as they are qualified to do their job, and represent all of their constituents in an unbiased manner?
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I'd be willing to bet that

a) those stats are out of date, because the GTA receives more than 100,000 new immigrants, almost all of them non white, every year, and those stats are almost 7 years old
b) many of the immigrants do not bother participating in the statscan census, and therefore the stats underestimate the percentage of non white residents

In my experience just walking around Toronto, I usually see whites outnumbered by non whites. There are of course, a few exceptions such as Rosedale, but I trust what I see with my eyes far more than statscan stats.

In contrast, how many non whites are city councilors? And how many non whites represent Toronto as MPPs and MPs? I think it's shameful that our government, which is always talking about equal opportunity, fails to reflect the ethnic make up of our city.
 
In contrast, how many non whites are city councilors? And how many non whites represent Toronto as MPPs and MPs?
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Why not find out?

And is it as simple as a "failure of equal opportunity?" or a problem that results from incumbency? It's not that simple, though I would be happy to see more minorities and immigrants on council.

How many CEOs are non-white for that matter?
 
"Does this mean non-white people are not good candidates?"

I don't see how you could draw that implication from what was said.

In any case, new immigrants often feel compelled to establish themselves economically and culturally before thinking about politics. I suspect too that they may feel that having been acceptedinto a new society, they might appear unappreciative if the first they do is to enter politics which of course is all about power. I'm not saying they should feel that way, but it might be a factor.

Whatever the stats are today, you should consider what the proportion of non-whites are amongst the 2nd generation population which are those mor elikely to pursue politics. And of course those numbers would be lower.
 
buildup said:
I suspect too that they may feel that having been acceptedinto a new society, they might appear unappreciative if the first they do is to enter politics which of course is all about power. I'm not saying they should feel that way, but it might be a factor.
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Could this possibly explain why people in the GTA accept the fact that they pay much higher taxes than people in the rest of Canada, and receive much less in return from the government in terms of health care, education, EI benefits, etc? Could it be that the average GTAer is so grateful just to have been let into Canada that they don't really care if they are not treated as equal to the average Canadian by the government? So cultures that have been here longer, like the Maritimes, the prairies and Quebec get huge government handouts and the newcomers (GTAers) foot the bill? That sounds about right. Was this Trudeau's master plan?
 
3cp1 said:
In my experience just walking around Toronto, I usually see whites outnumbered by non whites. There are of course, a few exceptions such as Rosedale, but I trust what I see with my eyes far more than statscan stats.
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If you're talking about the former City of Toronto, how many of them actually live there, as opposed to just work/commute there?
 
"What's with the baiting?"

I didn't take that as a bait. He might have a point, many other parts of the country feel a greater sense of entitlement. Toronto is essentially filled with wealthy people who can afford the tax grab, and immigrants who aren't as adept at 'playing' Ottawa.
 
I think the question is actually an interesting one. I also am interested in Chuck's comment regarding "qualified for the job". What actually qualifies one for political leadership? "White" community members may have a slight tendency to vote for "white" political leaders but I am inclined to believe that "non-white" community members also hold a bias towards voting for "white" political leaders. I also think we should set aside the notion of qualifications because it seems to me that the evidence of those individuals actually getting elected suggests no relationsip between election success and strong performance in office.

My theory would be something like the following: People fundamentally vote for their own self-interest. The self-interest of the majority of people is in maintaining political consistency. There is at least a slight bias among the majority of the voting population regardless of ethnicity towards voting for "white" male political leaders in order to achieve consistency for their own self interest. Minority politicials usually get elected when they are offered up as best able to maintian political consistency in a field where the options for consistency are limited (say where the old incumbent does not run, or all the candidates are minorites). Once elected minority politicians easily retain their incumbancy because any slight bias enjoyed by a "white" male opponent optically, is easily trumped by the desire of the voters for things to remain consistent. The more minority politicians elected to office over time the less strong the overall bias towards electing "white" politicians will be. This has little to do with minorities proving their performance or the relative quality of "white" candidates but instead a weakening of the association between "white" political leadership and political consistency.
 
The pattern of immigration is that the first generation tends to be preoccupied with just making a living and raising a family. There may also be language barriers. The second generation tends to be much more comfortable, both economically and socially, and more likely to get involved in the wider community, including politics and professional occupations.

As mentioned already, there is no shortage of Italian-origin politicians, and we are now seeing more Portuguese, Greeks, etc. A few "non-whites" are becoming involved, and I'm sure that will grow over time. I think the barriers will be based not so much on race but on the simple progression of an ethnic group maturing in Canada and becoming better established.
 
Politics takes time to reflect the ethnic makeup. You can't expect a wave of immigrants from a certain community one decade, and for that community to hold a proportional weight in elected office the next decade. Plus throw in incumbents who are darn near impossible to beat, and you're going to have a static colour "barrier" for some time.

But I agree with the above - if a representative is doing a good job for their community, it shouldn't matter what race/colour they are.
 
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