THE STAR Insults Minority Groups...

Minorities on council: Making progress slowly


Tue Nov 2 2010

Despite some strong visible minority contenders for municipal office, only five of them won a place on Toronto’s 45-member city council last week. While that is one more than before, it means the city’s visible minority population — close to half the total — is seriousl under-represented on council

It seems Toronto’s motto, “Diversity Our Strength,” doesn’t much apply to council. Why? Bias is clearly a factor. After a crushing third-place finish, in Ward 26, Mohamed Dhanani was left wondering if some strategists were right when they warned him that a non-white candidate simply couldn’t win in Don Valley West.

But the there are also structural hurdles barring visible minorities from entry into the city’s political system. For example, incumbent councillors are extremely difficult to unseat. Furthermore, having a network of trusted insiders is a huge benefit. It’s no coincidence that at least four of the 14 newly elected councillors had a spouse, parent or other close family member already in political office.

Finally, the absence of a party system in municipal politics is a barrier. At the provincial and federal levels, parties play a major role in recruiting and supporting visible minority candidates.

There are efforts at change underway, such as a laudable mentoring program run by the Maytree Foundation. But Toronto’s most recent election results show a lot more work has to be done. The electoral door isn’t closed to minorities; it just needs more pushing.

...by implying that these voters cannot make intelligent decisions about who they feel will best serve their interests at Toronto Silly Hall.