The murder of George Floyd on May 25 sparked countless protests across the globe advocating for police reform and efforts to address systemic racism. Along with these calls to action is an explosion of interest in resources about white privilege and systemic racism, and a recognition that the reality faced by racialized people has always been dramatically different than that of white people.
These are not just American issues. Canada’s policies and systems don’t address the reality faced by racialized Canadians — in part because they have rarely been given a seat at the table. In order to make meaningful change, we need diversity in our political leadership.
Diversity remains a struggle across all levels of politics, and things only get worse when we look at political leadership. Throughout Canada’s history, the majority of the leaders of provincial and federal parties have been white men. While racialized Canadians make up almost 27 per cent of Canada’s population, they make up only 11 per cent of current party leaders. Before 2017, no major federal political party had ever had a racialized Canadian leader.
Provincial leadership isn’t much better. According to CBC, of all the provincial or federal party leaders who have won seats since 1990, only eight per cent were people of colour.
Why is this a problem? It’s not just about matching the diversity of the population or the ability for racialized Canadians to see themselves represented by their politicians, though these are important considerations.
The issue is that when our leaders do not understand the reality faced by racialized Canadians every day, the policies they implement (or don’t implement) will not reflect that reality — and can often make it more challenging for those who face it. It’s very difficult to fix problems that you don’t see.
We need systems and policies created and supported by the same people they are meant to serve. Electing leaders who have been personally affected by issues like systemic racism and police brutality will ensure that our political parties will champion effective solutions that get to the heart of the issues. We’ve seen racialized politicians and candidates like Jagmeet Singh champion innovative ideas that would improve the lives of so many Canadians.
If we want our policies and legislation to improve the lives of racialized Canadians, we must include them in the highest levels of our political system. We need political leaders to bring these issues, and their solutions, to the forefront of political conversations.
Some may say that you don’t have to come from a racialized community to make real change. I only ask you to look around. Systemic racism and its impacts are rampant. Black Torontonians are 20 times more likely to be shot by police than white residents. In Manitoba, three quarters of all inmates are Indigenous, while making up only 15 per cent of the population. Across the country, racial disparities in healthcare continue. These are just a few examples of what it means to be a racialized person in Canada.
As a racialized Canadian myself, I can tell you that the status quo is nowhere near good enough. Something needs to change — why not our leadership?
I’m not advocating that you blindly vote for a candidate simply because they are a person of colour. Racialized candidates and politicians do not always bring forward solutions to issues of systemic racism; their policies matter and you should take the time to examine them. However, we must work to get qualified racialized candidates on the ballot. Where there are qualified racialized candidates whose policies and values you agree with, you should support them in any way you can — including voting for them.
Right now, both the Conservative Party of Canada and the Green Party of Canada are in the middle of a leadership race. If you believe it’s time to diversify our political leadership, I urge you to get involved.
It’s time for change. If we want our country’s legislation and institutions to reflect the experiences and input of racialized Canadians, we must diversify our political leadership.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
