Federal parties urged to nominate more black candidates

HOUSE OF COMMONS HAS JUST SEVEN

A Toronto-based activist is calling on Canada’s political parties to nominate more black candidates in winnable ridings in this fall’s federal election in order to enhance the chances the community is better represented in the next Parliament.

Fewer than 20 black Canadians have been nominated so far, including a handful of Liberal MPs who are seeking re-election, said Velma Morgan, the chair of Operation Black Vote Canada, a not-for-profit, multipartisan organization that aims to get more black people elected at all levels of government.

There are currently just seven black MPs in the House of Commons — three each in Quebec and Ontario, and one in British Columbia.

“Six MPs belonging to one political party and one Independent is clearly not enough to represent our voice adequately,” Morgan said. “We do need to be able to elect more black Canadians, (that’s why) we need more black Canadians nominated.”

The number of black people living in Canada doubled between 1996 and 2016, with 1.2 million, or 3.5 per cent, identifying as black in the 2016 census, Statistics Canada says. More than 627,000 live in Ontario, followed by Quebec with 319,000 and Alberta with 130,000.

When it comes to increasing the number of black and other ethnic Canadians on Parliament Hill, the main challenge is getting them to run for public office in the first place, said Greg Fergus, a Liberal MP from Quebec and the head of Parliament’s cross-partisan black caucus.

The colour or gender of the candidates don’t play into their chances of success — “the real issue is getting through the nomination process,” Fergus said in an interview.

Oftentimes, he said, the misguided perception that a candidate of colour is somehow unelectable is what prevents them from winning the nomination — or even seeking it in the first place.

“If you don’t have history of it — of having diversity in your candidates — some people might assume that person couldn’t win,” Fergus said. “My argument will be: No, present yourself. People are more generous if you give them a chance. Don’t selfcensor.”

Challenges, however, remain.

In February, Speaker Geoff Regan apologized on behalf of the House of Commons after an apparent case of racial profiling at a lobbying event aimed at using Black History Month to encourage more black voices in politics. The Federation of Black Canadians said several participants were referred to as “dark-skinned people” and asked to leave a parliamentary cafeteria.

The Parliamentary Protective Service apologized and promised a full investigation, adding it has zero tolerance for any type of discrimination.