MORE BLACK VOICES NEEDED IN ALL PARTIES.
This is one in a continuing series of columns written for Black History Month.
HARPER’S EFFORTS TO ADVANCE DIVERSITY AMIDST PARTY RANKS WAS PROGRESS. — WILKS
Whether it’s in the Prime Minister’s Office, east block, West block or the bingo hall, more black Canadian voices (elected and unelected) are needed wherever political decisions are being made. If you’re a mainstream party unable to address black diversity amidst your ranks, ask yourself: why is it taking so long?
We should celebrate the triumphs of Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, whose background is black and Jewish, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, an observant Sikh, as evidence that visible minorities are capable of holding any office in Canada.
It wasn’t a stretch for Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, a Canadian of Jamaican heritage, to be welcomed into the party and by all accounts to have been well received and supported by party membership, as evidenced by her strong results in the leadership race. Her brand of politics certainly opened more black people to a party largely ignored, to the point of being virtually unknown to them. Again, why has it taken so long for the Conservatives to achieve diversity, and what more needs to be done to build a bigger tent?
On Aug. 25, 2020, Kaycee Madu, from Alberta’s politically right-leaning united Conservative Party, was sworn in as the first black Canadian minister of justice and solicitor general, another great achievement, and evidence that black people are taking on more prominent positions in right-of-centre governments.
but look at a photograph of Ontario’s Conservative provincial cabinet, representing Canada’s largest black population by a wide margin. black faces are conspicuously absent. This isn’t an attack on Conservative politicians, it’s just an unacceptable reality that falls not only to black Canadians to address but in which every Canadian has a role to play.
For all of the criticism of former prime minister Stephen Harper, his appointment of now disgraced former senator don Meredith, a black pastor, was a brave move. Sadly, Meredith disappointed spectacularly and was justifiably recommended for expulsion; under pressure, he resigned from the red chamber. Still, Harper’s efforts to advance diversity amidst party ranks was progress, though blunted. It was a very good step, but more is needed from the right.
encouraging more black voices to join the Conservative Party of Canada isn’t a rebuke to Liberals, New democrats or the Greens. It’s a recognition that black constituents’ voices, views, presence and support are missing from both inside and outside of the Conservative party ranks.
If I see it correctly, the leader of the opposition recognizes this, and I encourage the Conservative team to do more, recruit more, because it’s not nearly enough. I’m looking for the tent to be bursting.
It’s also clear that erin O’toole did not act swiftly enough in dismissing MP derek Sloan — possibly confirming for many black voters that some Conservatives often perform a tepid dance of outrage that is neither real nor transparent.
No one’s vote from any community should be seen as being automatically in the bag. Ghettoizing or abandoning any vote should be resisted. When political parties see constituents, racialized or not, as predictable voting blocks, or the opposite, they need to ask why. And they need to be honest about what they want their parties to look like in the future.
As more black Canadian political leaders are elected, ready to replace those who are either incapable of grasping or unprepared to help solve racism’s impact, visibility is an important lever of influence.
Obviously, there are those who have advocated for black Canadians, but more black voices, from across the diaspora, are needed on all sides of the political spectrum, and the Conservative Party of Canada is no exception.
Voting patterns that see many black people voting for a single party may well have served communities in the past, but they fail to serve that same community when a change in government takes place.
black Canadians aren’t strangers to political activism. They’ve been knocking on doors, canvassing constituents and offering other support to candidates, but greater numbers need to run for elected office with all parties — in particular, with parties where their faces have been largely absent or historically non-existent. Other communities have been able to penetrate all mainstream political parties and introduce successful leaders to those movements. efforts to address anti-black racism are rapidly impacting many aspects of Canadian society. With renewed attention, inspiration, and resolve, black individuals, groups and communities are challenging themselves to raise their level of political engagement beyond their heroic front-line social activism, seeking to add more diversity to politics and influence politicians who have until now ignored their struggle.
Whatever your view of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada — wildly popular, spectacularly incompetent, or somewhere in between — one day this government will come to an end and a new government will be formed under a different party, or parties, and different leadership. When that takes place, black Canadians owe it to themselves to be part of whatever the political landscape looks like.
Political taboos are ripe for challenging; old alliances are now open to being reshaped and reformed to provide better reflections of themselves and Canada.
Politics is about participating, but it is also about picking winners. It’s important to always be on the winning side, as opposed to being on a side that wins. It’s about absolutely being on the inside of all sides to ensure black people are seated at the tables of decisions. Insiders build and direct government strategies and policies, giving life to people’s aspirations, and act as an informal check on privilege.
black people are experienced in moving from the comfortable to the uncomfortable, and a change of political allegiance is not a betrayal. It’s about being pragmatic, having a foot in all doors, becoming comfortable with uncomfortable in order to shape ideas from any inside that can improve the lives not only of black and racialized people but for everyone.
No doubt there will be critics against this approach but black people have supported conservative-leaning politicians in the past and have done so in great numbers. Former Toronto mayor rob Ford, despite his faults, was supported by a large number of black Torontonians — they believed in him, and him in them. And it’s not to say black people still don’t vote for conservative candidates, to the contrary, it happens all the time; current Toronto Mayor John Tory is well liked, and there are other examples right across this country.
With a federal election coming, possibly soon, black Canadians need to have their voices represented within all political parties at the highest levels.
If black Canadians choose not to participate, they may find themselves further disenfranchised, making future changes more difficult.
Politics is not immune to progress and the striking impact of diversity and inclusion.
AT ITS CORE, POLITICS IS ABOUT THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE.