Electing a Diverse Canada: The Representation of Immigrants, Minorities, and Women (Representation of Immigrants, Minorities, and Women)

Printed in Canada on ancient-forest-free paper (100 percent post-consumer recycled) that is processed chlorine-and acid-free, with vegetable-based inks. This volume examines the electoral representation of immigrants, minorities, and women in cities across Canada. It is the first of its kind and, perhaps most importantly, it provides a baseline of data against which we can compare future electoral outcomes. When researchers, policymakers, and civil society organizations think about integration and inclusion, much of their attention tends to focus on economic indicators, with far less attention being given to other indicators, including those related to political participation, electoral involvement, and civic engagement. This is unfortunate, and perhaps misguided, given that it is elected bodies and other decision-making structures that largely regulate labour market policies and thus have the potential to shape economic outcomes. We hope that this volume goes some distance toward readjusting this balance. A volume of this nature has a significant gestation period and complex parenthood. Its origins lie in the Third International Metropolis Conference, which was held in Israel in 1998. At that time, researchers from eleven cities from around the world came together to consider our existing knowledge of newcomers' participation in formal electoral processes in Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This foundation led to nearly a decade of work within Canada and internationally under the aegis of the Metropolis Project, with this publication standing as one of the important results. Along the way, versions of some chapters have been presented at meetings of the Canadian Political Science Association in London, Ontario, the Seventh National Metropolis Conference in Montreal, and the Biennial Meeting of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association in Ottawa. We are grateful to participants for their thoughtful insights and constructive feedback. Equally, we extend our gratitude to our chapter authors for their hard work and remarkable patience and for the collaborative spirit that is needed to create a truly comparative edited volume. x We also thank the elected officials who participated in the research for this project; the graduate students who collected data in earlier iterations; Shuguang Wang and Andrea Kmetty of Ryerson University who developed the data tables and maps for each chapter; Eric Leinberger of the University of British Columbia who prepared the maps for production; the reviewers selected by UBC Press who provided valuable and constructive comments; Emily Andrew and Holly Keller at UBC Press for their support in the development of the manuscript and their capable assistance through every facet of the publishing process; and Leslie Kenny and her colleagues at the University of Victoria's Centre for Studies in Religion and Society as well as Danielle Turpin of Llama Communications who ably formatted the manuscript. Finally, we recognize a number of collaborators who began this journey with us but were not able to stay with us to the end: Anver Saloojee who returned to South Africa to take an active role in the policy life of that country, Jim Curtis who sadly and unexpectedly passed away, and Tina Chui and Steven Bittle who, through the exigencies of life, were unable to continue with the project. This volume is based on a survey of elected officials at three levels of government from across the country, which was made possible through funding from the Metropolis Project, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Department of Canadian Heritage. This funding supported data collection and the initial meeting of contributors that laid the groundwork necessary to complete a comparative volume of this scope. We also acknowledge support provided by the Aid to Scholarly Publications Program of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as funding from Ryerson University and the University of Ottawa, which made the publication of the manuscript possible. We dedicate this volume to the brave men and women who willingly participate in the electoral life of our country; democracy is not a spectator sport. Reputation And Representation: Reaching For Political Inclusion In Toronto -- Diversity And Elected Officials In The City Of Vancouver -- Political Representation Of Minorities In The City Of Montreal: Dream Or Reality? -- More Than Just Cowboys With White Hats: A Demographic Profile Of Edmonton And Calgary -- Our Unrepresentative But Somewhat Successful Capital: Electoral Representation In Ottawa -- Many Faces, Few Places: The Political Under-representation Of Ethnic Minorities And Women In The City Of Hamilton -- Representation Deficits In Regina And Saskatoon -- The Patterning Of Political Representation In Halifax -- Diversity And Political Representation In Winnipeg -- Ethnoracial Minorities In The 38th Parliament: Patterns Of Change And Continuity. Edited By Caroline Andrew ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Electing a Diverse Canada presents the most extensive analysis to date of the electoral representation of immigrants, minorities, and women in Canada. Covering eleven cities as well as Canada's Parliament, it breaks new ground by assessing the representation of diverse identity groups across multiple levels of government. Electoral representation is an important indicator of a democracy's health, and this book not only provides a baseline for future research but also outlines the key challenges facing Canadian democracy."--Publisher's description Covering eleven cities as well as Canada's Parliament, this book presents the most extensive analysis to date of the electoral representation of immigrants, minorities, and women in Canada.