I have often been told that I should go into politics. Maybe it is because I love a good debate, immensely enjoy interacting with people and want to make our world a better place.
Nothing like a federal election to remind me of the less savoury side of politics!
At the end of the day, the thirst for power is the driver that trumps everything else, and all the platform promises and handshakes, the photo-ops and overtures to special interest groups are about getting that vote.
Cynical? Perhaps.
But consider the so-called ethnic vote.
It is true that ethnic populations are on the rise in Canada and that the sheer numbers can influence the outcome of the vote.
It is also true the changing demographic patterns of the country have been duly noted by the political elite, and that their strategies include appealing to these diverse groups.
In and of itself, this makes perfect sense.
So what’s the problem? In a nutshell, opportunism.
There are a range of problems and challenges that ethnic populations face on an ongoing basis, for instance, settlement and integration, recognition of foreign credentials and delays in reuniting with family abroad. (I hasten to add that there are also a number of issues that they share with many other Canadians, such as affordable housing and job opportunities.)
In the ongoing business of governing this country, these issues are occasionally given some attention, but by and large, these systemic challenges remain unresolved.
And then we come to election time.
Suddenly, we learn from leaked confidential documents that the political strategy of at least one party includes identifying key “ethnic” and “very ethnic” ridings in which to advertise aggressively to court the vote. (Good idea, focus on the message rather than the real issues.)
People are asked to attend rallies in their “ethnic costumes”. (Is it Hallowe’en?)
Political leaders make every effort to find supporters from ethnic communities to lend credence to their policies and parties. In some cases, token ethnic candidates are improperly vetted in a rush to get diverse candidates on the ballot. (Can anyone say tokenism?)
And there are the photo-ops with dancing Bollywood stars, appearances at places of worship, at community celebrations …
This is the thing:
… [I]f they really want to build sustained support, the government should follow up its rhetoric with long-term policies to help newcomers integrate and experience socio-economic and political mobility. Why not recruit promising candidates from non-white backgrounds? And what of the party’s $53-million cut to immigrant settlement agencies (85 per cent of those cuts in Ontario)? While more immigrants are now settling in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the lion’s share still choose to live in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Immigrants have been harder hit by the recession and have higher unemployment rates than their native-born counterparts – even when they are better educated. This – and not cricket matches [ads] and television ads – is ultimately what immigrants are likely to care about. [Source: www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/ethnic-targeting-shocking/article1931691/]
If our political leaders got this, ethnic communities would cease to be mere props to their political objectives, and instead would be giving “props” to them!
Final Word:
What can we do? Inform ourselves about the parties’ policies and VOTE!
If you would like to see how your views align with the parties positions on various issues, check out CBC’s Vote Compass at: www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/
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