‘You’ve got to work three times harder’: Why Toronto council is not as diverse as the city it serves

Thestar.com
Sept. 19, 2022

Torontonians fighting for a spot on city council this fall are about as diverse as the city itself, boasting candidates of all skin colours and genders, people who earn low incomes, ride the TTC, rent their homes and live with disabilities.

The 26-member council, as it stands now, is anything but. Politicians shaping Toronto are older, whiter, richer, more male and more likely to own a home and a car than the residents they serve in a city that proclaims “Diversity our strength.”

After the 2018 election, only four of 26 Toronto council members were non-white. The Oct. 24 civic election of mayor and 25 councillors promises an injection of new blood thanks to seven open council races where the incumbent is not seeking re-election. But there’s no guarantee the forces of status quo won’t win again.

The Star reviewed the online presence of Toronto’s 31 mayoral candidates and 164 council candidates and interviewed five of them. We found that if city hall’s new leaders don’t collectively look like multi-hued fans in Toronto Raptors’ Jurassic Park, rather than photos of pale city councils past, it’s not for lack of trying.

White men comprise a minority of 2022 mayoral challengers. Among council candidates, diversity of all kinds was just as apparent. Hopefuls include at least two trans women hoping to smash a very thick glass ceiling.

Candidates described being proud of their backgrounds and eager to inject diverse views and experiences into council decision-making, while not wanting to be defined by one characteristic.

Erin Tolley, a political scientist who studies electoral inclusivity, says long runs in office by many councillors, aided by re-election advantages including name recognition, are one of the biggest barriers to representation.

“But that hill is even steeper for those who have typically been under-represented in politics,” she says. “Not only do they have to unseat the incumbent, but they also have to prove that they actually belong in politics.

“We know from research on stereotypes that voters still see politics as a man’s job, and the people we see in politics are still mostly white, male, able-bodied, middle aged and from more privileged class backgrounds.”

Amira Elghawaby, an Ottawa-based human rights advocate who is not convinced municipal councils across Ontario will get a needed dose of diversity this fall, was heartened to hear of Toronto’s rainbow-coloured candidates.

“More people are getting engaged, which is a good thing. Whether that will translate into getting elected is unclear -- even when we have diverse candidates, unfortunately you’re still not necessarily getting them elected,” she said.

Elghawaby lauded Toronto’s youth fellowship program that has given people from under-represented groups a chance to work in councillors’ offices for 12 weeks, but barriers to electoral engagement and success remain.

“Voters who are from diverse communities, who haven’t really seen themselves represented historically on these councils -- it’ll take time for them to to tune in and be interested if they have felt left out or excluded for the previous few years.”

Here is what we heard from candidates:

Chloe-Marie Brown, candidate for mayor

Brown, a government policy analyst who once lived in a youth shelter, and later worked in the office of the late councillor Pam McConnell, says she encounters unconscious bias at doorsteps.

Brown is a young, Black government policy analyst who once lived in a youth shelter, and later worked in the office of the late councillor Pam McConnell, says she encounters unconscious bias at doorsteps.

“I’m 31 years old -- people think ‘It’s so adorable that you think you’re going to win.’ It’s very self-fulfilling. It’s a lack of civic education.

“People want change but it would require them to accept something different. Being risk-averse anglophones, that is not something we’re accustomed to versus francophones which are very activist-centred, very worker-centred.

“After the death of the Queen it’s become very clear to me that our voting culture is still wrapped up in being subject to a hierarchy … I’m running on a platform to equalize the playing field for all people of all abilities and incomes.

“There’s this mentality that is paternalistic, like ‘You still need to pay your dues.’ And I find myself asking a lot of older people: ‘Just how much more violence would I need to see before I act?’”

Nicki Ward, council candidate for Ward 13 Toronto Centre

Nicki Ward is running for Toronto city council in Ward 13 Toronto Centre.

Ward is a longtime human rights advocate and environmental campaigner.

“I see myself as an equity seeking candidate -- I’m a trans woman with a disability, I’m an elder, I’m a lesbian … They don’t define me but they are certainly parts of my identity. The challenge is that is there’s actually a fairly narrow pool of equity-seeking candidates that are considered electable.

“I’m not running as a token candidate, I’m running somebody with a 30-year history of advocacy and a leader in our (ward) race. When it comes to trans people, we’re not talking about a percentage lack of representation, we’re talking about a complete lack of representation …

“Discussing the city budget needs to be viewed through the lens of somebody like myself who has lived on (disability support) and understands the challenges that provides. Or a trans woman who has had lack of access to basic services, including employment and housing. Not diversity for its own sake, but to challenge the status quo with new ways of thinking and looking at solutions …

“My advice to others is to get involved at any level and disprove the notion that your area of diversity is not electable. The oppressors have a vested interest in creating this concept of inclusion as something that is scarce, to be doled out to only one interest group.”

Shaker Jamal, council candidate in Ward 9 Davenport

Shaker Jamal, centre, is running for Toronto city council in Ward 9 Davenport.

Jamal is a United Steelworkers staff representative whose family came to Canada from Afghanistan in 1992. He later attended the London School of Economics.

“During the pandemic my brother and I were forced out of rental suite, we became victims of precarious housing and renoviction. The building was sold for some ungodly amount I could never afford. That was one of my driving impulses to run …

“I don’t think a Muslim has ever been elected in Davenport but I struggle with the idea of being ‘the first’ -- the important thing is to do it right. I’m extremely hesitant to focus on my coming to Canada as a refugee because it feels tokenistic -- my qualifications are a lot more than that. I want to run on who I am as a person and if I lose on that, so be it.

“These (political) spaces are dominated by older white people. Once somebody who doesn’t represent that comes in there, you’re made to feel -- do you belong? And most likely you don’t belong, at least if nothing changes …

“I’m not the establishment figure. I think about, when my election signs go up with my names, what will people see? What will people think?

“To overcome those barriers, it’s like you’ve got to work three times harder. You’ve got to be out there three times longer. You’ve got to raise twice as much money. You’ve got to organize yourself four times better.”

Karlene Nation, council candidate for Ward 10 Spadina--Fort York

Karlene Nation is running for Toronto city council in Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York.

Nation was a longtime CTV journalist and diversity producer. She is a community activist, motivational speaker and political commentator.

“It’s critical that we have a more representation of diversity on city council. I’ve lived in Canada for more than 40 years and I’ve seen no elected Black councillors at city hall other than Michael Thompson.

“I think with a number of councillors stepping away, this opens up the opportunities for people of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, gender backgrounds, religious backgrounds, to run and hopefully get elected and be more reflective of the communities that they will serve.

“I’m not primarily focused on the fact that I’m a Black woman, but it’s a good thing. It’s a positive. It will let residents know that, ‘Yes, you too can run for city hall if you are a person of colour or a person with a disability -- I’m visually impaired.

“We have many people in social housing who would love an opportunity to run, but they don’t know how. It’s incumbent on Toronto city council to run sessions where they educate residents from all walks of life on how to run for office.

“I’ve spoken to university groups and high school students. I tell them it’s important to try, at least in your lifetime run for city council -- just do it.”

Chemi Lhamo, council candidate for Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park

Chemi Lhamo, centre, a Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist, is running for city council in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park.

Lhamo is a human-rights activist who in 2019 became the University of Toronto Scarborough’s first Tibetan-Canadian student union president.

“I would say I was born an activist and I became a community organizer when I saw the scarcity of resources in our community. And now, with the support of people, we want to change the way politics is being done by going into city hall. I’d like to become the first councilwoman of Tibetan heritage …

“My family had three generations of statelessness before Canada gave me citizenship. I’ve never owned a home. My parents have never owned a home … I’m a transit rider and a biker … Incumbents are 90 per cent likely to win so it’s a huge uphill battle for me, many community leaders have risen to the challenge but been denied.

“I think the essence of community is being lost and that is what our campaign is all about -- to bring community into council. Organizers spend decades lobbying their councillor to get a progressive motion in place only for it to be defeated at city hall. We live in one of the richest cities in the world but community members are fighting for a roof over their head …

I’m at a point in my life personally, and the community has truly invested a lot of resources in our campaign to where we’ve already fundraised our spending limit but, if I don’t win, can I really make our community go through these sacrifices again to seek that representation? I don’t have the answer but I would lean toward ‘No.’