Tag: Greater Toronto Area

Karen Wang’s foray into ethnic and race based politicking wasn’t the first time that’s happened in Canada and won’t be the last. Wang is the now former Liberal candidate who resigned this week after it was reported she had posted on WeChat, a Chinese language social media site, effectively saying, vote for me I’m Chinese and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh isn’t. “If we can increase the voting rate, as the only Chinese candidate in this riding, if I can garner 16,000 votes I will easily win the by-election, control the election race and make history! All the parties do it to a degree, even Singh in his bid for the NDP leadership. I’m not claiming Singh has made racist comments but a look at his campaign win shows he himself benefited from ethno-politics to become NDP leader. Singh won the NDP leadership with strong support in the Greater Toronto Area, in particular his home riding of Brampton, an area with a large Indian-Canadian population and strong Sikh presence. Recently a Liberal candidate won likely in part because she was Greek. At various times all the parties had been close to these groups doing what former Liberal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh called politicians gathering votes in “ethnic ghettos.” Jagmeet Singh got into trouble shortly after he was elected leader because he refused to denounce those behind the Air India bombing that was planned and carried out Sikh Canadians in 1984. Justin Trudeau had trouble during his visit to India last February because the Indian government felt he was too close to radical Khalistani elements in Canada. Peschisolido had a lot of support among the South Asian community who Chan dismissed as not too bright.