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Toronto’s official motto is “Diversity Our Strength,” yet the city has a poor record of electing newcomers and visible minorities to public office, finds a study by Ryerson University Politics Professor Myer Siemiatycki.

“It’s surprising for a city that prides itself for its diversity, visible minorities are substantially under-represented in election after election,” says Siemiatycki, author of the report. “These are the people who are speaking on behalf of Torontonians, and who are developing policies for our diverse population.”

In the study, the professor explores the paradox of how Torontonians, who live in one of the world’s most diverse cities are overwhelmingly represented by a city council comprised of white, European-origin politicians. Of the 45 seats held, only 5 (11 per cent) are occupied by visible minorities, which represent close to 50 per cent of the city’s population. However, many of the policies that city council members create are diversity-friendly.

The professor also states in his study that there is more diversity among elected officials at the provincial and federal levels than at the municipal level, which he says is ironic, since city politicians are seen to be more connected to their constituents and more grass-roots. Councillors representing Torontonians in the 416 area code are also less likely to come from a diverse background than their 905-area counterparts.

“This matters at a symbolic level,” says Siemiatycki. “Given the rapid growth of newcomers to this city in the past 10 to 15 years, one would expect politicians in the political arena who are acting and deciding on polices to reflect that diverse population – and we don’t have that.”

There are a number of barriers that newcomers may face when it comes to participating in the political process in Toronto, says the professor. One of the biggest reasons is amalgamation. In 1995, seven different municipal councils merged into one council, reducing the number of council seats from 106 to 45. This meant that fewer positions were available to potential candidates to run in. The size of the wards grew as well, which meant candidates needed to connect with more of their constituents, many whom may not share the same identity background as the candidate. Incumbents are also traditionally very difficult to defeat in a ward, unlike provincial and federal party candidates during elections. Lastly, it can take some time for newcomers to develop networks with their local communities to build support to mount a political campaign.

However, Siemiatycki says immigrants are recognizing they do want a voice in local politics - and communities are answering that call. A number of organizations such as the Maytree Foundation are committed to nurturing political leadership within newcomer communities through leadership mentoring programs. Communities are also getting more politically active and encouraging people to vote and create political awareness.

“More immigrant and diverse communities do want to have a say in politics. It would serve Toronto well for its profile of elected officials to better reflect the city’s official motto.”

The study Governing Immigrant City: Immigration Political Representation in Toronto, was published in the September issue of the journal American Behaviourial Scientist.

Another report by Siemiatycki, entitled The Diversity Gap: The Electoral Under-Representation of Visible Minorities, compared the regions of the GTA across all three elections (municipal, provincial and federal), and found that more visible minorities are elected in the outer cities than in the City of Toronto.

The research, completed on behalf of DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project, shows that while visible minorities comprise 40 percent of the GTA population, only 11 percent of those elected for office across all levels of government are visible minorities. To hold elected office in proportion to their share of the population in the GTA, four times as many visible minorities would need to be elected.

The DiverseCity report was funded by The Maytree Foundation and the Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance.