Race, Ethnicity, Indigenous Peoples and Politics

L19(b) - Race, Religion and Political Participation in Canada

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location:

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Prof-Collins Ifeonu (Simon Frasier University)

Examining the effects of anti-Asian racism on political party support among Asian Canadians: Evidence from COVID-19: Victoria Tan (University of Oxford), Aaron Reeves (London School of Economics and Political Science)
Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic on political party support among Asian Canadians. Drawing on theories of social exclusion and linked fate, I contend that periods of widespread discrimination can induce changes in political party support, mostly among the specific group targeted (i.e., Chinese in the case of COVID-19), given how they view different parties as being complicit in this exclusion. Using data from the Canadian Election Study (2015, 2019, 2021) in a series of difference-in-differences models, I find that Conservative Party support declined the most among Chinese respondents from the pre-2021 to 2021 federal elections, while Liberal and NDP support increased. Empirically, the finding that this exclusion impacts vote choice for Asian communities on a national scale is novel, given the tendency in Canadian scholarship to sideline issues of race/racism in politics, which has been previously criticized but not yet intervened on in this way. This is especially true for Asian communities whose experiences of racism are often minimized by dominant discourse that poses them as “model minorities”. Additionally, I do not find similar trends in changes in political party support among other Asian ethnic groups, despite their shared vulnerability to discrimination during this period, which suggests that the politically-mobilizing effects of pan-ethnic/Asian linked fate may be limited in Canada. Conceptually, these findings problematize assumptions that people who apparently belong in the same racial category (e.g., as “Asians”) would inherently share similar politics.

Black Politicians at the Provincial Level: An Examination of the Profiles and Conditions Contributing to Their Electoral Success: Tracy-Ann Johnson-Myers (Queen's University)
Abstract: Past work has suggested that Black candidates in federal elections in Canada continue to face critical challenges in their efforts to win elected office (Johnson-Myers and Everitt forthcoming). The result is that despite an all-time high of 70 Black candidates who ran in the 2021 federal election, only 8 won elected office, representing 2.4 percent of the seats in the House of Commons. Similar, albeit slightly higher, rates of representation occur in provincial legislative assemblies since, as of spring 2022, Black Canadians occupy only 21 (2.7 percent) of the combined 768 seats. This paper explores in more detail the background and experiences of the 21 Black politicians currently sitting in provincial legislative assemblies to determine the degree to which their profiles reflect those of successful federal Black politicians. In doing so, we consider factors such as the parties for which they run, the province in which they hold office, the demographic contours of their constituencies (i.e. urban/rural), or the percentage of Black voters), their profiles and political experience, whether they were elected in party strongholds or not, and whether they were immigrants or native-born Canadians. The results will contribute to a growing body of literature examining the experiences and backgrounds of racialized individuals in Canada who hold political office and the potential challenges they may face seeking to do so.

The Impact of Discrimination on Racialized Canadian Political Engagement: Grace Miura-Wong (Carleton University), Stephen White (Carleton University)
Abstract: Once a source of national pride, the promise of multiculturalism is now in serious conflict with the everyday realities of racialized Canadians. Anti-Asian racism is not new – but it has resurfaced as a significant and politically salient issue demonstrated by the marked rise of discriminatory rhetoric and anti-immigrant attitudes plaguing the community. We know little about the effects this increase in discrimination has on the political attitudes of overlooked minority communities, such as Asian Canadians. While some scholarship suggests that discrimination discourages voters by weakening their relationship with political institutions, other research demonstrates that discrimination can actually mobilize voters to take action. Prior research that does examine this nexus predominantly focuses on Black and Latino voters in the United States. As such, through analyzing quantitative survey data and conducting qualitative focus groups, this mixed methods project seeks to explore the following question by researching the understudied community of South Asian and Chinese Canadians in Vancouver: what is the link between discrimination and political attitudes? Given the differences in rates of political participation between South Asians and Chinese Canadians, this project hypothesizes that there is a strong relationship between the prevalence of discriminatory experience, the connection an individual feels with their in-group, and the degree to which they politically engage. As this community continues to grow, especially in urban centers, so too does the broad significance of meaningful research on diversity, community, and belonging, for academics, policy makers, and ordinary Canadians alike.

Religious Institutions and Political Mobilization: The Role of Sikh Gurdwaras in Canadian Elections: Rupinder Liddar (McGill University)
Abstract: In the broader discourse of ethnic minority political behaviour, the role of religious networks has become increasingly important in understanding how political candidates are mobilized. This paper investigates the drivers of political participation within the Sikh diaspora in Canada by analyzing the distribution of Sikh candidates through Elections Canada data and conducting original interviews with incumbent Sikh politicians at both federal and provincial levels. By focusing on how Sikh gurdwaras or places of Sikh religious worship act as hubs for political engagement and mobilization, this study explores the unique role of religious institutions in shaping political ambition and candidacy within the Sikh community. This work reveals that Sikh candidates are more likely than other South Asian-Canadians to contest nominations for all major political parties in urban and South Asian ethnocultural ridings. The interviews shed light on how political parties can strategically engage religious networks during election periods, identifying gurdwaras as key spaces for political outreach. Overall, this paper demonstrates that gurdwaras play a crucial role in understanding Sikh political participation and electoral success in Canadian politics.