Representing pluralistic constituencies.

• Author: Shory, Devinder
• Position: Devinder Shory - Speech

Canada is a large, diverse nation with regions that possess a variety of ethnic and cultural identities. The presence of this peaceful mosaic is one of the cornerstones that makes Canada unique. This article looks at the particular challenge of representing diverse cultural communities.

**********

Whether you were born here, or came as a new immigrant, Canada opens her arms to those who are willing to work hard and play by the rules.

In my home city of Calgary, Alberta, we are no different. With a population of just over 1 Million, Calgary holds an ethnic minority base of over 237,000. One only has to drive through my riding of Calgary Northeast to recognize that many of these groups fall within my constituency limits. I am one of these visible minorities.

According to Statistics Canada in 2006, 11.1% of the people in Calgary Northeast identified Punjabi as the number one language spoken in their household. 22.6% identified themselves as South Asian, 6% as Chinese, 4.9% as Filipino, 3.3% as Southeast Asian and 2.6% as Latin American. In fact, 48.5% of constituents in Calgary Northeast identify themselves as visible minorities, and 37% are immigrants to Canada.

While I have only been a Member of Parliament since the most recent General Election in 2008, with a riding as diverse as mine, I hope to be able to provide some perspective from what I have experienced in the last two years and present a few themes to promote discussion.

While it is certainly not always the case, there is at least one thing that all politicians do agree on. Regardless of our political stripes or individual roles within our respective parties, we all have an ultimate obligation to our constituencies; the duty to represent the interests, attitudes and beliefs of those who granted us the privilege of holding their trust in public office. Whether in Government or Opposition, we all have a duty to be the voice for our constituents in Parliament.

Firstly, it must be recognized that there is no absolute or concrete answer on how to represent a constituency that holds a variety of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Every constituency has a different ethnic make-up, collection of beliefs and attitudes, and varying needs and interests. To be accurate, there is no 'one size fits all' approach. We must do the best we can based on our good judgment.

For the purpose of providing ideas for discussion, I will focus on two main themes that I feel are at the heart of...