When all the votes for the federal election are cast and counted, at least two of the nine Black sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) won’t return to their seats in the House of Commons.
Liberals Emmanuel Dubourg and former Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, aren’t seeking re-election.
Ien described the last few months of her time in government as “satisfying yet bittersweet” as she wrapped up her ministerial duties and said goodbye to the people she’s worked with for almost 5 years. Ien expressed her appreciation for Justin Trudeau’s role in her transition from journalist to politician.
“I don’t think anybody would have come to get me the way he did. He saw me as someone who could lead in a different way and frankly, I didn’t see that in myself,” Ien recalled.
Ien said it took several phone calls with members of the party and months of contemplation before she decided to run for office.
“I don’t want to be a politician, I interview them,” she told Trudeau’s former chief of staff Katie Telford. “This is not anything I ever hoped to be.”
According to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by Carleton University in partnership with Operation Black Vote Canada, Black on the Ballot, Ien’s experience of needing to be convinced to run for office is common among Black people.
The study examines what running for and serving in elected office is like using archival research, a national survey, and in-depth interviews with Black candidates and legislators to get details about their experiences.
The study also lists recommendations to encourage more Black people to seek elected office, including adopting a multi-pronged recruitment strategy and providing accessible candidate training, especially at the local level.
