A recent study reveals that most Black Canadians involved in politics face significant discrimination and barriers when trying to engage in government. Erin Tolley, the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race, and Inclusive Politics and associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, authored Black on the Ballot: What Black Canadians Told Us About Running for and Serving in Elected Office.
Tolley’s research, which includes the first national survey of Black Canadians in politics alongside archival research, offers a comprehensive look at their inclusion in Canadian politics. “There really is not a lot of research on Black Canadians in politics,” Tolley noted, explaining that political scientists in Canada historically haven’t focused on race. “We tend to think of race as a concept more useful in the United States.”
One of the study’s key findings is the prevalence of negative experiences for Black Canadians entering politics. Of the 95 respondents to Tolley’s survey, 67 reported facing discrimination during their time running for office or while in office. More than half of them indicated that these discriminatory experiences occurred in public spaces or at their offices. These challenges, Tolley suggests, can have lasting effects on how long Black Canadians stay in politics.
