Candidates cite prejudice, the struggle to overcome incumbents as barriers to success.
BY SHAWN JEFFORDS
Imran Hasan says his run for municipal council is a way to provide newcomers with something his father didn’t have when he arrived in Canada in 1973 — someone who looked like him in politics.
But Hasan is the first to say his bid to join Mississauga city council has been a challenge at every turn. The council for the city west of Toronto has only one member from an ethnic community even though more than half of its population is non-white.
Prior to 2018, it had no diverse members.
Hasan says political representation is important because for newcomers, seeing people from their communities can have an influence on governments. Without it, people feel excluded, he said.
“When my father came to Canada, he didn’t have any role models, he didn’t have anyone who could help him navigate the system, Hasan told CBC Toronto.
“He didn’t have anybody who could explain to him the different levels of government, let alone the services that each level of government provided,” he added.
Imran Hasan
