Does Mississauga city council represent the diversity of the city it governs?
Posted November 2, 2022 11:12 am.
Last Updated November 2, 2022 11:16 am.
More than half of Mississauga’s residents identify as people of colour and yet, just three non-white candidates were elected to council for the new term on Oct. 24.
The municipal election results are putting renewed attention on the gap in representation at a City Hall far less diverse than the actual city it leads.
Imran Hasan has run for a council seat in Mississauga’s Ward 11 in the last three elections, but lost his latest bid this year. Hasan said what’s motivated him to keep campaigning for public office is the conversations he has in the community. He recalls one conversation he had while knocking on doors with a seniors’ group eager to tell him about having no place to sit at their neighbourhood park.
“The conversation I had was actually in Hindi, so I was able to understand what the seniors were saying to me.”
Alvin Tedjo and Martin Reid have become only the second and third non-white councillors elected to the city’s 12-member council after incumbent Dipika Damerla won her ward.
“I think that’s a good step. Mississauga is so diverse and has been for a really long time and that’s never really been reflected on its city council,” Tedjo told CityNews. “I’m really excited to be one of those members now.”
Mississauga has never had a non-white mayor and until Damerla’s election in 2018, just one other person of colour has ever sat on council.
But Tedjo noted having diversity on council is not just about race and gender, it’s about a diversity of opinions, life experiences and ages.
When asked why she thinks it’s so hard for diverse candidates to be elected in Mississauga, Mayor Bonnie Crombie pointed to incumbency advantage.
“Our incumbents have done an incredible job representing their residents,” she told CityNews on election night. “But I think the individuals who are leading in the open seats will bring more diversity to our council which makes me very proud.”
Hasan’s respective race was one of three without an incumbent. He lost to former MP Brad Butt by just over 1,500 votes.
Tedjo and Reid found success in the other two open races in Ward 2 and Ward 9.
The only incumbent to be given the boot by voters was Ron Starr, who allegedly harassed and keyed the car of a former colleague.
“In municipal politics, it’s very difficult to beat any incumbent regardless of their background or history, which is why I think in the open races you did see new Canadians, a lot of children of immigrants, diverse candidates running,” Tedjo said.
But Hasan noted retiring incumbents still influence the outcome.
“In the three wards that were open that we have seen new councillors elected, they were endorsed by the incumbent,” he said.
Hasan told CityNews he’d consider running again. He thinks back to the seniors and their request for separate park benches for women and men, a cultural practice some at City Hall may not understand.
“I think it’s only through that diversity and that inclusivity that we can really feel like everyone’s voice is being heard.”
