New research is highlighting harassment and a lack of financial resources as two common barriers for diverse candidates in Ontario municipal politics.
Titled Mapping the Experiences of Diverse Candidates Running for Municipal Office in Ontario, the project was commissioned by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and released during their annual conference in Ottawa earlier this month.
Its results were compiled from a mix of approaches, including interviews, survey responses and focus groups. There were a total of 118 participants.
The project focused on diverse people — including those from 2SLGBTQ+, racialized, low-income and non-Christian backgrounds — who were running for office, contemplating a run or had already been elected.
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Rawlson King, a Ottawa city councillor and member of AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project advisory board said the project was “refreshing.”
“This was qualitative. It actually looked at the lived experiences of different candidates who ran. And it was trying to ascertain what were the advantages [and] disadvantages, what were the benefits of running,” he told CBC’s Ottawa Morning last week.
“It’s a very powerful piece of research.”
Campaigns ‘not cheap’
According to the project, financial barriers were the “largest” obstacle — including the “personal financial impact of running for office and the reality that the salary for their elected office was not financially viable.”
“Campaigns are not cheap. They’re expensive and you have to commit a lot of personal funds,” said Cornwall, Ont., Mayor Justin Towndale, whose parents immigrated to Canada from India.
“Typically what you see is if someone spends more money, they are typically more successful. It’s not universal, but you do tend to see that — because when you spend more money, you have a greater reach.”
The report also highlighted the mental toll of discrimination, bullying and harassment — both in person and online.
Those issues were “front and centre” for those who were interviewed and participated in focus groups, the study said.
“While all candidates may experience some amount of bullying and harassment along their political journey, it appears that issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and ability significantly amplify the volume and intensity,” the research said.
‘A very lonely place’
While overdue, the research is a step in the right direction, said Sen. Bernadette Clement, who serves on the advisory board with King and was mayor of Cornwall from 2018 until 2021.
“I would have loved to have had access to this kind of research back when I started my political career in 2006,” she said.
“I was the first Black woman mayor in Ontario. That’s great, but it is also a very lonely place.”
While it’s good to see this type of research done in a municipal context, Towndale said it’s just a start.
“I think when I was looking at how many responses were received, it seemed relatively low,” he said, adding that he’d like to see another survey done with a wider variety of participants.
While he was unable to take part himself in the study due to timing, Towndale said he’d jump at another opportunity.
Despite these barriers, study subjects shared a variety of motivations — including a desire to increase representation in their local governments and to change local legislation to better support their communities.
AMO said it plans to use its findings to inform ways of helping diverse candidates and increasing diversity in municipal politics.