The Power of Being Involved

The recent municipal elections held on November 1, made headlines as one of the most controversial campaigns in recent history.
 As we are all aware, participation in municipal elections is historically quite low, and this one was no exception. However because of a series of political scandals that became public during the campaign, a lot more people became aware of some of the issues at hand, even if they themselves did not go out to vote. As a result, the present Mayor of Montreal was elected by a mere 14% of the eligible voters.
I made the decision to run for Mayor in Notre Dame de Grace/Cote des Neiges, despite the odds, because I wanted to make ``our`` presence felt in the political arena.   I chose to do so in a borough whose composition is made up a very large percentage of people from various cultural communities.  The present Borough Council still does not reflect the population it serves and I find this to be a travesty.   
In 2005, I accepted the presidency of Union Montreal, the political party of the current administration.  I wanted to be in the political milieu to learn more about the city, how it is managed and its platform.  I committed to this volunteer role, which I held for three years, so that that I would be better prepared to run in this past election. 
When I was approached to run for Borough Mayor under the banner of Vision Montreal, I accepted and set out to form an organizing committee in preparation for the campaign.  I was inspired by the many people who came forward, from all walks of life, to give their encouragement and to volunteer to help.  Their enthusiasm and dedication reinforced my belief that to offer oneself as a political servant is an honorable way to help people improve their everyday living conditions on all levels.
My winning or losing was never the only issue at hand.  No doubt I would have wanted to take my place at City Hall.  However, this commitment was about taking our place and making ourselves visible and viable in the civic arena.  Politics is not reserved for the chosen few but is part of our right as citizens and we must continue to make it known that we will be present at the decision making level now, and in the future.
 My involvement in this year’s municipal elections has been a most rewarding experience.  I did get 5, 686 votes and  I am proud of this achievement especially in light of the fact that there were so many adverse conditions to this campaign. 
On November 2, the day after the vote, I received numerous emails and phone calls thanking me and congratulating me on my courage to have stood up for democracy and to have enabled people to learn more about the political scene.  These calls and emails are still coming in.
I laud all of the politicians, especially those from minority communities who have taken their place at the various levels of government and hope that we can learn from their involvement.
This year, two first-time visible minority candidates, Franz Benjamin and Monica Ricourt were elected in their respective ridings.  As well, a veteran politician, Errol Johnson, once told me that he tried three times before winning his seat...and he has not looked back since, having just won again. He encouraged me to keep on trying as have many others.
Now it is up to others from the Black and other visible minority communities to get the experience they need and eventually take their place in City Hall or the National Assembly or the Canadian Parliament.
 One elected official recently declared that when he retires, his daughter will most likely take his place.  We too must support our daughters and sons, relatives, neighbors, friends to take our rightful place in the political halls of power.  We need to be in a position of governance and decision making so that we can play a primary role in the future of the community at large.  We must act as change agents and make our community one that responds to our needs in terms of all of the major issues such as employment, housing and basic quality of life.
  Yes, numbers are important and there are now five visible minorities elected out of 102. 
This is a real under-representation considering that Montreal is a large metropolis with 25% of its citizens belonging to the cultural communities sector.
But to change these numbers, the work must continue in our community. We must prepare ourselves for the future remembering that preparation for tomorrow begins today.