By Lincoln DePradine

It’s usual to have large indoor gatherings in Toronto of people of African descent. However, last Saturday’s get-together – at the Waterfront Campus of George Brown College (GBC) – impressed college president Dr Gervan Fearon.

“Only more recently, could we fill a room with people like you,’’ Fearon remarked to the group of specially invited guests.

It was a reception organized by Operation Black Vote Canada (OBVC) to “celebrate all Black candidates who ran in the October 24 municipal election’’.

The GBC attendees included municipal winners and losers. Also present were candidates in Ontario’s provincial elections of June 2; and others who participated in last September’s national federal poll that was won by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party.

Trudeau’s one-time parliamentary secretary, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, who served as MP for Whitby, also was among former politicians present.

“There was a record number of Black candidates running for mayors, city councillors and trustees; and a record number won,’’ OBVC chair Velma Morgan told The Caribbean Camera.

“Now, we’re seeing four Black councillors in the City of Toronto. We have five Black trustees at Toronto District School Board. So, we felt it was important to celebrate our wins.’’

Morgan thanked reelected Toronto councillor Michael Thompson for his suggestion at a “Municipal Boot Camp’’ that helped prepare candidates to participate in elections.

“He has a passion for helping others,’’ Morgan said, referring to Thompson.

Thompson, who was present on Saturday, thanked all candidates, saying he was “excited to be joined by some amazing talent’’ on Toronto City Council.

“If we’re not at the table, we cannot effect the change we need,’’ Thompson said.

“We need to use the system we pay for, to help us to succeed,’’ he added. “What we need to do, as a community, we need to open the door of opportunity for others. Remember, politics is about numbers.’’

As elected officials, “your representation matters’’, Fearon told the winners. He said he expects they’ll be “outstanding representatives of the community’’, and will showcase “the best of Canada and the best of all of us’’.

OBVC, which was established in 2004, is a non-profit, multi-partisan organization advocating and supporting African-Canadian involvement at all levels of politics.

Its mission, it says, is to “simplify and demystify the path to public office and civic engagement’’.

Morgan said she’s “extremely optimistic’’ about the work of OBVC.

“Our goal is to try to get more people in the next round, get them prepared to put their names on the ballot, so we could have more elected representatives. We think it’s a good start but we need to have more representation at the different city councils. We have 444 municipalities; we want to see at least one or two at every single municipality across Ontario,’’ she said.

“We are actually going to be starting a mentoring for those who want to run, so they understand what it takes to be elected and how to run campaigns.’’

OBVC engagement, said Morgan, will also be done for provincial and federal elections, where the selection of candidates is determined by political parties.

“We would continue to speak to the political parties to ensure that they run more Black candidates in winnable ridings,’’ she said.

LJI Reporter