New Canadians press views

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 19

New Canadians press views

From

NICHOLAS HIRST

in Toronto

"Ethnic" Canadians are emerging as a political force in the race to succeed Pierre Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party. Some traditional party activists complain that the constituency organisations, which pick delegates for this month’s leadership convention. are being swamped. The usual image of Canada is of two founding-nations —• the French in Quebec and the British elsewhere. But changes caused by immigration over the past 30 years have radically altered this. Waves of immigrants from Eastern and

Southern Europe, Asia. South America, and the Caribbean now account for nearly a third of Canada's 25 million population. They outnumber the French Canadians by more than a million. At a Liberal meeting in a quiet Toronto suburb, to pick convention delegates, the proceedings were taken over by 700 Italian-speakers and turban-wearing Sikhs. In a

central Toronto constituency, Portuguese Canadians demanded an interpreter. Yet another meeting was dominated by Greek Canadians.

The influx is causing considerable resentment with some old

party members. They feel that the "ethnic” Canadians are being used as lobby-fodder, herded into meetings with little knowledge of the issues and their subscriptions paid en bloc, to further the ambitions of community leaders.

Certainly, the ethnic vote is going to be increasingly important. Studies by Multifax. a Montrealbased market research organisation, show that the communities are keeping their traditions and language into the second and third generations. It estimates that 36 per cent of Toronto's population has neither English nor French as its mother-tongue.

In the past, most of the "ethnic” vote has gone to the Liberals but, as the general election nears, the Progressive Conservative opposition is wooing its support, appealing particularly to small businessmen in the Chinese. Portuguese. Italian, and Greek communities. When the dust has settled, the "ethnics” are unlikely to be more than a small force at the Liberal convention, with perhaps 100 out oi the 2400 delegates. But they have put down a marker for the future Copyright — London Observer Service.