Lily White Crowd

[TinMan]

Don't know how many noticed the Lily White crowd at the televised reception for Stephen Harper last night. It was quite a contrast to the multi-cultural makeup of the crowds gathered at both the Liberal and NDP receptions. For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male. If you're a visible minority does that say anything to you??? Where do you suppose the gay CP members were located in that room?

 

[Triple_R]

This is a non-issue. Newfoundland is a largely "Lily White" province - it doesn't make us racists.

I didn't know that gays were visible minorities...

 

[Jersay]

Don't know how many noticed the Lily White crowd at the televised reception for Stephen Harper last night. It was quite a contrast to the multi-cultural makeup of the crowds gathered at both the Liberal and NDP receptions. For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male. If you're a visible minority does that say anything to you??? Where do you suppose the gay CP members were located in that room?

What I think Tinman is saying is that this party would be against minorities and gay people.

By noting that ,about 20% of the population in Calgary is a minority but there didn't seem to be any ethnic people in the crowd, while there was in the other three party conventions.

 

[Ali Mahdi]

Was Rahim Jaffer there?

 

[Calberty]

For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male

for those of us who live in Calgary and DO know the city that's a LIE.

...or, you are an NDP supporter and as such can't do math.

 

[Lifestream]

I think there are probably other issues at work as well. Perhaps it is a general dislike for the Conservative Party? Could the media be somewhat to blame here? Villifying the Conservative party as "anti-progressive?" Maybe minorities in Calgary felt Harper didn't have a platform that took their needs into account?

Either way, as long as they took part in the democratic process, that's all I believe really matters.

 

[Triple_R]

Don't know how many noticed the Lily White crowd at the televised reception for Stephen Harper last night. It was quite a contrast to the multi-cultural makeup of the crowds gathered at both the Liberal and NDP receptions. For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male. If you're a visible minority does that say anything to you??? Where do you suppose the gay CP members were located in that room?

What I think Tinman is saying is that this party would be against minorities and gay people.

By noting that ,about 20% of the population in Calgary is a minority but there didn't seem to be any ethnic people in the crowd, while there was in the other three party conventions.

Please point out to me an actual Conservative policy that is against minorities. This fear-mongering over the make-up of a election victory crowd is silly. To use an analogy, golf is a sport dominated by white guys - are golfers racist, and/or against minorities? Is Mike Weir a racist?

I would argue that it's not that Conservatives are against minorities, but rather that many minority groups have been hoodwinked by the Liberals to think that the Conservatives are against them.

Obviously, conservatives have a personal dislike for SSM. Some of them want that dislike to impact on the law, some of them just ignore it as much as possible, and some of them push for a compromise. Most could care less if you're gay or not, as long as you don't expect them to compromise their own deeply held beliefs. I find most conservatives have a live, and let live, attitude. They just don't want to be coerced into embracing something that they consider, well, inappropriate or even sinful.

 

[Jersay]

for those of us who live in Calgary and DO know the city that's a LIE.

...or, you are an NDP supporter and as such can't do math.

You don't need to be a NDP supporter to know that.

The ones who run the oil companies and other places in Calgary are predominantly white. Maybe not 99% but the majority.

Also, were you at that rally to see who was in the crowd, because i had a hard time trying to find an ethnic minority person in the crowd.

And Ali Mahdi, I think Jaffe had his seat in Edmonton. I am unsure, if he would go down to Calgary for a campaign rally or not. Didn't see him.

 

[Jersay]

Please point out to me an actual Conservative policy that is against minorities. This fear-mongering over the make-up of a election victory crowd is silly. To use an analogy, golf is a sport dominated by white guys - are golfers racist, and/or against minorities? Is Mike Weir a racist?

I would argue that it's not that Conservatives are against minorities, but rather that many minority groups have been hoodwinked by the Liberals to think that the Conservatives are against them.

Obviously, conservatives have a personal dislike for SSM. Some of them want that dislike to impact on the law, some of them just ignore it as much as possible, and some of them push for a compromise. Most could care less if you're gay or not, as long as you don't expect them to compromise their own deeply held beliefs. I find most conservatives have a live, and let live, attitude. They just don't want to be coerced into embracing something that they consider, well, inappropriate or even sinful.

Unlike the Liberals, the Conservatives want to tighten up security, and I heard from some newspapers, plans for a Canadian kind of patriot act in Canada by the Conservatives.

And on your last paragraph, that is their own value. SSM is already a done deal. It can't be overturned so anyway you take it, radical conservative, or moderate, it can't be won.

Golf is for white guys, what about Vijay, or Tiger?

 

[sanch]

I didn't see that many visible minorities during Martin's speech. There was one woman beside him and there were 2 or 3 Sikhs in the background. It was a largely white crowd and fairly old as well. And Montreal is becoming more multicultural. It's a better city for it.

His appointment of Michaëlle Jean was a stroke of genious. I would like to see a minority woman as the next Prime Minister. I'm getting tired of these white guys. I thought Olivia Chow had good presence. Probably put too much pressure on her marriage.

 

[Triple_R]

Jersay - I meant the golf-playing population as a whole. Vijay, and Tiger, are, to a degree, aberations.

Canada having a policy similiar to the US' Patriot Act may be bad policy, but I don't see how it's anti-minority. It goes back to the old safety vs. liberty argument, which is a totally non-racial debate.

Those who want to eradicate SSM completely are unrealistic, yes. A terminology change is possible, however. That's what I meant by "compromise".

 

[Lifestream]

I really don't think a so called "Patriot Act" would pass in the house of commons in a minority government, let alone in the 15-36 months it will probably be in power.

As for immigration laws, why not tighten things up a little? There is such thing as progression and then there is such thing as progression to the point where freedom of the individual undermines security. I'm not saying immigrants are to be feared at all. At the same time, a little extra security probably wouldn't hurt the majority of people emigrating to this country.

 

[Jersay]

As for immigration laws, why not tighten things up a little? There is such thing as progression and then there is such thing as progression to the point where freedom of the individual undermines security. I'm not saying immigrants are to be feared at all. At the same time, a little extra security probably wouldn't hurt the majority of people emigrating to this country.

I totally agree to a tightening up of security checks on people.

However, when we have shortages of workers, and the 'native', now I am not using aboriginal in this, population is not going into the field, you will need foreigners to fill in the gaps.

Also, it has been noted that without immigration, Canada would be losing population steadily.

So, I think the immigration level should stay the same, or go up, but with more vigorous checks.

 

[Lifestream]

Constant growth isn't necessarily always a good thing keep in mind. Personally I think we should recognize foreign credentials in certain fields. My old girlfriend had Croatian born parents and her father was a geologist of somekind back home, but he was forced into a live of menial labour because his credentials weren't recognized.
I have a feeling more than a few immigrants are being sold out on the "we need a stronger labour workforce" argument.
Don't worry, drop-out rates are the highest in ten years, I'm sure we'll find something for them to do

 

[Colpy]

Geez I get fed up with this crap.

All I have to say is this:

In the last Parliament, the Conservative Party of Canada had the MOST ethnically diverse caucus in the House.

Read that again, lefties. We made the NDP look like the KKK.

We had the youngest caucus as well.

Time to quit fear-mongering. It didn't work.

Deal with it.

 

[nomore]

Don't know how many noticed the Lily White crowd at the televised reception for Stephen Harper last night. It was quite a contrast to the multi-cultural makeup of the crowds gathered at both the Liberal and NDP receptions. For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male. If you're a visible minority does that say anything to you??? Where do you suppose the gay CP members were located in that room?

TinMan, did you know that 78.5674233% of all statistics are made-up?

Colply is right. Cons have the youngest and most diverse caucus in the house.
This liberal fear mongering is so rediculous, since it is almost never based on reality.

 

[Jay]

The racists are the ones who sit around and count how many coloured folk there are in a crowd.

 

[Curiosity]

Tinman

I guess in your zeal to make a negative statement which seems to be important to you......you don't "get" that your title and commentary are racist in themselves???

It works both ways my friend.

As one enlightened poster wrote to me: Tough Beans lol (I love it)

 

[poligeek]

As much as I'm not a huge conservative fan, I don't think that the conservative crowd was any more or less white than the other parties. One of the embarrasing problems of Canadian politics is how white and how male it is.... in general.

 

[sanch]

Re: RE: Lily White Crowd

The racists are the ones who sit around and count how many coloured folk there are in a crowd.

Not certain if you were serious here so I won’t be too sharp. We live in a multicultural and racially diverse world. This is true in Canada and in the US. I travel a great deal and I notice immediately what the level of ethnic and phenotypic representation is in any setting. My children go to a racially diverse school. I could have sent them to a lily white liberal private school. I just want to make this last point because even in areas where the democrats dominate in the US there are still very segregated zones where colour and class converge. Liberals are not necessarily synonymous with enlightened multicultural policies. They have the rhetoric down but here demarcating the difference between theory and practise is important.

So my observations and comments about a liberal gathering are based on my interest in testing whether the party is truly multicultural and racially diverse or is using patronage to ensure there is some level of politically correct representation. I intend to move back to Canada with my family in the near future and I want to live in the former and help fight the latter. Comprendes