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"Immigrants, once a bedrock of support for the Liberals, no longer automatically vote for the party, loosening an allegiance that dates back to the Trudeau era," Marina Jiménez wrote in her article in today's Globe and Mail Immigrants' loyalty to Liberals waning
"Fifty-eight per cent of visible-minority newcomers supported the Liberals in the 2006 federal election, down from 71 per cent in 2000, according to an analysis of the Canadian Election Study, a survey of voting behaviour undertaken by academics.
"Pollsters, researchers and politicians predict the dramatic 13-point drop in Liberal vote share among visible minorities will continue on Oct. 14.
"For years, the Liberals have counted on their 'brand' as a pro-immigrant party.
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"Newcomers who arrived under the Liberal governments of the 1960s, 70s and 80s remained loyal, as the party reaped the benefit of being the point of first contact.
"It was the Liberals who introduced multiculturalism and the point system in 1967, selecting immigrants based on skills and education instead of ethnic background.
"It wasn't until 2007, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed MP Jason Kenney as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism, that the Conservatives launched their own version of "building guan xi" (relationships) with immigrant communities."
How will this shift play out this time? Will the immigrant vote help bring Mr. Harper into majority territory?
Ms. Jiménez will be joining us today from 4-5 p.m. ET to discuss immigration, politics and the election.
Join the Conversation at that time or submit a question in advance.
Your questions and Ms. Jiménez's answers will appear at the bottom of this page when the discussion begins.
Marina Jiménez won a National Newspaper Award in 2003 for beat reporting (immigration) and was one of three finalists in 2004 for the same award.
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Matt Frehner, Globeandmail.com: Thanks, Marina, for joining us today. Let's get started. First, do you think the fact that the Conservatives are fielding more candidates who are visible minorities is helping to boost their support among immigrant communities?
Marina Jiménez: I do. While visible-minority candidates don't necessarily represent the views or interests of all new Canadians - who are not a monolithic group in any event - the fact that they're running at all speaks to the issue of access to the political system. Immigrants want to feel they can become involved in the electoral process and when they see candidates of all backgrounds running for office, the door is symbolically opened for them as well.
The only other factor that is important to note is what constituencies visible minority candidates are running in. If they are only running in ridings in Mississauga and Brampton, which are heavily ethnic, then there is the danger of ghettoizing immigrant communities. The message here could be that they are still excluded from central Toronto or central Vancouver ridings where the "natural" candidates are white.
Vance Sinats from Victoria Canada writes: I recall reading that environmental issues get more support among "white" voters. Is that your understanding as well? How well is Stephane Dion's Green shift playing among immigrant communities?
Marina Jiménez: I spoke with a former Vancouver city councillor who is of Chinese origin. He told me that Stephane Dion's environmental initiatives, in fact, are not very popular among the Chinese community, based on their feedback on radio call-in shows, and political meetings and panels.
Property crime and safety are important issues to the Chinese community, while access to the local labour market and foreign credentials are important to all newcomers. Perhaps as people get on more solid ground economically, they can turn their attention to environmental issues.
I imagine these differences are more pronounced with newcomers born outside the country who just arrived here, versus those who have been here for 25 years, or for second-generation immigrants.
Vivaldo Latoche from Ottawa Canada writes: I think that the Liberal immigration policy of the past was designed mainly to patronize immigrants rather than making them feel Canadians. This is why today's immigrants do not longer feel they have to support only the Liberal Party. In addition, immigrant families were subject to pay $900.00 upon their arrival in Canada. Was it a welcome policy? I don't think so.
Next came the proposal of the Conservative Party, under the leadership of Stephen Harper, in the 2006 federal elections. It was to reduce such a welcome policy to $500.00, which was implemented when Harper won the election of 2006.
These two factors were the culmination that made immigrants' political perception to change their attitude towards the Liberal Party. This is why we see an immigrant political diversification today.
Ms. Jiménez, would you agree with this observation?
