Opinion | A bitter lesson in Canadian democracy
By Philip Yeung, university teacher
PKY480@gmail.com
"Go back to your country!" These words are poison to an immigrant. A vile white woman shouted at a long-time Chinese-Canadian resident to "Go back to Hong Kong", calling him unCanadian for rejecting the proposed injection site for drug addicts in Richmond—a topic that has dominated kitchen tables in local Canadian Chinese households.
She forgot that Canada is a multicultural society; her racist rejection disqualifies her as a Canadian. She behaves as if her values are absolute. The multicultural label is but a slogan. She has no hesitation trampling the legitimate rights of ethnic voters.
The poor man was insulted merely for exercising his democratic rights to voice his views. Freedom of expression is just an empty expression. Civilization is just a veneer. Multiculturalism is just window-dressing.
The white woman is a symptom of the cancer that is eating Canada. Mayor Malcolm Brodie promised to make Richmond a safe community. But it was the last thing on his mind when he presided over this council meeting. The outcome was a foregone conclusion. Council wasn't there to listen. Brodie sternly ordered the Chinese protestors to stop their "carnival" in the solemn council chamber. He saw them as trouble-makers. Brodie didn't behave like a humble elected official. He swaggered as a political master. If this is democracy in action, Canada is in trouble.
He forgot that nearly 60% of the Richmond population are ethnic Chinese. Democracy's article of faith in going with the majority meant nothing to him. Chinese voters might as well be part of the wallpaper. The mayor and his councilors, accustomed to Chinese passivity, were rattled by the sudden vocal protests.
Trudeau and his ilk believe in compassionate treatment of drug addicts. Drug-taking is decriminalized, with opioids now dispensed free to addicts. But the numbers tell a different story: In 2023, 2511 addicts died from overdose in British Columbia alone, 26 of them in Richmond. His misguided policy has not saved lives.
Drug addicts, by definition, are people who have given up on life. Their drugs and the treatments are paid for by taxpayers. Each year, higher taxes are slapped on the overburdened property owners. But councilors never bother to balance the rights of taxpayers against those of addicts.
Injection sites are not children's playground.
With only 1% of BC's drug-related deaths in Richmond, its residents are anxious to keep their city safe for their children to grow up in. The law-abiding Chinese residents have kept Richmond safe. But they got no respect from the mayor and his council.
Call me a cynic. Richmond is picked as the location for an injection site for the same reason that Vancouver Chinatown has been turned into a stinking drug-users' colony. Both are predominantly Chinese who seldom put up a fight. Local politicians considered it a done deal.
The Chinese are apolitical. In Chinese-dominant Richmond, ridiculously, only two out of nine city councilors are of Chinese ancestry. Brodie has been part of Richmond politics since 1996, and in charge as mayor since 2001. He is getting too comfortable with his political tenancy. He does not fear apathetic Chinese voters. Running Richmond has been a plum job.
The Chinese love life, even if the odds are stacked against them. They believe in self-sufficiency. Drug users, by contrast, are defined by their dependency. Busy-bee Chinese immigrants don't see eye to eye with either addicts or pampering liberals.
Despite the noisy protest, Council passed the proposal 7-2. Its arrogance was on full display. When a Chinese woman handed in her protest file, a council member slapped her with a folder----the first time a Canadian politician publicly assaulted a voter with impunity. He faced no consequences, legal or political, for his thuggish behavior. To councilors the Chinese are pushovers and second-class citizens. The Chinese are politically impotent in their own community.
Thankfully, the fuss finally reached the premier's office, where the proposal was promptly killed. But this is a bittersweet victory.
The Richmond saga holds key lessons for all Chinese-Canadians.
First, you ignore politics at your own peril. In government, the squeaky wheel always gets the grease. Make your vote count.
Don't ever kowtow to bullies. Vote the arrogant political players out at the ballot box. Remember, you pay their salaries. Don't ever forget the councilors who ignored and disrespected you. Punish them at the next election. Make them fear the Chinese vote.
Second, Chinese immigrants should learn from their Indian counterparts, one of whom became British Prime Minister. Nikki Haley, a US-born Indian is now the lone challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. In Trudeau's past two cabinets, no fewer than seven ministers are of Indian descent. Mary Ng is the lone Chinese-Canadian in the cabinet, despite the Chinese being a bigger ethnic minority in Canada. In business, Indians populate the C- suites of Fortune 500 companies. The unassertive Chinese can only play second fiddle.
Richmond has exposed the deadly Chinese weakness: they are politically disorganized. In matters of common interests, vote as a bloc, not along party lines. Politics is where power resides. Thousands of Chinese laborers toiled and hundreds died in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. They should shame us into writing a new chapter in the Year of the Dragon. Time to apprentice ourselves as political players, one voter at a time.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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