Racism on the campaign trail, white supremacists in Niagara among topics candidates take on in survey response

Racism on the campaign trail, white supremacists in Niagara among topics candidates take on in survey response

'If you cannot call out racism, you are not qualified': Anti-racism association member

Dealing with white supremacist groups, racism on the campaign trail, the use of force by police against Black people and the debate over removing statues of historical figures tied to racist policies in their day were among topics candidates in Niagara were asked to consider as part of a new survey on their views on race-related issues.

Just over a tenth of the candidates running for town and city council seats in Niagara responded to the survey from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, which reached out to every municipal election candidate including school board trustee candidates looking for their views on five key race-related topics

In its first-ever such survey of candidates, the association reached out to about 267 town and city council candidates, plus those running for school boards. Of the council candidates, 27 responded to the survey by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Including trustee candidates, who were asked the same questions plus whether they favour school boards publishing race data related to suspensions, that response total rose to 35.

Saleh Waziruddin, a member of the association's executive committee, said committee members were of two minds on the scope of the response.

"For me, I was frankly expecting at best 10 per cent and we exceeded that," he told CBC News. "Other members were disappointed in the low number of responses. Some candidates who say they are anti-racist didn't respond."

Responses came from 10 of the 12 cities and towns.

But Waziruddin said he hopes the survey and the responses spark discussion on a topic rarely spoken about in council chambers in Niagara - something he attributed the response rate to.

"There's a reluctance to talk about this," he said. "We want to make sure it's talked about."

Candidates were asked their views on:

The association said 22 candidates condemned Gale's ownership of Mein Kampf.

Angie Desmarais, a councillor candidate in Port Colborne, said she couldn't support the word 'condemnation' without a full investigation. "Having said that, I believe it is absolutely despicable for an individual to own Nazi memorabilia under any circumstances," she said in her survey response posted on the anti-racism association website.

The association said 16 candidates condemned the police force's use of force against Black people.

Stephanie Sabourin, the police service's manager of corporate communications, said in an earlier statement to CBC News that it can be misleading to compare use-of-force data with population, noting that doesn't capture factors such as behaviour encountered, the presence or perceived presence of weapons, threats to the safety of police officers and the public, and steps taken by officers to de-escalate situations.

Sabourin said police Chief Bill Fordy has acknowledged that "systemic barriers exist" within policing and with Niagara police, and acknowledging that is an important part of addressing them.

Cleansing history not the answer: candidate

Larry Rosnuk, one of five candidates for mayor of Port Colborne, said he is against all forms of racism and discrimination but said he's opposed to toppling statues of notable people from the past deemed to have supported racist policies in their day. He equated tearing those statues down to burning books.

"The cleansing of history will condemn us to make the same mistakes again," he said in his survey response.

Two councillor candidates in Niagara Falls said municipal officials should respond when white supremacist groups post hateful material on public property, but cautioned against amplifying those hate messages by those responses.

Thorold council candidate Gurinder Kaur, who came to Canada as an international student, described some of her experience on the campaign trail.

"During this campaign, I have personally experienced comments that focus on my skin colour, name and where I came from rather than my ideas or what I can contribute to Thorold," she said in her survey response. "I keep my head high and continue encouraging people to look beyond the colour of someone's skin and judge them by their character, work and contribution to the community."

Kevin Grebe, a councillor candidate for Pelham, said the white supremacist movement must be faced head on.

"It’s got to be condemned…by people like me who’ve grown up with white privilege," he said. "We may not have authored white supremacy but it’s our duty to clean it up and call it out."

The anti-racism association noted eight school board trustee candidates including five incumbents committed to publishing suspension rates by race. "Without this data, we cannot identify systemic disparities or work towards tangible solutions," said association member Suhail Panjwani of Niagara Falls.

Association member Rosemarie Hall of Niagara-on-the-Lake said elected officials have a responsibility to call out racism.

Anti-racism association surveys Niagara candidates on race-related topics ahead of Ontario municipal vote

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"If you cannot call out racism, you are not qualified," she said.

Paul Forsyth is a St. Catharines-based CBC reporter covering communities in the Niagara Region. He has decades of reporting experience in Niagara, having worked for Niagara This Week, the St. Catharines Standard and the Welland Tribune before joining CBC. You can reach him at paul.forsyth@cbc.ca.