Vancouver and Surrey might soon have a person of colour as mayor for the first time

Two of the most diverse cities in Metro Vancouver have never had a person of colour for mayor.

That could change this time around with candidates like Jinny Sims, Sukh Dhaliwal, and Ken Sim. 

While it could be a historic moment for Surrey or Vancouver, two of the most diverse cities in Canada, the candidates say they're not ready to be defined in that way. 

If successful, Sims, an NDP MLA and former MP, would become the first female and South Asian mayor of Surrey, whose BIPOC population sits at around 58 per cent, with at least a third of the total population being South Asian. 

Sims says her focus is on bringing people together rather than dividing them along racial lines. 

"I'm going to be a mayor for everyone in Surrey, no matter your nationality, your religion, your ethnicity."

Ken Sim, who lost the Vancouver mayoral race by 957 votes in 2018, can make history by becoming its first Chinese Canadian mayor.

While Sim says he is proud of his Chinese heritage, that's not where his focus is.

"I really look at it as being the mayor of Vancouver. I don't look at it as being a mayor of Chinese descent."

Sukh Dhaliwal, a five-term federal Liberal MP,  says his campaign is not about becoming Surrey's first South Asian mayor either; it's about the political experience and credentials he brings to the office. 

"I belong to the Sikh community, South Asian heritage, but at the same time, I can tell you, I'm as mainstream as anyone else."

Systemic hurdles

About 12 per cent of the mayors and councillors in the Lower Mainland are people of colour, according to 2016 census data, while people of colour represent 49 per cent of the region's total population. 

Simran Singh, the managing editor of the Burnaby Beacon news outlet, says that not having a limit on the number of times a councillor can seek re-election hampers new candidates from changing the political makeup. 

"It kind of feels like ... a club, and you have to have some previous experience with the city to be involved," he said. 

Stewart Prest, a political scientist at Quest University in Squamish, says incumbents have the upper hand when it comes to getting re-elected. 

"People can look at the ballot and say, 'Oh yeah, I've heard of that person '... On top of that, they may have established networks, established fundraising strategies and donors that they can count on election after election. They don't have to start all of that from scratch."

Prest says not having a ward system adds another layer of complexity for those who don't have the resources or time to delve into specific platforms and promises. 

"Investigating 10 total parties municipally ... that's a high information barrier."

Singh says cities aren't making it easier for residents to engage and participate in local politics. 

"There's seems to also be a lack of engagement on the cities' part ... so if the cities aren't doing enough to engage residents, you're going to see a lack of people wanting to even show up to vote and then trickle that down to the people who want to be involved."