Examining Barriers to Municipal Underrepresentation of South Asians in Peel Region

One’s ability to represent the community with which they identify is often determined along racialized lines, where the political exclusion of certain groups causes underrepresentation of racialized minority groups in politics. This study will be examining the particular case of South Asians in Peel Region, where there is significant representation of South Asians at the federal and provincial level, but virtually none at the municipal level. This study will utilize a social inclusion framework to uncover the barriers in place restricting South Asian representation in politics at the municipal level and the steps that can be taken to mitigate these barriers to promote more diverse representation for all individuals in the political sphere.