The underrepresentation of racialized Canadians: local level government in medium sized Canadian cities

This paper presents an analysis on the causes of underrepresentation of racialized minorities in local level politics. Analyzing the underrepresentation of racialized minorities in medium sized Canadian cities ranging from 90,000 to 250,000 residents; this paper includes an extensive literature review focusing on the lack of representative democracy and the barriers that racialized

candidates face. Multiple factors are considered to test whether the existing literature, based upon data from large cities, is applicable to less populated cities. Results point to several factors that are correlated with a higher proportion of racialized representation, including percent of

racialized population, electoral system, and age.

Keywords: Racialized minorities, municipal government, Canada, barriers, underrepresentation