Abstract:
Chinese--Canada; Immigrants--Social conditions; Elections Canada
Subjects:
Chinese--Canada; Immigrants--Social conditions; Elections Canada
Subjects Facet:
Chinese--Canada; Immigrants--Social conditions; Elections Canada
Creator:
[No author identified]
Date:
2000-11-17
Date searchable:
2000-11-17
Date searchable:
2000-11-17
Genre:
articles
Genre Facet:
articles
Format:
image/tiff
Language:
Chinese
Language Facet:
Chinese
Relation:
Article from: World Journal（世界日報）
Rights:
Contact UVic Archives for access to the original resource and for reproduction requests (fee for reproductions).This material is made available on this site for research and private study only.
Title-Alternative:
Chinese Canadians Participate in Politics and Expect the Harvest Season
Description-Abstract:
Keywords: Leung, Sophia; Chan, Raymond; Loh, Mason; Liang Chen, Xiaoping; Wong, Alice; Huang, Yuwen; Huang, Jianwen; Chretien, Jean; Mark, Inky
Location(s):
British Columbia--Vancouver; British Columbia--Richmond; British Columbia--Burnaby; China; Taiwan; Hong Kong
Location(s) Facet:
British Columbia--Vancouver; British Columbia--Richmond; British Columbia--Burnaby; China; Taiwan; Hong Kong
Transcript:
華裔參政 期待豐收季來臨
大溫共六人角逐三議席 當選人數打破歷届記錄並非不可能
隨著聯邦選情加溫，加拿大各主要政黨都很重視在族裔分布多元化的溫哥華地區，策略性拓展族裔票源， 華裔社區的候選人表現、動員能力和華人選民參與的程度，都已成為選舉季中動見觀瞻的焦點。
溫哥華地區估計約有三十萬名華裔居民，加拿大選舉局資料指出，溫哥華京士威(Vancouver Kingsway)、溫哥華東區(Vancouver East)、 溫哥華南區/本拿比選區(Vancouver South – Burnaby)、溫哥華奎特拉 (Vancouver Quadra)選區和列治文(Richmond)選區的華人比例都在三成左右，溫哥華京士威選區的華裔人口密度更高達四成，少數族裔人口占百分之六十三以上， 其中絕大多數是移民。
根據最近的一九九六年人口普查，統計顯示加國華裔共有約八十六萬人，若以近年來兩岸三地移民增長的趨勢來估計，目前全國華裔人口應在一百萬名左右。加拿大移民人口學者最近曾發表報告，指明年舉行新人口普查時，將發現中文將躍居加國英語地區的第二大語言； 同時移民部也預測，華裔將與英裔、法裔、原住民共同成為加拿大的四大族群勢力，這些趨勢凸顯出華人社群快速成長的大趨勢。
大溫地區的華裔參選人都集中在溫哥華京士威、溫東和列治文三個選區，堪稱本屆聯邦大選華人逐鹿選局的 「超級戰區」，共有梁陳明任、陳卓愉、樂美森、梁陳小萍、黃煜文、黃鑑文等六人角逐三席，其中溫哥華京士威選區四名華裔候選人各自代表四大政黨互爭雌雄， 出現罕見的「華人即主流」的局面。但是華人居民和選民為數眾多，同時也是低陸平原最富裕和居民教育程度頗高的溫西選區，以及族裔分布多元化色彩濃厚的溫市 南區和本拿比選區，這次卻沒有華裔人士出馬競選。
在克里靖領總理宣布聯邦大選前，華裔在加拿大國會共有三名現任議員，列治文選區自由黨陳卓愉擔任聯邦政府亞太事務部長多年，溫哥華京士威選區梁陳明任曾是國會眾議院公民暨移民委員會成員，最近獲任命為國税部國會秘書，加拿大聯盟黨籍的麥鼎鴻來自緬尼托巴省，今年八月才獲聯盟黨黨魁戴國衛擢升為「影子內閣」的移民事務發言人，三名華裔在朝野兩大黨中都受到重用。
如今這三名華裔國會議員正在爭取連任。同時大溫地區還有像樂美森、黃陳小萍等華裔政界新人首次參選， 如果本届大選華裔選將加把勁、表現更上層樓，當選人數打破歷届紀錄並非不可能，届時兩千年大選將是溫哥華地區華裔參政的一個豐收季節。
English translation: Chinese Canadians Participate in Politics and Expect the Harvest Season
Six People Compete for Three Seats in Greater Vancouver
It Is Possible to Break the Record
As the federal election warms up, Canada' s major political parties are paying great attention to strategically expand ethnic votes in the ethnically diverse Vancouver area. The performance and ability of mobilization of candidates from the Chinese community and Chinese voters’ participation have become the focus of the election season.
There are about 300,000 Chinese Canadian residents in Vancouver. According to Elections Canada, in the constituencies of Vancouver Kingsway, Vancouver East, Vancouver South — Burnaby, Vancouver Quadra and Richmond, around 30% of the residents are Chinese Canadians. In Vancouver Kingsway, up to 40% of the population is Chinese, and more than 63% are minorities, and most of them are immigrants.
According to the latest census in 1996, statistics show that there are about 860,000 ethnic Chinese in Canada. If [we] estimate from the increasing trend of immigration from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong in recent years, the current population of Chinese should be around one million. A recent report by Canadian immigrant demographers indicated that the new census next year would find that Chinese would leap into the second most spoken language in the English-speaking region of Canada. Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship predicted that Chinese would become one of the four major ethnic groups in Canada, along with British, French and First Nations peoples, which shows the growing trend of the Chinese community.
Chinese candidates in the Greater Vancouver area are all from three constituencies – Vancouver Kingsway, Vancouver East and Richmond, which can be called the "super war zone" of Chinese candidates in this federal election. Six candidates, including Sophia Leung, Raymond Chan, Mason Loh, Liang Chen Xiaoping [possible typo: Alice Wong], Huang Yuwen and Huang Jianwen, are competing for three seats. Among them, four Chinese candidates from Vancouver Kingsway represent the four major political parties respectively to compete, resulting in a rare situation of "Chinese is the mainstream". However, there are no Chinese candidates from Vancouver West, the richest area in the lower mainland with well-educated residents and a large number of Chinese residents, or the ethnically diverse Vancouver South and Burnaby.
Before the announcement of the federal election was made by the prime minister, Jean Chrétien, there were three sitting members in Parliament of Canadian who are Chinese. Raymond Chan, with the Liberal Party in Richmond, has been serving as the Minister for Asia-Pacific Affairs in the federal government for many years. Sophia Leung, from Vancouver Kingsway, was a member of the Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in the House of Commons and has recently been appointed as the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Revenue. Inky Mark, a member of the Canadian Alliance, is from Manitoba and was promoted by Stockwell Day, leader of the Canadian Alliance, to the spokesman for immigration affairs of the "Shadow Cabinet" in August. Three of the ethnic Chinese are put in important positions by both the ruling party and opposition.
Now the three Chinese Canadian MPs are seeking re-election. At the same time, there are new Chinese politicians such as Mason Loh and Alice Wong. If Chinese candidates can work harder and go further in the federal election this year, the number of people elected may break the previous record, and the election in 2000 will be a harvest season for Chinese Canadians participating in politics in the Vancouver area.
