Misconceptions about Mainland Chinese Immigrants in the Toronto Mayoral By-Election and Western Democratic Politics

June 21, 2023

Editor: N. Romanovsky

On October 24, 2022, Toronto held its municipal elections, electing over 50 city councillors and one mayor. Due to the mayor's scandal, he was forced to resign, leading to a by-election this year. Last year, Mayor John Zhandeli, a well-known figure with a legal background and extensive media experience, participated in the election for the third consecutive term. He raised nearly 3 million dollars in campaign funds, a historic high, and was elected as mayor. Zhihui Zou, a Chinese mayoral candidate, raised nearly 2 million dollars but received significantly fewer funds compared to Zhandeli and was not elected. As a result, she withdrew from the political scene and became a professor at a university, teaching politics.

This year's by-election for mayor did not have strong opponents like Zhandeli, so many people were eager to participate. Last year, there were 38 mayoral candidates, and this year the number reached a historic high of 102 candidates. Why are there 102 mayoral candidates? As mentioned earlier, one reason is Zhandeli's case. The second reason is that Toronto is facing inflation, difficult business operations, economic recession, and Zhandeli's disregard for the welfare of the people, which has led to a crisis in housing, food shortages, insecurity, declining social welfare, and a heavily indebted municipal government needing 880 million dollars.

Toronto needs someone who understands business, economics, law, and finance, and most importantly, someone who truly understands politics to lead the city. It's a good thing that 102 individuals have bravely stepped forward and offered themselves as candidates. Among them, there must be talented individuals, such as two mainland Chinese entrepreneurs and community activists, outstanding figures, one being financial entrepreneur Wei Zhen Tang and another community leader. Unfortunately, all mainstream media in Canada, regardless of their bias, have excluded these excellent talents and dissenting voices and have not reported on them. From the beginning, they have focused on the so-called top 6 candidates, who may be mediocre individuals with no remarkable achievements. Premier Ford is also concerned about what would happen if individuals with no business or institutional management experience and no understanding of the economy were elected as mayor of Toronto. However, mainland Chinese immigrants blindly support and promote a Chinese mayoral candidate solely based on their lead in the polls. They even belittle other Chinese candidates, as seen in an article titled "Allowing Ford to Arbitrarily Influence the Toronto Mayoral By-Election (Opinion)" by a special contributor named Yuanxiang in a Chinese-language newspaper. They act as if they understand Canadian democracy, saying that Premier Ford should not interfere and express concerns about the Toronto mayoral election, but it is actually about influencing our Chinese mayoral candidate, Olivia Chow. Moreover, the author's ignorance is evident in the defamation of the Chinese candidates as "financial and business fraudsters or suspects" when Tang Weizhen participates in the election, stating that they are purely causing trouble and disruption. It shows that the author has no knowledge of Canada's justice system and democratic politics. Another aspect of Canadian justice is its treatment of business activities and suppression of dissenting forces, which is often unfair. Tang Weizhen's ability to stand up and point out the injustice of the justice system, accepting public challenges and questioning, is truly remarkable and courageous. Would you dare to do the same if you were in their position?

This election not only witnessed Weizhen Tang's persecution and his decision to stand up, but also other ethnic candidates, including Jamaican, Indian, and even white candidates who have faced persecution and imprisonment. One Italian candidate, Chris Saccoccia, has been frequently detained and recently arrested by the police for his language after entering the election. He has a large number of supporters, and his campaign has gained attention and popularity. We all know how former US President Trump has faced court accusations before and even during his presidency. Now he faces criminal charges and is still running for office. Why is it that mainland Chinese people who follow Canadian and Western laws and participate in political activities encounter opposition, suppression, and slander from their fellow compatriots?

When we mainland immigrants come to Canada, we should learn Western democracy and the rule of law instead of pretending to be knowledgeable and thinking that writing articles can make us significant figures that can manipulate and deceive the ignorant public. There are also many mainland immigrants who cannot distinguish between good and bad, blindly idolize foreigners, treating them as gods and slave masters, while willingly acting as slaves and refusing to take charge.

Tang Weizhen faced persecution and harassment from the Ontario Securities Commission because, like everyone else at the beginning, he did not understand Western justice and failed to avoid risks, resulting in significant losses for himself and his investors. Now that they have learned, they have the opportunity to stand up and fight back. Can't they do that? When Mandela was imprisoned, how many outsiders would have thought he would become the future president of South Africa? When Deng Xiaoping was overthrown once, twice, and three times, how many Chinese people would have believed he would rise again and promote the market economy? Major events always have their reasonable justifications, and Tang Weizhen is no exception.

As someone once said, "The whole world is suppressing Chinese people because their logical thinking is different from Westerners." Unlike countries that have been under colonial rule for a long time, China has developed a unique mode of thinking. What Chinese people believe to be right, Westerners consider to be wrong. When Chinese people stand up and resist, countries that have long been colonized believe that being subservient to their masters is not a bad thing. It's a strange world. Throughout thousands of years of human history, only China has remained at the top, while other ancient civilizations have perished. This demonstrates that China has taken the right path. There is no absolute right or wrong in the world; progress can only be achieved through exploration and innovation.

Western education emphasizes individualism and lacks the ability to empathize with others. Chinese people, influenced by Confucianism and Taoism, always consider others in their actions. Although in recent years, the hearts of Chinese people have also been corroded by Western culture, and selfishness is increasing, their fundamental nature is still inherently good. Western education and thinking have their shortcomings — they emphasize selfishness and highlight the inherent evil nature of human beings (Christian doctrine). Moreover, over the past few hundred years, Western powers have developed in various fields to their current state. Once China catches up with or surpasses them after enduring centuries of humiliation, the true nature of their inherent evil will be fully exposed. They will resort to extreme measures to smear China and the Chinese people. It's not strange; what's strange is that our own people don't understand themselves and betray their own nation and compatriots.

Isn't it a good thing that our enlightened individuals use the mayoral election as a platform to voice their opinions? With 102 candidates, each with their own background, experience, stories, and expertise, why not step forward and offer suggestions and strategies? As voters, shouldn't we delve into their backgrounds, study them, and understand whether they can serve us and this city well?

The biggest misconception among mainland immigrants regarding the Toronto election is that they don't care about politics, are afraid of politics, and dare not stand up. Even when others take a stand, they oppose and criticize. They think politics has little to do with them, so they turn a blind eye and only focus on eating and drinking, allowing themselves to be bullied and looked down upon. When they were in China, they were united, but when they go abroad, they become isolated and subject to exploitation, as if they have no feelings.

If mainland immigrants want to stand up, they must speak out for justice, just like Tang Weizhen and Dr. Yan Xianyi. Whether they can become the mayor is up to you. Money talks. A person's donation of a few hundred dollars can potentially help their candidate become the mayor. Western democratic politics require the efforts of everyone and personal donations, rather than relying on corporate and institutional funding for campaigns. For Toronto to elect a mayor, millions of dollars are needed each year. If we all contribute small amounts, the government will provide significant funding. If ten thousand mainland immigrants each donate 500 dollars, that's five million dollars, and the government will refund 3.75 million dollars. That mayor position will belong to the Chinese community. Do you know that the power of collective action is infinite?

Author: A Chinese immigrant from Russia

June 21, 2023

Toronto