Dear Editor:
Re: New Bigotry Repackages Prejudice as Virtue, July 28 This Just In opinion column.
It’s difficult to know where to begin with Trevor Lautens’ extremely problematic op-ed, but I’ll limit this letter to one particularly troubling aspect.
Lautens’ equation of the B.C. NDP’s equity mandate with past instances of prejudice is not only wrong, but harmful to diversity and accurate representation in our politics.
He states that “prejudice distorts governance by favouring favoured groups.” The notion that our province’s governance is distorted by having a legislature which is more representative of its people is insulting to the very groups he labels favoured.
Our elected officials should be representative of the people that elect them; this is a basic tenet of representative democracy. Men, and in particular white men, are overrepresented in our politics at almost every level.
This is a distortion that Lautens seemingly does not take issue with, although if he does I eagerly await his next column. We also already legislate representation on a regional basis, which assuredly distorts governance. Is that an affront to urban residents who succeed on merit?
It’s also insulting to the talented women and other minorities who ran and won for the NDP to suggest that they are only there because of the party’s equity policy. I challenge Lautens to find one female MLA who does not have impressive credentials and who didn’t work extremely hard to get to where she is today.
The NDP should be commended for recruiting such a strong slate of candidates, not condemned. There is nothing “evil” or “anti-democratic” about getting closer to a legislature which accurately reflects B.C.’s diversity.
Mack McCorkindale
North Vancouver
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