When will there be a visible minority Prime Minister in Canada?

To be elected Prime Minister, you have to first become the leader of one of the major political parties. These leaders are elected to their positions by their party members, not by the public. The public only votes for the party once the actual election comes along.

In the last few elections, we have seen a significant increase in the number of visible minority candidates, and several of these got elected in their ridings.

Unfortunately I have no statistics for you other than looking at Elections Canada website. But my quick review of candidates suggests that there are about 40 visible minority candidates elected and over 60 women in a group of 300 politicians.

You have to remember that to be prime minister, you must be a citizen of Canada. Although visible minority immigrants do become Canadian citizens when they take the oath, not many of these have also chosen to enter politics, nor have the financial background or backing required to drum up support and become leader...at least so far that has not happened.

I think as you see more immigration to Canada and visible minority families establish a name for themselves here, you will see more and more candidates taking seats in parliament and someday will run for prime minister.

And keep in mind that Canada does not elect the best visible minority candidate for the job...We try to elect the best candidate, whatever their ethnic background, sex, or religion.

This is an issue?? I do not think so. In the riding where I vote there were more visible minorities running than not. Some did as well as an Englishman or Frenchman would have done running in the parties they represented. And who votes according to skin colour or eye slant?? I hope not many. I prefer to think we vote for the best candidate regardless of those shallow differences.

You would perhaps want us to go out, put a gun to some unsuspecting minority person's head and force them to be a politician? A person has to be more than a Canadian in the legal sense - they have to be a Canadian in every sense. Could you move to a new country and instantly belong in that sense? I do not think so.

Canada has had a minority in the PM's seat - not a visible minority but a minority nonetheless in Mr. Diefenbaker. His background was German and Scottish - neither group are in the top four or five ethnic groups found here in Canada. And he was a successful politician in the late 50's early 60's - a period close enough to the Second World War to make some people leery of people of German decent. As you can see - most Canadians are bigger than you would have others believe.

There are plenty of real and serious issues in this country without creating one that does not in fact exist. You want to be appalled - be appalled over the economic situation; get appalled over the drug problems and the crimes associated with them; get appalled over the major increases in almost all diseases, particularly those that are not infectious - there has to be a reason besides the year and a cigarette. There are not enough pixels in cyberspace nor years left in my life to write a list of things you can get appalled at. This is not one of them.

I am a bit older and have seen alot of things in my 50+ years of life, and the likelihood is slim, not because we a re racist or prejudice, more along the lines that most of the politician are white and male, there are a few women, minority's and native members of parliament but it is a money thing, outlook and strategic issues, there are just so few people in the visible minority community that would want the job, be able to mount a campaign to get the leadership of the party's and then be elected prime minister.

Kim Campbell fell into the job and the Tory's at that time new they had nothing to offer and were sliding into the ibis, so she was a sacrificial lamb for the slaughter.

It probably will not be that long,as many of the differing party leaders in the riding's all over Canada, are visible minorities.

I'm not as pessimist as the others. We have a black woman as a General Governor and the one before her was a woman of Chinese origin.

If someone with charisma shows up don't worry it won't matter what color is his/her skin. You can't pick just anyone to be at the head of the party cause they represent a minority, they have to have the leadership and when that special someone shows up you'll see people won't make an issue of his color.

Why on earth would you wish this on our visible minority people? How cruel are you???

You have to be 50% masochistic and 50% sadistic to be a politician - or 100% idealistic which, after the first couple of years becomes 50% masochistic and 50% sadistic. Take a look at the ones we have. 300+ Millions on a useless election intended to ego boost Mr. Harper - sadistic to the taxpayer; setting oneself up for nasty unwarranted badmouthing - macochism on the part of the M. Dion. It has been many, many, many years since I knew anyone of the third type.

Ohhh! Nasty thought! Wash your mouth out with lye soap!

May be when Spuzzom BC gets to the NHL LOL not predigest realistic

In Canada? ha. My guess is that it will probably never happen.