CBC chooses a black American over a black Canadian to argue whether or not politics is broken

By Samuel Getachew

In a visit to Brazil in 2002, American President, George W. Bush, asked then Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a strange question. “Do you have blacks, too?”

Anyone could have asked that very same question about Canada’s black population, after the CBC recently hosted two teams to debate this statement: “The political process is no longer the most effective way to enact real change.”

The debate hosted by CBC News’s Chief Correspondent Peter Mansbridge, had two teams of debaters – Andrew Coyne, Alison Loat, and Dave Meslin for the ‘yes’ side and Sheila Copps, Monte Solberg, and…Aisha Moodie-Mills for the no side.

Aisha who?

The network described the African-American as “an American progressive strategist, policy analyst, and social entrepreneur.”

American?

Was it really a smart move to have an American debate a Canadian issue? During the debate, it even became disheartening as she was the only person of colour on the stage and completely out of her depth among the debaters whose lives had been constructed around Canadian politics and history.

Do we not have credible Canadian black spokespersons who could have fulfilled that role much better? Do we really need an American to be the token black voice at an important function sponsored by a public institution that is as significant as the CBC?

As the American, Mills, used the words of Bill Clinton, referenced the American congress to argue a few points, and struggled to fit in among Canadians with obviously better insight of our politics, I could not help but feel her pain.

In reflection, I could not help but reflect on a conversation I once had with CBC’s Inside Politics host, Evan Solomon. He had just finished hosting a mayoral debate between Olivia Chow and John Tory at a downtown church when I approached him with a well-known Toronto community activist, Gwyn Chapman. We shared with him our concerns about the lack of diversity that we see on his show.

He instead reflected on a black guest he previously had on the show and how he was ultimately disappointed by his performance. Was that to be the barometer for all potential black guests to come in the future? What if the same criteria were held for white people?

After all, this is a show that talks about many issues that matter to black people in Canada — national security, politics, and more – so not having them represented on the show on a regular basis is as bizarre as the American appearing at a CBC debate to defend Canada’s political process and engagement.

At its best, CBC is an important public institution that serves us well each day. It should always aim to capture the reality of a diverse Canadian citizenship. When it does not, it begins to lose its relevance.

Its lasting legacy should always be how close it has brought us to our citizenship and to our 35 million neighbours all across Canada. There is a valid reason why it is publicly funded and why the now-defunct SUN TV station was not. The CBC is supposed to speak to all of us as Canadians.

So, in what is perhaps the most multicultural society in the world here in Canada – and especially in Toronto — do we really need an American to speak for Canada’s diversity?