Worth noting that at least part of the great victory won by Conservatives has been their apparently successful outreach to the immigrant community -wonder if Republicans here will be able to replicate that:
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How courting the immigrant vote paid off for the Tories
JOE FRIESEN AND JULIAN SHER
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, May. 03, 2011 10:40PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, May. 04, 2011 10:49AM EDT
Fifteen cups of tea. That’s how the election was won.
In one day during the 2011 election campaign, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney attended 15 different chai parties hosted by Indo-Canadian voters in Brampton West, Ont. That’s just a snapshot of his epic cross-Canada campaigning, but it’s indicative of the stamina and persistence of the Conservative point man for ethnic communities.
He and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have transformed their party from one that was perceived as hostile to new Canadians to one that is now home to a great many immigrant voters and Members of Parliament.
The Conservative majority was won primarily in the suburban ridings of the 905 area code and in the City of Toronto. Of the 18 seats they gained in that region, 14 are more than 45 per cent immigrant, and most would not long ago have been considered un-winnable for the Conservatives.
Canada is far less xenophobic in nature than the US. Left-wing parties in Canada are very supportive of more open immigration and even the Tories take a rather neutral stance. Canada's population has far more immigrants than the US in proportion, and by far more immigrants who actually participate in the political process, giving them power. It's actually funny how much immigrants can actually steer elections in Canada considering that the ridings cram so many immigrants into overpopulated ridings, while the vast majority of ridings are rural are underpopulated.
