JOSH WINGROVE
The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2010/05/26/tp-cgy-naheed-nenshi.jpg

If you don't know the name Naheed Nenshi, take note.

A grassroots campaign driven by volunteers has delivered Canada its first Muslim mayor – Mr. Nenshi, who scored a staggering win in Calgary’s mayor’s race Monday.

He defeated two better-funded candidates, including one backed by Stephen Harper’s campaign team, and saw his support surge in the final few weeks. To say Mr. Nenshi's campaign was austere is understatement – he delivered his speech in a basement that was donated by a supporter at the last second.

The 38-year-old Mr. Nenshi survived a smear campaign and a telephone failure in the crucial final days and hours, before running away with what was to be a close vote. His candidacy was branded the “Purple Revolution,” named for his campaign colour and driven by a broad demographic that included strong youth support. He achieved what many observers thought impossible – a wonkish, even dorky, academic and visible minority elected to the helm of what is often called Canada's most conservative city after a campaign driven by charisma and sheer determination.

Mr. Nenshi had 39 per cent of the vote with 229 of 241 polls reporting, followed closely by alderman Ric McIver with 32 per cent and former CTV anchor Barb Higgins with 26 per cent.

Rest of article:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/calgarys-naheed-nenshi-becomes-canadas-first-muslim-mayor/article1762765/

***

I got the same warm and fuzzy feeling when the Americans elected Obama =)

Is he actually a practicing Muslim? Or is his family Islamic and therefore we're assuming he's Muslim.

I thought men who followed Islam were suppose to grow beards once they're hitched.

Whatever, as an atheist I don't like the idea of people who believe in invisble men in the sky holding office, but that's the world we live in today.

good luck to calgary and the new mayor - does he have a lot of previous experience in city politics?

Calgary has a large Muslim population so one of them being elected to council was bound to happen eventually. I think his policies are more notable. He is pro-urban, wanting to reduce urban sprawl and make the city more livable.

Okay so after doing some research on Naheed Nenshi, I think the whole muslim thing is being way over blown.

After seeing some youtube videos of him, he clearly comes off as a man who probably hasn't read the entire Quran or goes to the Mosque every Friday. A very casual Muslim.

I also like his platform and if I lived in Calgary I would most likely vote for him. Especially after seeing this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89bzyRXK9nQ

I like his message of responsible neighborhood building, and cleaning up city hall, but not being all gungho about it like Rob Ford who's using the "gravy train" as his clutch to win the election.

I thought men who followed Islam were suppose to grow beards once they're hitched.

Well, the imam in Little Mosque on the Prairie was clean-shaven, lol.

Okay so after doing some research on Naheed Nenshi, I think the whole muslim thing is being way over blown.

After seeing some youtube videos of him, he clearly comes off as a man who probably hasn't read the entire Quran or goes to the Mosque every Friday. A very casual Muslim.

I also like his platform and if I lived in Calgary I would most likely vote for him. Especially after seeing this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89bzyRXK9nQ

I like his message of responsible neighborhood building, and cleaning up city hall, but not being all gungho about it like Rob Ford who's using the "gravy train" as his clutch to win the election.

Who are we to judge whether someone is a Muslim or a Christian? If anyone claims that they are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Atheist, there is no way we can disprove them somehow.

Either way, congrats to Calgary on such a progressive choice. Any city will benefit from such a well educated man at the helm.

is he one of the more moderate ismali muslims? they seem to be less "muslim"

this ismali muslim guy i know in calgary didn't even know when eid was when i told him - he doesn't fast for ramadan or eat halal etc.

Okay so after doing some research on Naheed Nenshi, I think the whole muslim thing is being way over blown.

After seeing some youtube videos of him, he clearly comes off as a man who probably hasn't read the entire Quran or goes to the Mosque every Friday. A very casual Muslim.

I also like his platform and if I lived in Calgary I would most likely vote for him. Especially after seeing this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89bzyRXK9nQ

I like his message of responsible neighborhood building, and cleaning up city hall, but not being all gungho about it like Rob Ford who's using the "gravy train" as his clutch to win the election.

There have been no shortage of "Casual Christians" in office in Canada throughout our history- some even "Ultra Casual".

Good for Calgary! Kind of interesting that Calgary voted in an ethic man and Toronto is on the verge of voting in a white-trash loser.

Very ironic indeed^^

Calgary?? Wow.
Thought Windsor, or some other city would have had a Muslim mayor before Calgary!!
Anyways, congrats.

as far as i can remember, Calgary. has been highly tolerant of other ethnicities. it comes as no surprise to me being a Calgarian for all of my life that a Muslim would be elected as mayor. it is only people from other parts of Canada that have a misconception of Calgary being highly intolerant. my experience does not support this false profile. it is in fact a big city with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, people and lifestyles.

as far as i can remember, Calgary. has been highly tolerant of other ethnicities. it comes as no surprise to me being a Calgarian for all of my life that a Muslim would be elected as mayor. it is only people from other parts of Canada that have a misconception of Calgary being highly intolerant. my experience does not support this false profile. it is in fact a big city with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, people and lifestyles.

tolerance and acceptance are two different things entirely.

Who are we to judge whether someone is a Muslim or a Christian? If anyone claims that they are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Atheist, there is no way we can disprove them somehow.

Either way, congrats to Calgary on such a progressive choice. Any city will benefit from such a well educated man at the helm.

Congrats, you win the prize for most politically correct post of the day. UGH :puke:

Congrats, you win the prize for most politically correct post of the day. UGH :puke:

Once again our friend from South Carolina pops in to admonish Canada for behaviour that he does not approve of! :nono::soapbox:


Canada and America are two separate countries, and we do not view everything the same way. We are neighbours, but we each have our own ideas.

Our friend from South Carolina should stick to topics regarding the mighty South Carolina GameCocks rather than trekking into forums he knows nothing about.

He posted here once that a video of someone with an obviously Canadian accent was NOT a Canadian because he did not sound the same as someone he knows from Saskatchewan.

:applause: :cheers:

tolerance and acceptance are two different things entirely.

One of the exceptional things about Calgary is that unlike a lot of multicultural cities/places, the acceptance goes both ways. It's not just pre-existing Calgarians accepting newcomers but also the newcomers accepting Calgarians and allowing them into their circle(s).

He won with only 39% of the votes? How would it have turned out if a runoff election was required (such as in USA states that require a winner to get 50%+1 of the votes cast)?

Mike

One of the exceptional things about Calgary is that unlike a lot of multicultural cities/places, the acceptance goes both ways. It's not just pre-existing Calgarians accepting newcomers but also the newcomers accepting Calgarians and allowing them into their circle(s).

Ya you're right. Some new immigrants go about their lives in their new county without ever trying to fit in. It's as if they never left their shores to begin with. Then on the other end of the spectrum, theres some born 'n raised Canadians who never reach out to new these immigrants to help get them familiarized with the culture. It's the responsibility of both parties to meet each other half way in order to make a great community.

He won with only 39% of the votes? How would it have turned out if a runoff election was required (such as in USA states that require a winner to get 50%+1 of the votes cast)?

Mike

We use simply plurality here, you don't have to get a majority to win, just the largest chunk. The federal government has power with only 36% of the votes.

If there was a runoff, he would have lost. Both runners up were conservative, and the man in second place was only 28,000 votes behind. (The woman in third had 91,000 votes to split between them.) Conservative members got more support, just like federally, leftists got more support but didn't form government. That's just how it works here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_municipal_election,_2010

Two ward candidates won with less than 30% of the vote, and a few school trustee candidates won with less than 20%. Considering turnout in municipal elections barely passes 50%, a run-off vote would probably see even lower turnout. What is the point?

The mayor of my city got 85% of the vote when she was re-elected in 2006, but only 36% of the eligible voters actually voted.

Lucky:ohno: Calgary, Toronto might be getting it's first Wife Beating, Drunk Red Neck for mayor.

Not if I have my way.

Ya you're right. Some new immigrants go about their lives in their new county without ever trying to fit in. It's as if they never left their shores to begin with.

I believe that this is what Chancellor Merkel was alluding to the other day.


Anyway, here is a great article that gets past the issue of religion and shows why many Calgarians joined the Purple Revolution:


Cowntown No More
Why Calgary Chose Nenshi

22 October 2010
Globe & Mail
Chris Turner

The Devonian Room is an elegant, semicircular dining lounge on the second floor of Calgary’s Petroleum Club, panelled in dark wood and lit by a glittering outsized chandelier. The commemorative plaque downstairs will tell you the room only dates to 1958, but in a city with little in the way of Old Money – or Old Anything Else, really – this is as seasoned as a seat of established power gets.

The space is a natural fit for a new mayor’s luncheon address to the august old Canadian Club of Calgary. The only incongruous detail on Wednesday was the figure at the podium – the mayor-elect, Naheed Nenshi, looking at ease, if weary, two whirlwind days after pulling off an election victory so incongruous with the rest of Canada’s stock image of Calgary that it made headlines and caused chatter nationwide all week.

“It’s time for people to look at this place,” Mr. Nenshi told his genteel audience, “and to look at this place as it is – as a city of boundless opportunity.”

[...]

Outside Calgary, along with talk of his skilled use of digital channels such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been particular emphasis on his Harvard degree and his Muslim faith, almost as if he were a precocious and extremely high-profile minority hire. Among the electorate itself, these details were incidental.

The real key to the Nenshi phenomenon is that he electrified the city with a new vision of itself. Mr. Nenshi won not on image or spin but on big ideas and a road map dense with details on how to make them manifest. Cities – great cities, anyway – are products of the stories they tell themselves about what they are and what it is possible for them to become.

In their choice of mayor, Calgarians didn’t see ethnic precedent or a Twitter feed; they saw a reflection worth striving for.

Complete Article (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cowtown-no-more-why-calgary-chose-naheed-nenshi/article1769719/)

Lucky:ohno: Calgary, Toronto might be getting it's first Wife Beating, Drunk Red Neck for mayor.
The thing is that if Ford gets in he will be blocked non-stopped from passing his crazy laws so it will be a completely disfunctional city hall...more so than now. He has no good ideas - he's just a complainer and everything to him is some kind of civic conspiracy. His biggest concern seems to be whether or not a hot lunch was served at city hall meetings "at the expense of tax payers". If he hadn't been given such a big voice on talk radio, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

We use simply plurality here, you don't have to get a majority to win, just the largest chunk. The federal government has power with only 36% of the votes.
I assume that you mean '36% of the votes' in nationwide numbers. OTOH, for the individual MPs, how different would Canada's federal parliament be now if each one had to get at least 50%+1 of the votes in order to win their respective ridings, with run-off elections for those who don't (or win a clear majority in an 'instant runoff' vote)?

If there was a runoff, he would have lost. Both runners up were conservative, and the man in second place was only 28,000 votes behind. (The woman in third had 91,000 votes to split between them.) Conservative members got more support, just like federally, leftists got more support but didn't form government. That's just how it works here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_municipal_election,_2010

Two ward candidates won with less than 30% of the vote, and a few school trustee candidates won with less than 20%. Considering turnout in municipal elections barely passes 50%, a run-off vote would probably see even lower turnout. What is the point?

The mayor of my city got 85% of the vote when she was re-elected in 2006, but only 36% of the eligible voters actually voted.
Thus, to me, Calgary is in fact a very Conservative city now being run by someone of a totally different political POV because two Conservatives split a clear majority of the votes cast.

:nuts:

(Yea, that happens in many states here, too.)

:no:

Mike

JOSH WINGROVE
The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2010/05/26/tp-cgy-naheed-nenshi.jpg

If you don't know the name Naheed Nenshi, take note.

A grassroots campaign driven by volunteers has delivered Canada its first Muslim mayor – Mr. Nenshi, who scored a staggering win in Calgary’s mayor’s race Monday.



Congrats to Mr Nenshi & to the voters of Calgrary. I think Nenshi may also qualify as the first visible minority mayor of any major Canadian city.

& Hopefully the first of many!

I'll be more impressed when we see Canada's first First Nation person as a mayor of a major city.

Still Congrats to Calgary and Mayor to be Nenshi. Can we trade?

Big congratulations to Calgary on this! Completely alters my view on what I thought was a very right-wing area! Have an amazing four years! :)

Seems like Calgary and Houston have alot in common. Although seen in the rest of their crespective countries as conservative backwaters, they are actualy pretty progressive when given a closer look.

You have to remember that Calgary is indeed a very Conservative area and a fairly wide clear majority of the votes were Conservative, but were split between two Conservative candidates, allowing Nenshi to win with a 39% plurality.

Mike

I assume that you mean '36% of the votes' in nationwide numbers. OTOH, for the individual MPs, how different would Canada's federal parliament be now if each one had to get at least 50%+1 of the votes in order to win their respective ridings, with run-off elections for those who don't (or win a clear majority in an 'instant runoff' vote)?

Voter turn out would be even lower. Conservatives in the west and the BQ in Quebec usually get 50%+1 anyway. In most cases, the race would be narrowed down to Liberals and Conservatives or Liberals and NDP.

In a Liberal-Conservative race, Liberals would win almost all of those seats because NDPers would likely vote for the Liberals over the Conservatives (though there is some overlap of the NDP and Conservatives--some NDPers are social conservatives).

In a Liberal-NDP race, the Liberals would probably always win as well, because Conservatives are more likely to support the Liberals (which has a right wing faction) than the NDP. The Liberals tend to run more right wing candidates in races where the Conservatives aren't very strong. (Like my city's ridings, where both previous Liberal MPs were against many Liberal policies. One was a Progressive Conservative in the 1980s, and he voted against same-sex marriage in 2005 and got in trouble for it; the other voted against same sex marriage in 2005 and got kicked out of cabinet for it, then voted for the Conservatives budget in 2007 and got kicked out of the Liberal party entirely. He joined the Conservatives shortly thereafter). Likewise, the Conservatives tend to run more moderate candidates here to try and gain some support from the Liberals. (They never do, though, since many Conservative supporters abstain when a moderate runs, so they lose their base when they use that strategy.)

In an NDP-Conservative race, it will probably end up in the Conservatives favour. Many western seats are between the NDP and Conservatives, both parties have their roots there.


Thus, to me, Calgary is in fact a very Conservative city now being run by someone of a totally different political POV because two Conservatives split a clear majority of the votes cast.

Well Canada is a liberal country being run by people of a totally different political POV because two leftist parties split a clear majority of the votes cast. That happens when you have multiple choices.

The solution to this is to have parties work together more. But, since we emulate the American model so much now, that is very difficult. The parties have very all-or-nothing attitudes, and only consider coalitions when they're desperate. (The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc in 2004 and the Liberals, NDP and Bloc in 2008 followed by prorogation, are two examples of that desperation.)

When you add up national party support in Calgary, the Conservatives have 60% and the Liberals have 23%. You have to keep in mind, however, that half of those candidates are major players in the Conservative party. People like the Prime Minister and prominent members of cabinet almost never fail to achieve more than 50% of the vote. There might be a handful of left wing MPs from Alberta if we had a two party system, especially in cities like Calgary and Edmonton, but they would still be mostly Conservative.

Also consider that our municipal politics doesn't really have political parties (though many members of municipal government will have participated in upper levels or will have positions similar to political parties), so you often find people voting for someone who doesn't align with their choice of party based on other reasons. Thunder Bay never shows strong support for the Conservatives, but we just elected a former member of that party as our mayor based on his platform on crime and transparency. Federally, we're represented by NDPers, one of whom is a strong environmentalist, and provincially, we're represented by a left faction Liberal and a right faction Liberal. It isn't unusual for surprising results in elections.

Another thing to consider, is that not everyone who voted against the winner would continue to vote against them in a runoff. While our mayor was elected with 46% of the vote, if there was a runoff between him and the incumbent, many supporters of the other candidates would likely support him, not the incumbent, even those 54% of the population voted against him.

You have to remember that Calgary is indeed a very Conservative area and a fairly wide clear majority of the votes were Conservative, but were split between two Conservative candidates, allowing Nenshi to win with a 39% plurality.

Mike

Keep in mind that Calgary's city limits encompass the entire city. Houston's does not. If Calgary was, like Houston, just the central part of the city, and suburbs were excluded, Nenshi would have probably won with a landslide of support. If you look at the results by polling station, you will probably find that those in central areas strongly supported him.

I'll be more impressed when we see Canada's first First Nation person as a mayor of a major city.

Sure, that would be great too.

But even in the US, where most of the larger cities & many smaller ones have elected black mayors, & some have elected Latino mayors, I can't recall any Native American big city mayors.

Mostly I guess because most of the Native Americans live on reservations & or in rural areas.

We've have had a few Native American Senators in the US Congress.

Calgary can keep its progressive mayor.

I think I'm allergic to the term progressive after seeing the disjointed union-controlled mess they left behind in 'progressive' Toronto.

Well I'm allergic to the term "common sense" after seeing the disjointed idiot-controlled mess they left behind in the "common sense revolution".

Well I'm allergic to the term "common sense" after seeing the disjointed idiot-controlled mess they left behind in the "common sense revolution".

Well enjoy living in your economic banana of the north.. At least you have a progressive mayor!

Seems like Calgary and Houston have alot in common. Although seen in the rest of their crespective countries as conservative backwaters, they are actualy pretty progressive when given a closer look.


I've always thought of Calgary as being more like the Dallas of Canada. The white-collar business & development hub of Alberta's energy sector. Whereas Edmonton is more like Houston, traditionally Canada's blue-collar, industrial hub, closer to the front lines of energy extraction. True though, all four cities are more diverse & progressive than are often sterotyped.

Hopefully with a more progressive mayor, Calgary can now focus on attempting to diversify it's economy away from the energy sector.

As long as they don't start stealing jobs from Toronto. :nono:

I've always thought of Calgary as being more like the Dallas of Canada. The white-collar business & development hub of Alberta's energy sector. Whereas Edmonton is more like Houston, traditionally Canada's blue-collar, industrial hub, closer to the front lines of energy extraction. True though, all four cities are more diverse & progressive than are often sterotyped.

I would tend to agree on this count (despite Can/US being a farfetched comparision) However, I google mapped both cities and to my suprise it seems Houston has more beautiful -- almost Bridle Path-esque like areas. Huge mansions overlooking golf courses etc.. My idea of Dallas is pretty much based on the 80's tv series... everyone filthy rich

Once again our friend from South Carolina pops in to admonish Canada for behaviour that he does not approve of! :nono::soapbox:

He posted here once that a video of someone with an obviously Canadian accent was NOT a Canadian because he did not sound the same as someone he knows from Saskatchewan.

I found the guy's post pretty stupid, but what does it have to do with him being from South Carolina or any other ignorant posts he's made? BC's premier resigned 2 days ago, ultimately not because of actual policy issues, but because of politicized ad-hominem sentiment, which is a damn shame.

Also, an article regarding the response to Nenshi for mayor:

Calgary’s New Mayor: Rising Above The Bigotry
The Calgary Herald
Fri Nov 5 2010
Naomi Lakritz

Some of the letters we received at my newspaper, the Calgary Herald, immediately after Naheed Nenshi was elected mayor last week — the first Muslim mayor of a Canadian city — will never be published.

They came mainly from Ontario — though that, of course, does not implicate all Ontarians in their message.

One was from Alberta, and again, that in no way makes Albertans complicit.

The letter writers said that Calgarians had elected Nenshi only because they wanted to be politically correct; they accused him of plotting to bring in Shariah law, and worse — accusations that would be laughable if they weren’t so tragic and so ugly...

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Rising+above+bigotry/3755910/story.html

the rest of the article is pretty mundane stuff about multiculturalism and what not, but I found it amusing that the overwhelming response was from Ontario, which sort of reflects the amount of attention given to the slightly-less moderated version of this thread on SSP, lol.

I found the guy's post pretty stupid, but what does it have to do with him being from South Carolina or any other ignorant posts he's made? \.

Because he has made a number of these types of statements in the forums before. Thought that was self evident, but I guess not.





http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Rising+above+bigotry/3755910/story.html

the rest of the article is pretty mundane stuff about multiculturalism and what not, but I found it amusing that the overwhelming response was from Ontario.

Well, duh. Ottawa is in Ontario, thus making it an Ontarian newspaper. Where were you expecting the "overwhelming response" to come from? Alaska? Unsurprisingly,
I expect that the "overwhelming response" to articles in the Vancouver Province come from (brace yourself) British Columbia. Chalk that one up to "Believe it, or Not".

The article in the Ottawa Citizen was about letters sent to the Calgary Herald that were "mainly from Ontario". Pretty sure the words "Calgary Herald" occured at least twice in the article.

The article in the Ottawa Citizen was about letters sent to the Calgary Herald that were "mainly from Ontario". Pretty sure the words "Calgary Herald" occured at least twice in the article.


Great Scott!! :eek: Shocking stuff, dleung. Kudos to the very brave Calgary Herald reporter for exposing this heinous and shocking national affair. I'm tempted to put forward her name for consideration of a Pulitzer Prize.

Great Scott!! :eek: Shocking stuff, dleung. Kudos to the very brave Calgary Herald reporter for exposing this heinous and shocking national affair. I'm tempted to put forward her name for consideration of a Pulitzer Prize.

if there's ever an article, however trivial, that's sure to get TB's panties in a knot... you'd know I'd won't pass it up, :)

if there's ever an article, however trivial, that's sure to get TB's panties in a knot... you'd know I'd won't pass it up, :)

Sorry, dleung, but I should confess that the truth is I didn't even bother to read the Calgary Herald article that emotionally stirred you so..... :cry: I was only just ever so gently pulling your leg about putting forward Naomi's good name for that award... but I remain here as your humble servant to provide a tiny ray of happiness into what might otherwise be a dull existence!! :cheers:

The column is written by someone from the Calgary Herald, reprinted in the Ottawa Citizen. The writer is Calgarian and refers to letters sent to the Calgary Herald from residents of Ontario.

You do realize, I hope, that newspapers share editorials to provide broader points of view, right? Christine Blizzard writes for the Toronto Sun, but our newspaper includes her column to provide a voice for mentally retarded conservatives, because that is what newspapers do.

Yes, clearly Naomi writes for the Calgary Herald

"Calgary’s New Mayor: Rising Above The Bigotry
The Calgary Herald
Fri Nov 5 2010
Naomi Lakritz"

I'll admit I'm sadly not familiar with the Calgary Herald, thus must have missed this bit of juicy investigative reporting when it was first released. My heartfelt thanks go out to dleung for his
ever vigilant eye in keeping his finger on the pulse of activities by those big bad ole' meanies in Ontario!! :D

For someone who's doing his best to downplay a trivial little observation "oh, i'm too cool to read the article", you're not doing a very good job, hahaha. Though you are providing a good distraction - as always - from the subject itself =)

There is no point trying to figure out how a visible minority won the elections in Calgary.

It isn't the ethnic votes nor is it the fact that the conservative vote split, its just one person being at the right place at the right time who happens to be Muslim.

I grew up in Toronto have lived in Vancouver and now live a few hours away from Calgary and Canada is diverse where anything can happen.

I currently work at an office where Muslims consume alcohol and Christians don't and to be honest its a waste of time paying attention to ethnicity especially when people at an individual level are all so different.

Calgary voted for a Muslim and Mississauga continues to vote for a female WASP, big deal this is Canada and anyone can win anywhere.

:ohno:

VS3buOr8Nm0

For someone who's doing his best to downplay a trivial little observation "oh, i'm too cool to read the article", you're not doing a very good job, hahaha. Though you are providing a good distraction - as always - from the subject itself =)

uh huh! You caught me, dleung. I am secretly really bothered about this girl's email account!!! hehe.....