Loudly Telling the Story of Chinatown

【CMHnews post】Report by Lynn Wang

LEADER OF ALBERTA’S NEW DEMOCRATS

NAHEED NENSHI 

On July 22, Naheed Nenshi is secured a commanding victory with 86 percent of the vote from over 85,000 party members, becoming the new leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. He has been described as a leader with charisma, talent, and the ability to connect with others.

CMHnews reporter Lynn Wang（left） Naheed Nenshi（right）

     On the evening of September 12, the Edmonton Chinese Community Organization Alliance hosted a welcome dinner for Naheed Nenshi. The event was chaired by Nathan Ip—the MLA for Edmonton-South West and featured congratulations from other provincial legislators on Nenshi's successful election as the leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. CMHNews was invited to the event and conducted a brief interview with Nenshi after he saw downtown Chinatown.

     Edmonton's Chinatown, with a history of over a hundred years, was once one of the most proud communities of overseas Chinese culture. However, today it is known for being filled with homeless individuals, crime, and drug use, with safety issues remaining a serious concern. This change began after a social service centre for homeless individuals was established near Chinatown. We don't understand why the government allows these drug use sites to be located near Chinatown.

     Q1:How do you think it is unfair to our Chinese minorities?

     N:So today I have a chance to take a long tour of Chinatown with my colleagues including the MLA for this area Janis Irwin. And I saw a lot of things. I saw a lot of things that would make people uncomfortable, social disorder. In fact, we were actually as we were walking down the street, seeing someone had a drug poisoning episode. I saw businesses that are nervous and struggling about the future.  But what I really saw was the resilience that you always see in Chinatown. For 100 years Chinatown has been here. When I saw the seniors playing Majong and practicing their crafts and realizing they're not going to let anything stop them from coming to their society building. When I saw the two young entrepreneurs hoping will, who are opening two new businesses on 97th Street. And I talked to the gentleman who’s been running his bakery with his family for 40 years. I realized nothing can keep this Chinatown down. What we really need to do is ensure that the provincial government is there for these folks. So that we've got real answers on housing to help the vulnerable on the street finding place to live. And

we're supporting small businesses, not just to start and to grow, but to thrive. We're supporting every cultural community, ensuring that elders have places to go where they feel comfortable, where they are able to move forward in their lives.

     N:So you're gonna hear me talk tonight, about  what I was doing, just before I became a candidate in this position. I had the chance to be on a CBC Show called Canada Reads. And the book that I chose that I thought everyone in Canada should read, was a book that has happened twice on the East and it is called Dennison Avenue. It is about Toronto's Chinatown, and mostly it's about elders in Toronto's Chinatown, and how their neighborhood is leaving them, and how the place where they've always felt comfortable no longer feels like home. And I think it is absolutely critical for us to understand that we have to build community everywhere, but we have to build community that is rooted in people's lived experiences and in their culture. So I Learned a new phrase today, and I'm going to mispronounce it, “wema” , talking about culture and how community has to be rooted in that kind of culture.

     Q2:We know you are the head of NDP right now. And lots of Chinese people will support the NGP party. Because there are some educational policy and health care systems support social systems. So I am going to see if we can count on  Chinatown to do something in the future.

     N:The good news is that my history has been one of very strong support for Calgary strikes.Now that faces a whole different set of issues, but some of the things are very similar. In the way that the public institutions are not valuing culturally significant communities, especially our China towns that have you stayed,  have been here for more than 100 years. And my mind goes back to city planning things. To be honest, just parking here and realizing that there's no proper public infrastructure.There's no sidewalks. There's no welcoming areas for people to be able to come in, when they get off the bus. Now those are municipal things.But I think that by large province needs to support this community to thrive. And we have to figure out what the particular issues in this community are to start with social disorder but they don't end there.

     Q3:Wonderful and I'm questioning is about,  I know Chinatown is the old question. There are lots of issue here but actually this a collective problems here. It's not just for simple reason behind it. So do you think Chinatown became like that, it's just because there's lack of Chinese politicians？

     N:I heard a story today, about how when Canada Place was being built, the idea there was that we would craft a brand new amazing China town, just to blocks away. There was endless discussion on a Chinatown master plan, which never really got implemented. And then, when the LRT and the quarters were being built in what's now South Chinatown, that the Chinatown master plan was just discarded. To me this is not something that happens. It doesn't happen in mainstream cultural communities. But what I Learned today, is that the activists in the Chinese community are fighting hard to ensure that their voices are heard. The thing that was the most exciting about for me today, was to see elders in the community, standing side by side with 20 something activists, talking about inclusion, talking about the kind of community they want to build.

     And probably the most touching thing for me today was to see a young mural artist called Brandon, who is building a Guardian dragon from the East for the Chinatown community. But that piece of art and the poem on that piece of art talks about a Chinatown for everyone. It talks about our our obligations to indigenous people. And it talks about how we have to ensure that we unhoused people and the vulnerable people in the community, also are valued, and have a place to live with dignity. To me that is so emblematic of the spirit that Chinatowns have always had, that spirit is we're not here to fix it for ourselves, we're here to fix it for everyone.

     Q4:That's a last question but not the least. You are the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city. As a representative of a minority group in politics, do you face specific challenges?

     N:That’s a great question. I was the first person of colour to serve as a mayor of a major community. I was the first Muslim mayor in the western world.  When I was first elected I got famous real fast. And not because of my great ideas, but because of those things.  I wanted to say to people around the world, the Calgarians didn’t care. They cared about my plans for Calgary Transit. But I realize after a while that in fact, it is important that we as Canadians as Albertans really need to tell a story loudly in a place, where a diversity world，where diversity is under threat. We need to tell a story loudly about a place where pluralism works. If I can be a little tiny piece of that, and if I can be a little tiny role model for that, I think that's great! I know of a young woman in Calgary. I was succeeded by a female self Asian mayor. And I know of a young girl in Calgary, who was looking at candidates were thinking of running for mayor this time, and she actually asked her mom”Oh! Can a white man be the mayor?” I don't think that's so bad.

     “For Alberta. For all of us.”Naheed Nenshi's slogan signifies a commitment to inclusive leadership and governance. It reflects his dedication to addressing the needs and concerns of all Albertans, emphasizing unity and collective progress. The slogan suggests a focus on policies that benefit the entire province, while also highlighting the importance of community and shared values.

     Minority groups face significant challenges in obtaining political resources and opportunities. Despite these challenges, Naheed Nenshi has achieved notable success in the political arena through his leadership, influence, and commitment to public service, becoming a positive role model. 

     We eagerly anticipate the positive changes that Naheed Nenshi will bring to Chinatown and extend our heartfelt congratulations on his election as the new leader of the NDP. We look forward to seeing more Chinese politicians emerge and amplify our voices, sharing our stories with pride and strength.