Teresa Wat recognizes more than most the balancing act that needs to be performed on the stage that is Richmond’s multicultural “theatre.”
That’s why the second term BC Liberal MLA is concerned by the relatively new NDP provincial government’s decision not to have a ministry dedicated to multiculturalism, as was the case when her party ruled.
Wat - MLA for the new Richmond North-Centre riding and former and former Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism - has just been appointed the opposition critic for multiculturalism by her party leader Andrew Wilkinson.
She feels the new government has created a void by apparently not making her previous file a priority.
Case in point, said Wat, was the recent furore in Richmond when a large group of residents in the Brighouse area, many of Asian ethnicity, protested the siting of a modular housing project for the homeless in their neighbourhood.
“We (in Richmond) have close to half (of the population) born outside of Canada; it’s a very diverse population and a great community, but we do have issues,” explained Wat to the Richmond News.
“In terms of the modular housing issue, it’s important that, since this project originated from the provincial government, it should take into account Richmond’s diverse population; they have to consider that.
“There was not enough information out there beforehand and it came as quite a shock to some of the residents. They have to remember that new immigrants weren’t born here and perhaps don’t understand the system.
“If half the population doesn’t come from here, the B.C government has to take that into consideration.
“I understand there’s no law to stop this from happening, but you don’t want to upset the locals and you must embrace everybody. We shouldn’t be divided by our differences, it shouldn’t be about ‘them and us.’”
New immigrants, added Wat, “bring in their culture; but we need to learn to share and integrate.
“There needs to be more dialogue and there needs to be more understanding (from immigrants) of our political system.”
In contrast, Wat said she hasn’t been slow in offering some blunt advice to constituents who came to her to voice their anger about the homeless housing project.
“Constituents have been coming to me to complain about this, saying it should not have happened during the Lunar New Year, when many people are going to Asia,” she said, indicating the majority of them are Asian immigrants.
“I tell them that they need to be making more effort to get involved in local politics and know more about what’s happening in their neighbourhoods.
“I encourage them to learn more English; we don’t want this to become a racial issue. I tell them that it’s difficult for them to fully integrate unless they learn English; it’s too easy to come here with lots of money, having Chinese media here; I tell them to not be lazy.
“And I ask them ‘why did you come (to Canada)?’ I keep hearing that they are being discriminated against, but I tell them to get to know the locals more and understand them first.”
Wat said she got the multiculturalism file after a one-to-one with new BC Liberal Party leader Andrew Wilkinson.
“(He) asked if we were happy in our roles (I was the trade critic at the time),” said Wat.
“I did say I would like to take on the multiculturalism file as well. He agreed with me that we need a new direction on multiculturalism.
“We think multiculturalism is an important part of the economy and that’s why we think there should be a specific focus on it.
“We want to be able to help our newcomers to Richmond and the entire B.C.
“More than 20 per cent of Canadians were born outside of Canada and, in Richmond, 46.7 per cent of residents were born outside of Canada.
“Multiculturalism is a national policy and it’s not just about new immigrants; it’s Francophones, Aboriginals, it involves all of us, it’s everybody working together.
“I had the specific role in multiculturalism in the last government, it was a priority for us…it should be a priority for the NDP as well.
“It’s very important for us to embrace our difference and recognize that we’re all part of the same community.
“If we understand the culture of each other, that will be to our advantage; we are on the Asia Pacific Coast here and those differences make us stronger.”
Wat was first elected as an MLA for Richmond Centre in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017 in the new North-Centre riding.
