大选结果显示加国华裔远离保守党

以少数族裔居多的905地区向来在加国选举中起着决定性作用。由于华裔人士价值观与保守党日趋保持一致，在以往数次选举中保守党均获得了华裔社区的支持。但此次联邦大选中，自由党在大多伦多周边的30个选区中囊括30个摇摆选区，而保守党却在905惨遭败北。包括许多华裔在内的上百万名加国族裔人士的选择证明，加国华裔一向所持的保守观念面临严峻挑战。

The Ontario critical 905 code—where ethnic minorities are the majority -- has a proven history of forming or breaking a government. The last few elections showed the Conservative government gained strong support from the ethnic Chinese, thanks to their aligned values with the party. But in this federal election, the Liberals swept the majority of seats in its 30 swing ridings in GTA suburbs, while the Conservatives were trailing far behind. The choice of millions of ethnic Canadians – including many ethnic Chinese, has revealed that the generally Conservative values of the Chinese Canadians face challenges.



保守党的财务政策，包括小型政府，节省开支和低税收等看似深得华裔人士的认同。前联邦保守党领袖哈珀认识到这股迅速发展的选民势力，在2011年大选前夕，移民部长Jason Kenny利用拉族裔选票策略大张旗鼓地向少数族裔展开攻势，以致保守党在少数族裔选民中获得31 %的选票而自由党仅获23%。哈珀在2015年再次拉拢华裔选民，并大肆赞扬与保守党一致的华裔价值观。在列治文山举行的中秋堂会庆典中，粉墨登场的哈珀面对济济满堂的华裔们说：“保守党才是你们当之无愧的领导政党！”

Conservative values, particularly its fiscal policies, seem appealing to Chinese – small government, cautious spending, and low taxes. The Conservative Party of Canada under Harper had recognized this rapid support force. Immigration Minister Jason Kenny had openly campaigned to woo the ethnic voters before the 2011 election, and his efforts have paid off. The Conservatives obtained 31 percent of the visible minority votes, while the Liberals gained only 23 percent. Harper also made a direct pitch to Chinese Canadians voters in 2015, extolling the aligned values between the community and his Conservative party. "The Conservatives should be your natural party," Harper said in a Mid Autumn Festival celebration in Richmond Hill.



看准了华裔的这种保守党情节的政治领袖还有安省省长道格•福特。据报几年前道格•福特就在市政厅表示，华裔社区持与保守党一致的理财价值观，并舔着脸称华裔社区对福特兄弟“忠心耿耿，宠爱有加”。福特的那句“刹住肥油列车”的口号，以及他做出的“让你的小金库满满”的保证打动了整个华裔社区人士的心。在2018年省选之前的民调显示，福特在华裔社区获得了高达65%的支持率！

Also tapping into Chinese Canadians' Conservative-leaning trend was Doug Ford, whose right-wing populism seemed resonating well with many Chinese Canadians. He reportedly said in the City Hall a few years ago that the Chinese community was fiscally Conservative and that the community loved the Fords. Ford's rhetoric to "stop the gravy train' and his promise to put more money in their pocket had hit home with the Chinese community, and the 2018 pre-election opinion polls showed that Ford gained as high as 63 percent of support from the ethnic Chinese.



但在福特多数党政府执政一年半后，他的右翼民粹主张逐渐失去华社民心，许多加国华裔感到所谓保守党的价值观理念在加国行不通，一些华裔成为福特大幅削减政策的牺牲品。福特上台后的狂削乱砍，特别是对教育支出的削减让重视教育的华裔家长不寒而栗。福特大刀一挥，砍掉多种教育项目，让从小学到初中到大学的各年级学生受累：中小学班级人数激增，大学生学费津贴减少，且由于教师职位的裁减，一些安省高中生也无法选到他们心仪的大学学科的必修课。

However, a year and a half into Ford's majority government, Ford's right-wing populism has lost its appeal, and many Chinese Canadians feel the loss of ground of the Conservative values and ideals. Many have become victims of his austerity measures. Ford government's dizzying arrays of changes, particularly cuts in education, have deeply hurt Chinese who place a high value on their children's education. The cuts have affected all ages of students and a variety of school programs: University students see tuition grants reduced while class sizes for elementary and high school increase. Resulting from the eliminated positions of teachers, many Ontario high school students have less access to courses required for their desired university programs.



福特的这种民粹行动暴露出了其险恶嘴脸，而他的为了人民的口号也成为了谎言。他的“保守财务政策”在华人社区引起强烈不满，动摇了他们的保守党执政的理念。福特的前华裔支持者们感到受了欺骗，后悔当初的投票选择。

Fords' popularity move has revealed its dark side, and his For the People mantra proved to be a lie.  His "fiscal Conservative policies" have prompted growing frustration and discontent among Chinese Canadians and threatened their beliefs in Conservative governing. Feeling betrayed, Ford voters now have 'buyer's remorse.

福特因素在此次联邦大选中起了相当的不良影响作用，民调显示福特成了熙尔联邦保守党的绊脚石。据Vote Compass的调查，51%的调查者称由于福特在安省的财务政策，他们决不会支持联邦保守党，而12%人士称，他们不太会支持保守党。人民党在此次选举中的惨败证明，包括许多华裔在内的其前支持者们对右翼民粹主义完全失去了信心。

Ford factor played a significant role in the recent federal election, and opinion polls showed he became a liability for the Scherer's Conservative party. According to a Vote Compass Survey, 51 percent of respondents said Ford policies in Ontario made them much less likely to vote for the Conservative Party, while 12 percent said somewhat less likely.  The stunning collapse of Peoples' Party in the election attests to the loss of confidence over the right-wing populism from its former core supporters – many of them being Chinese Canadians.