Why are we so culturally insecure that we must look to the United States for inspiration on any and all fronts?

Sorry, to be clear I was focusing on the “guy” not the “white”. I think Canada has a long way to go on that front actually — we’re a lot whiter than the US, especially when relative proportions of population are considered.

Jarrid- “Why are we so culturally insecure that we must look to the United States for inspiration on any and all fronts?”

I totally agree although I am surprised it is you who said this. based on some of your past commentary I had read you (perhaps mistakenly) as fairly pro-American.

On the question at hand I agree with cameron that we are considerably “whiter” than the U.S. and thus it may be a while. I would add that lack of the white vs. black history that has occured in the U.S. means that our cultural narrative is somewhat more open than the U.S.
In other words, the Americans wouldn’y ask when there will be a “non-white” Prez, they would have asked when there would be a “black” Prez because that is the way their major cultural divide works. For us it is more of a 3 or 4 way race (Black Canadians, South Asian Canadians, Aboriginal Canadians, Asian Canadians) between groups with significant populations and significant historical contributions to the nation. That may cause it to take longer here since it is less of a polarizing issue and consequently may not encourage people to vote in the same way. I think it’ll be the NDP who do it first and unfortunately I don’t think the first attempt will go very well. That would be my predicition.

Aaron,
Maybe you have forgotten, but Canadians do not ELECT a Prime Minister at all. Canadians elect an MP/Party. The party picks the leader (as noted above). So the random question should be “when will Canadian political parties choose a non-white male?”

It’s not really relevant in the Canadian political context. As for the general underrepresentation of minorities, it’s a combination of political candidates being drawn from the well-off, the anti-urban tilt of riding boundaries and the old boys club that is the Liberal party.

If you want a Canadian Barack Obama, look at the five dollar bill.

What a sexist and racist question!

When will Party Leaders stop blaming election results they don’t like on one of the parties who honestly contested said election?

Honestly, where does Elizabeth May get off blaming the NDP because Canadians elected Stephen Harper? The NDP ran a decent campaign and increased their seat count. Were they supposed to do otherwise?

Does she have even the slightest idea how democracy works?

Have we all overlooked the obvious? The PM is not the official head of state.

The Governor-General has been black, female, Asian, Ukrainian, Haitian, yadda yadda…

True, it’s not an elected position, and mostly symbolic, but let’s give credit where credit’s due.

P.S. – Saying “with all due respect” does not absolve you of the duty to actually show respect. Unless by due respect you mean there is no respect due, therefore you are free to not show any.

^ Which is something of a problem. We have a pseudo-presidential executive branch, where the electoral college also happens to be the legislative branch. It has all become rather strange and unhealthy.

When one of two things happens — it becomes routine to put people who are not white guys at the power ministries on the front bench, which allows them to build leadership-quality resumes, or if a historical accident happens and a powerful rebel wing of a major party finds itself without a natural candidate, and they have to scramble for one. (That’s how the Tories got Maggie.)

Mike 514 … and don’t forget there was also a GG who was NDP!

“To say that in the history of Canada, there has never been a female qualified to be PM? Please…”

Well, we’re hardly talking the “history of Canada” though, are we? It was obviously impossible for a woman to hold the role before they had a right to vote, yes? McPhail was the forst female MP, so we’re talking mid-twenties on. To be realistic, looking at Canadian history, we’re probably talking Trudeau on.

I think if a qualified candidate emerged today, she would be elected. Look at the Liberal field – nobody’s visible. In the history of the Liberal party, the only female candidates to make it to the first ballot of a leadership convention are Sheila Copps and Martha Hall Findlay, and they have some real issues as candidates. On the Conservative side of things, only Belinda Stronach and Kim Campbell spring to mind, and the track record of both is less than stellar.

“P.S. – Saying “with all due respect” does not absolve you of the duty to actually show respect. Unless by due respect you mean there is no respect due, therefore you are free to not show any.”

Copps, Findlay, Stronach and Campbell. These are the four female candidates who have run for party leadership. When I say “with all due respect”, it’s because all four have done things deserving of respect. None, however, would ever get my vote for Prime Minister of Canada. In other words, it isn’t necessary to pretend that any of the four was especially qualified.

Now my actual point, which you ignored, is that I’d rather hear a minister’s qualifications – in other words, I’d much rather hear about Leona Aglukkaq’s track record as a civil servant and MLA in Nunavut than I would that she’s Inuk and a woman. One has a bearing on her competency as a minister, the other doesn’t. I think it’s a shame that Canadian politics isn’t mature enough that we can judge these people on track record rather than gender/race.