Liberal candidate’s WeChat post draws criticism for singling out race of byelection opponent Jagmeet Singh

Vancouver (The Star) – From the vantage point of Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain, which runs through the heart of the federal riding of Burnaby South, the blocks whiz by, filled with condos, three-storey walk-ups, small businesses, large shopping centres and, notably, a plethora of food options, from Polish diners to Korean BBQ joints.

As one of the most diverse ridings in the country, where more than 68 per cent of 111,000 residents identify as visible minorities, political analysts have questioned how race would play out in the campaign leading up to the Feb. 25 byelection.

On Saturday, they got an answer when Liberal candidate Karen Wang used WeChat, a Chinese social media platform, to urge supporters to vote for her, “the only Chinese candidate” in the riding, rather than NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who she identified as “of Indian descent.” Singh, who is vying for his first seat in the House of Commons, is Canada’s first non-white federal party leader. The other candidates are Conservative Jay Shin and People’s Party of Canada’s Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson.

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By Melanie Green with files from Joanna Chiu