Our racist house?

The Nova Scotia legislature isn’t the most diverse assembly on the planet—perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority of seats belong to white dudes. Of the 52 MLAs currently sitting, only nine are women. And then there’s Percy Paris.

When the rookie MLA for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank was elected last June, he was the only African-Nova Scotian to win a seat. Since arriving at the house, Paris says that the atmosphere has been less than welcoming—and he alleges that his unfriendly reception at Province House is rooted in race.

It began, he says, on the day he was to be sworn in. “I’m talking to another member of the house from another party, who I know, and another member from this person’s party comes along and tugs on his arm. He pulls him aside and says, ‘Who’s that you’re talking to? Who’s he?’ ‘Oh, that’s the member for Fall River-Beaver Bank, he beat so-and-so.’ But, they’re having this conversation, and it was like I wasn’t even there.”

Since then, Paris says there have been other incidents, which have grown increasingly difficult to ignore. He describes most of the discrimination as subtle, but persistent: His colleagues avoid making eye contact in the halls, won’t shake his hand, won’t sit with him in the legislature lounge during meals and generally go out of their way to avoid him. When he is acknowledged, Paris says he’s been derisively referred to as “boss.”

Paris also says that when he speaks in the house, he is subject to more intense heckling than his fellow MLAs. He describes the atmosphere as “oppressive.”

“I noticed that every time I would get up to speak, the volume would go up a few notches,” he says. “I didn’t say anything about this for a long time, but I feel in order to be true to myself, I have to bring up some of these issues. There’s no personal benefit in me bringing this up. What have I got to gain from this but shit and abuse?”

After reviewing recordings from the house of assembly, House speaker Cecil Clarke said on Wednesday that there was no evidence to indicate that Paris had been treated any differently than his colleagues. He has also said that as a first-time MLA, Paris may not be fully used to the nature of debate in the house. Still, Paris says, “I’ve raised the issue and talked about it with some of my NDP colleagues, and they’ve noticed as well.”

Paris says he hasn’t yet been able to discuss the matter with much of his constituency in Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank, but he hopes that his constituents would understand why he felt the need to speak out.

“I would hope that they would understand that we’ve got to talk about these things if we want to make this a better province—it isn’t just a personal concern,” he says. “This isn’t about, ‘Percy Paris doesn’t have thick skin.’ I’m a sixth generation African-Nova Scotian. If that doesn’t build thick skin, I don’t know what does. And this isn’t about Percy Paris playing the race card. It’s about doing the right thing.”

Do the right thing. Email: mikef@thecoast.ca

This article appears in Jan 18-24, 2007.