The political affiliations of Arab Canadians: Between multiculturalism and religion

This research looks at the political ideology and political affiliation of Muslim and Christian Arab Canadians. Using two datasets derived from the Canadian Election Study (CES), I hypothesize and confirm that Arab Canadians vote more consistently Liberal than non-Arab Canadians, despite being more religious and right-wing than the general population. I statistically analyze voting differences between Arab immigrants and Canadian-born Arabs, as well as between Muslim and Christian Arab Canadians specifically, comparing them to other immigrants and Canadian-born non-Arabs. I also draw upon twenty interviews with Arab Canadians to add nuance to the quantitative results. The participants share that the strongest reasons for voting Liberal are rhetoric and values focused on multiculturalism and acceptance of Arabs/Muslims/immigrants/social minorities. This indicates that Arab-origin Liberal Party support stems from multiculturalism and that their ‘party of immigrants’ image is intact. However, this support is weakening in the Arab Canadian population, indicating a possible downturn in votes from this support group.