Community activist Aird Flavelle says there is a need for more ethnic and gender diversity in Fraser Valley politics.

In Abbotsford, corporate leadership and political leadership tends to be male dominated, yet 50 percent of the population identifies as female, he said. Flavelle said its important to keep in mind 25 per cent of Abbotsford's population have their roots in Punjab India. The previous city council had a perfect representation, Flavelle said: 50 per cent of representatives were female, 50 per cent were male and a quarter of them had roots in Punjab. But in the last election, he said the region lost diverse representation.

Flavelle said he and other white Canadians, who live with white privilege, need to do a better job understanding BIPOC perspectives.

Here is Flavelle speaking with CIVL on the issue: