The Scope of Political Participation

This article explores the differences in the factors that promote and inhibit political participation, both in the home countries and in Canada, of a group of Latin American immigrants. The reported findings emerge from interviews with 100 Latin American immigrants living in Toronto. Results suggest that while in their countries of origin the repression installed by military regimes was the main inhibitor of political participation in Canada, length of residence, negative previous political experiences, language skills, and discrimination hinder the political engagement of this group of immigrants.