Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to situate the idea that the City of Toronto is a leader on addressing issues of diversity, racism and democracy within the context of diversity discourse and the racial norms that are incited by it.
Design/methodology/approach
A genealogy and critical discourse analysis of City of Toronto documents from 1975 to 2017 involving consultations with racial Others on issues of diversity, race and/or racism was conducted.
Findings
The author shows how the specific racial norms that continue to make up diversity discourse as “truth” in the City of Toronto are reproduced through the commodification of racial Others and the re-framing of their racial claims, to re-generate the narrative of the diverse City of Toronto where all are welcome to participate and belong.
Practical implications
Implications for senses of place are discussed.
Originality/value
This paper adds critical depth to understanding increased participation of racialised communities as a mechanism for achieving socio-political change in government and non-government institutions. Initiated in a local context, the findings of this paper are intended to contribute to a global reservoir of critical knowledge on diversity, race, democracy, political participation and power.
