People from 15 cultural communities packed a room in Montreal's most-diverse neighbourhood to discuss one issue: why aren't more of them in politics?
Across Canada members of visible minorities are under-represented at all levels of government.
Abdul Muttalib is one of many who thinks that needs to change.
"We feel like we're neglected. We don't have participation neither in the federal government or Quebec government, nor city of Montreal, nor the police of Montreal," said Muttalib.
"think discrimination and other issues needs to be minimized in that case there should be more visible minority participation in all levels of government."
Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand agrees wholeheartedly.
"Right now we know there are only six elected officials who are visible minorities in the whole of the agglomeration out of 208 and that's got to change," said Rotrand.
Despite Montreal being the hub for diversity in Quebec, many people at Tuesday's meeting said they simply did not know how to become politically active.
Some said they wanted parties to reach out to them to promote candidates.
Claude Dauphin, the borough mayor for Lachine, said that was a distinct possibility.
"I think in Montreal because we have political parties, should be easier to attract visible minorities, because each leader of the party have to sign their application at the end," he said.
Peter Francis of the Black Coalition of Quebec said it is also up to visible minorities to work together.
"At the end of the day we have the power to vote. And we have approximately 600,000 minority individuals in Montreal and just based on those numbers alone over 30 percent, 40 percent... If we have a strategy and we unite with fellow francophones and anglophones who believe in social justice we can pretty much effect whatever change we want," said Francis.
By the end of the evening many had agreed to open more dialogue between their fellow minority community members and develop a united front.
