Silence Is What Lets Things Fade Away—Participation Is the Answer
August 17, 2026, 8:26 p.m.
This Will Not Simply Fade Away
Someone asked me: After all this effort, what will ultimately come of it? Can the motion be withdrawn? Can the October election really change anything?
My answer is that neither outcome is the true measure of whether this effort matters. Its real significance lies elsewhere:
For the first time, the Chinese community has taken concrete action to tell City Council that we care about procedural fairness, we care about the limits of public power, and we care about being treated fairly.
“Only silence allows things to fade away without resolution. Participation itself is the answer.”
As long as people are willing to stand up, speak out, and hold public authorities accountable, this has already become a turning point.
This is not about me personally. It is about ensuring that anyone exercising public power must think twice before crossing the line: Will someone stand up and challenge it?
The Canadian government has formally apologized for imposing the Chinese Head Tax. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed long ago. But an apology and a repeal do not, by themselves, provide lasting protection.
Real safeguards come from sustained civic participation. Only by defending our principles today can we protect ourselves tomorrow.
And participation begins, ultimately, with one thing:
Voting.
That is what I have been advocating for more than a decade.
Jason Liu, Greater Vancouver Real Estate Specialist
Why I Began Writing
My name is Jason Liu. I became a real estate agent in January 2008, and that was also when I began writing articles. I wrote one article every week—52 articles a year—for ten years, until I stopped in early 2018.
I first became interested in elections because of my clients. Whenever an election came around, people would ask me:
How should I vote? Who should I vote for?
I realized that voting was an entirely new experience for many immigrants. We had not been exposed to it before, and we did not understand how electoral politics worked.
So I began educating myself. During each election, I researched the candidates’ backgrounds, promises, and platforms. I also learned how the voting process worked and then shared what I had learned through my writing.
From the very beginning, I have believed that someone capable of representing us is someone who understands what we are saying and recognizes our concerns and needs—regardless of ethnicity.
I have never argued that Chinese voters should vote only for Chinese candidates. In fact, I have encountered some Chinese candidates whose prejudices against new immigrants were even stronger than those of candidates from other ethnic backgrounds. I would not support such people.
There is only one standard that matters:
Are they willing—and able—to truly listen to you?
Mayor Malcolm Brodie has served Richmond for more than twenty years. He is not of Chinese descent, but he understands the makeup of the city. He has remained actively involved in community events over the years and has maintained a strong relationship with the Chinese community.
That is the point I want to make:
Ethnicity has never been the deciding factor. What matters is policy—and whether someone is genuinely listening.
I Have Been Making the Same Point for More Than a Decade
Around 2014 or 2015, I helped establish a community of local entrepreneurs called 1029 Café.
The message I repeatedly shared with its members was that we should not focus only on our own businesses. We should step outside our immediate circles, learn about local public affairs, and take part in them.
I also suggested that local Chinese-language media publish a candidate guide during every election. Such a guide could clearly organize information about the candidates in each electoral district, allowing voters to make their own informed decisions.
I have always been saying the same thing:
“Who you vote for is your choice. What matters is that you vote.”
When a community’s voter turnout remains consistently low, its concerns are less likely to become part of the public agenda.
This is not necessarily a question of one group deliberately targeting another. It is an outcome that can be clearly seen in the data.
That is also why I have been writing more frequently this year.
I have written about what community organizations are supposed to do. Their purpose is not simply to hold meetings, pose for group photographs, or attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
There is only one meaningful measure of whether a community organization is effective: Can it actually get people to the polls?
I turned this approach into a publicly available, practical guide that any ethnic community can use—and I hope they will.
Increasing voter participation is not the responsibility or concern of any one community alone.
Jason Liu, Greater Vancouver Real Estate Specialist
What Else I Have Been Doing
In addition to writing articles, I have focused primarily on three things over the years.
1. Running a Company
I am the President of Luxmore Realty.
Our business includes property management, residential sales, commercial real estate, and the marketing and sales of new developments. We serve clients throughout Greater Vancouver.
My work was also the starting point of my interest in voter participation. The first people who asked me, “How should I vote?” were my clients.
luxmore.ai
2. Writing Books
I have published ten books over the years.
My first book, A Guide to Buying and Selling Real Estate in Vancouver, was a practical guide for the real estate industry. My later writing developed in two main directions:
- Artificial intelligence and economics or management: AI Economics, AI Management, AI Marketing, AI-Empowered Digital Marketing Management, and AI Commander.
- How people make decisions: How Does the World Work?, Invisible Choices, and The Choice Laboratory, as well as my most recent book, The Secret Mission of Opendeed.
3. Building a Business
I founded Opendeed AI, an AI-native company.
We use artificial intelligence to redesign property management from the ground up. We are not simply adding an AI feature to an existing process; we are rethinking and rebuilding the entire process.
opedeed.ai
My motivation for writing these books and building these businesses is fundamentally the same as my motivation for writing about voter turnout.
People make poor decisions not because they lack intelligence, but because they cannot see the rules shaping the situation they are in.
The choices we fail to see are often the ones that truly shape our destiny.
I am not saying this to promote myself. I want to make one thing clear: I am not someone who merely shouts slogans.
Everything I do—running a company, writing books, and publishing articles—is grounded in the same belief:
If a community neither understands the rules nor participates in shaping them, it will have no choice but to live by rules set by others.
Voting is the most direct and accessible way to put this principle into practice.
Finally
On October 17, please vote.
Who you vote for is your choice. What matters is that you show up and vote.
Luxmore Realty | Jason Liu | Author of AI Economics
Infrastructure determines the ceiling; data determines the moat.