According to Statistics Canada for the first time Canada’s non white population has surpassed the 5 million mark. There is a facade that exists in Canada that has become a tainted mythology to the rest of the world that Canada is all about multiculturalism. Multiculturalism [in Canada] is not only perfidious it is an illusion that needs to die.
Canada is all smokes and mirrors the nation is about assimilation and exclusion not about dealing with race issues in an honest format or manner. Institutionalized racism is a very much entrenched, legislated, and mandated in Canada. For instance, many people from other countries that are engineers, doctors, teachers can’t receive accreditation in Canada because their education doesn’t meet “Canadian standards”. Another racist term utilized by human resources people in Canada is acquiring “Canadian experience”. It is just another way for the Mythical Norm to lock out people of colour from high skilled job positions and force these people into low skilled labor jobs. The Canadian government claims to be “trying” to find a solution. It is a broken record but it is a way in which supremacy is legislated and enforced.
The Aboriginal Canadians are treated very harshly and unfairly in Canada. Every single year there are land disputes and the racial tension between the Aboriginal Canadians and white Canadians. The discrimination against the First Nations people in Canada is a very serious issue. In fact, last summer in Ontario there was a land claim dispute between an Aboriginal community and white Canadians. The federal government chose to stay out of the quandary making the province of Ontario deal with the racial tension.
Unlike the United States Canadians ignore race or at least pretend that race doesn’t exist. In America, the Americans are cognizant of race and don’t try to ignore race. In Canada, there is this pretentious attitude that Canada is somehow less racist then United States. I believe Canadian racism is even more dangerous because of the hypocrisy to bigotry. In Canada the racism is institutionalized and entrenched in the frameworks of the society and culture.
If you visit the Canadian books stores and want to read about black Canadian culture you will find the following writers Dionne Brand, Austin Clarke, Nalo Hopkinson, Makeda Silvera, Lawrence Hill, George Elliott Clarke and that’s about it.
If you turned on the Canadian television you would swear Canada is still a white nation. If you have cable or a satellite dish watch the CBC, CTV, or Global television you will see countless stories about curling, hockey, the “traditional” Canadian culture. You won’t hear much about black Canadians unless it is black history month. Asian Canadians are hardly discussed much in Canada either.
The 2006 Canadian Census states that there are 5,068,100 visible minorities in Canada that account for 16% per cent of the total population. 96% of people of colour in Canada live in metropolitan areas specifically two cities Toronto and Vancouver. South Asians are the largest “visible minority” group in Canada making up 4% of the Canadian population or 1.4 million people, Chinese Canadians are second largest visible minority group in Canada at 1.2 million. I have a problem with the word “visible minority” I think its another form of “othering”. Black lesbian feminist wrote about “othering” in the controversial 1994 classic book “Bread Out Of Stone”. Are people of colour really a part of the Canadian fabric? I wonder?
After South Asians and Chinese Canadians the next largest visible minority groups are blacks, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese Canadians. I am surprised that the black Canadian population is the third largest non white group in Canada. According to the 2006 Canadian census 783,000 blacks live in Canada the vast majority have African or Caribbean heritage.
My complaint is why are all black Canadians lumped together into just one group. There is a richness to the African Diaspora. The “black Canadian” community is not a monolithic group there are Jamaicans, Haitians, Nigerians, people from the Caribbean, South America, Latin America, Kenyans, Southern Africans, East Africans. The Canadian census discriminates against the black Canadian communities because they generalize us. Its an example of supremacy. I think this is an important issue to explore. The East and South Asians are placed into different categories yet people of African descent we are treated as a monolithic group I have a problem with this.
On the Canadian census all it says is “black”. Does Statistics Canada not know there are black Canadians that live in the province of Nova Scotia? There are Africans from Africa, there are black Caribbean people, black people from South America as well. There is multiplicity in the African Canadian community.
It is true Canada’s non white population is growing and I believe this is a very positive thing. Far too often, when people think of Canada they immediately think white. However, the census didn’t explore issues such as the Canadian power structure. The city of Toronto has more visible minorities then white people. So why is the mayor of Toronto always the Mythical Norm? We don’t even question it? Why is the Police Chief in Toronto always the white heterosexual male? Why is the demographic of Canadian newspapers still so white? Why is the news anchors mostly white? Why is CBC still a white out? I don’t listen to CBC radio I tune into NPR because I know black people won’t be treated as an afterthought or a sideshow. I listen to Michel Martin’s program “Tell Me More”. At least in America NPR Radio gets it.
Although the province of Alberta has a bad reputation of being a racist redneck province Alberta has been attempting to attract more people of colour to the province. Alberta is actually a very rich western province with the oil surplus, higher employment opportunities. The problem I have with Alberta is the weather the place is simply too cold. Also the redneck reputation is still entrenched in Alberta it is the headquarters of the Conservative Party of Canada. The 2006 Canadian census proves the people of colour population in Canada is growing. However, the real issue now is how can non white Canadians exert our influence more in Canadian society. I feel the real social and political change needs to take place.
