Canadian Polemic

It's often very nice to think that in Canada, we're free from racism and discrimination. Canada, after all, is one of the most educated nations in the world, and we're known for our peacekeeping efforts around the world. Canadians are stereotypically friendly, generous, kind and tolerant. As an white, English-speaking male, I confess that I don't really run into blatant racism very much. When all the above is taken into consideration, it's easy to see how one might subconsciously put on blinders to discrimination in Canada.

But it's certainly there.

I was speaking to a good friend of mine, who hails from Central Africa. He's currently working on an internship in southwestern Ontario, in a city that's only about an hour-and-a-half away from where I'm living. He was telling me about the intense racial discrimination he's felt since he arrived there earlier this summer, including vandalism, verbal abuse and threats of violence. I was shocked and disturbed - the idealistic part of me wanted to believe that all Canadians were tolerant and accepting.

I imagine that there are many like me, who recognize that racism is a problem, but think that it certainly couldn't exist in Canada. We need to open our eyes a bit more and look past our idealistic views of the nation we call home. It's not without its problems. We have to be aware of these attitudes and actions, and work in our daily lives to correct them. The first step, as so many support groups argue, is recognizing that there is a problem.

Canada, we need to recognize that there is indeed a problem. In total, 459 incidents of anti-Semitism were reported in Canada in 2002, representing an overall increase of more than 60 percent over the previous year, and the highest number of incidents recorded in the 20 years of record keeping by the League for Human Rights. In 2004, there were 857 incidents. That's a problem.

There is some hope, however. Follow the example of Tony Comper, CEO of the Bank of Montreal, and his wife Elizabeth Comper, who together founded an organization called Fighting Anti-Semitism Together. There needs to be more of this.

Racism is a topic that should be foremost in our minds, though often it's shunted aside because perhaps we tire of it, or there is something more exciting to discuss. We have to stop doing that. We have to confront this head-on and make an active effort to stop racism in Canada.

Related Reading
Racism in Canada (Canadian Dimension)
Compers found FAST (Bank of Montreal)

First of all, apologies for the tremendous delay since my last post - internet problems have kept me offline for some time. Now, I recognize that the subject of my post is slightly old news by now in our age of lightning-fast media attention spans, but I want to write about Canada's new Governor-General Michaëlle Jean.

I'll admit that at first I was very disappointed in Canadian PM Paul Martin's choice. I for one am very tired of appointments being made for political reasons, where people are appointed or selected simply because of what colour their skin is, where they live or what language they speak best. I recognize that affirmative action programs and the like were once established to right an imbalance, but I think that their time has expired. Regardless, that's a debate for another day. In Ms Jean, I saw the Prime Minister making a blatantly political choice - it was a game of how many various constituencies can we appeal to in one person. As a black, Francophone, Haitian-born woman from Quebec, the PM hit as many nails on the head as is possible. I instinctively was disgusted for this reason alone - break the mold, Mr Prime Minister! Choose someone on merit, not for political considerations! Enough, already!

Then I heard some of her comments to reporters when she was appointed.

I was floored by the candid nature of her words, by her enthusiasm for the country and her commitment to making a difference. She told Canadians that one of Canada's greatest strengths is its capacity to evolve, and that she accepted the position on those grounds. "This is all so exciting," she told us, as she reaffirmed that "I am a woman of action, and I can’t wait to get started." She is reportedly planning to make Canadian youth a centerpiece of her time in Rideau Hall, as well.

I'm convinced that Ms Jean is precisely who we need in Rideau Hall, despite initial misgivings. I think that she'll be able to breathe even more life into it after Adrienne Clarkson so capably reinvigorated. I think that she reflects a new Canada, an excited, enthusiastic Canada that I certainly believe in and don't see nearly enough of on the national level. I hope that she can make Canadians excited about their country again - I have all confidence that she'll be able to do so.

Mr Prime Minister, in Michaëlle Jean you've accomplished a magnificent political feat - congratulations. But you've also done something more in terms of our national identity and our national energies - perhaps this will be your best legacy.