Introduction
Discrimination is a phenomenon that has been observed world-wide. The concept of discrimination is the unequal and unfair treatment of an individual or group based off a unique trait of said group. Every society in the world is known for having some discriminatory factor and it is especially renowned within developed, capitalistic societies. The cultural mosaic has been a title held by Canada for a number of years. With visible minorities representing 22.3% of the Canadian population in 2016 and a predicted representation of 31.2% - 35.9% by 2036 (Statistics Canada, 2017), it is undeniable that Canada’s population is extremely diverse. However, it is well known that the diversity of this country is not necessarily reflected in
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Blalock (1967) attempted to understand the relationship between minority populations and the extent of discrimination by non-minority groups. Blalock argued that as visible minority populations rose, the minority population would continually be seen as a political and economic threat to the ‘ruling race’ and would then be ostracized and victimized (Banton, 1968; Chongatera, 2013). Building further upon Blalock’s theory, Alejandro Portes and Min Zhou (1993) suggest that visible minority groups that were economically and politically successful were seen as threats whereas unsuccessful visible minorities were seen as deviant (Chongatera, …show more content…
The three categories of offenders all differ in motivation, the first being driven by a need for excitement, the second by a perceived need of self defense, and the third is driven by a perceived duty to ‘cleanse the world of all evil’ (Bennett, Levin, & McDevitt, 2002; Boeckmann & Turpin-Petrosino, 2002; Chongatera, 2013).
Impacts of Racially Based Discrimination
Despite the difficulties in determining whether each crime against a visible minority is bias-motivated or not, there has been a significant increase in studies examining the damage done by hate crimes and discrimination (Vega, 1991; Barnes & Ephross, 1994; Boeckmann & Liew, 2002; De Maio & Kemp, 2009).
Countless studies have researched the connection between perceived racial discrimination and the likelihood of developing a severe mental illness. Currently, research shows that visible minorities in North America are inherently more likely to fall victim to mental health stress, which is commonly believed to be associated with their exposure to discrimination (De Maio & Kemp, 2009). In which case, allows them to be more susceptible to further mental stressors such as hate-crime victimization and a poor socioeconomic standing (Vega,
Canada is internationally recognized as a culturally diverse nation that emphasizes the concept of “The Mosaic”. No other country in the world encompasses inhabitants from so many different backgrounds who exhibit strong loyalty towards Canada, while still preserving their cultural heritage. This is contrasted to the American ideal of the "Melting Pot", which attempts to shape all of their citizens into a set mold. Canada’s philosophy is believed to be more effective and respectful than that which is possessed by our American neighbours. The following will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and analyze the impact of the structures on each country’s society.
Every individual in society is guaranteed a certain amount of protection and equality from the state regardless of their situation or background. Depending on how the terms discrimination and equality are interpreted in the courts will those rights apply.
Futhermore, another sector mentioned in the Ontario Human Rights Code that set precedent to Canadian courts is racial discrimination. Racial discrimination was a social injustice towards people of colour, ethnicity, and religion in the workplace. At around the same time as the Female Employees Fair Remuneration Act (1951) came the social movement of Fair Employment Practices Act (1951). This was a social movement to reverse social discrimination in the workplace. Frager and Patrias (2001) proposed a rationale on the issue of not challenging racial discrimination in Canada in their article “This is our country, These Are Our Rights': Minorities and the Origins of Ontario's Human Rights Campaigns.” In this article, the authors examined
In Canada the road to racism is compared by John Boyko to ladder the first rung being stereotypes. These stereotypes are brought to existence by popular culture such as newspapers, magazines, cartoons, and movies. The next rung is prejudice, which is the belief that stereotypes are true. These beliefs are portrayed in phrases such as, “They are all”; or “Those people”; prejudice only looks at groups not individuals. The next rung is discrimination which is an action based on prejudice. For example an employer not hiring someone because they believe the stereotypes about the group that that person belong to. The next rung that Boyko talks about is sanctioned discrimination. This is where the discrimination becomes entrenched in our laws and practices. After that the next step is systematic racism, which is seen in laws that promote segregation. This step leads to the next step, a need to purify the nation through exclusion or expulsion. And finally that last step, which is genocide, the deliberate extermination of a race. (Boyko; 1998) In this essay I would like to talk about the 5th step in the ladder, sanctioned discrimination. Canada, which prides itself on being a multicultural nation, has a
I would tell my co-workers that I don’t agree with their statement. Being a Canadian makes you just as responsible to help out other Canadian citizens, especially the ones who have been on this land before colonizers. Respect shouldn’t be optional but given to the Native communities who have suffered to make Canada what is known today. Because of certain aspects of Canadian history, past colonialism actions are still prominent today and are affecting Native communities greatly. For instance, the legacy of the ‘Indian princes’ and the ‘squaw’ still remains prominent in our society. Taking the recent case of a featuring Cree writer named Rosanna Deerchild, In 2015, Maclean's documented her experience of facing discrimination. “They call me a
Every nation in the world has unique characteristics that make its county and citizens unique. Although it may be hard to quantify the things that distinguish countries from one another, there is a universal recognition of an acceptable standard of living and human rights, which can be measured quantitatively. If you ask almost any Canadian where in the world is the best place to live, their answer out of patriotism, experience, or possibly lack of education will quite unequivocally be, Canada! However, if we look at the idea of basic human rights, Canada's history shows a considerable lack of fluidity when it comes to racism and discrimination to what is now in today's society socially acceptable. As famous South African President Nelson
anti-racism is the fight against discrimination done on the basis of color, cast or creed. elemination of racial discrimination as a major feature of canada's immigration policy was first done by the new regulation formed on 19 january 1962 in the house of commons by ellen fairclough, the first woman to serve as a federal cabinet minister. the new regulation stated "henceforth any unsponsored immigrant who has the requisiteeducation, skill, or other qualification will be considered suitable for admission, irrespective of color, race, or nationality". when the new regulation was implemented on 1 february1962, canada became the first of three large recieving countries in international migration. initially, the new regulation was a
The labeling of individuals and groups as ‘different’ is part of the process of creating social hierarchies, which represents the foundation of oppression (de Leeuw, Kobayashi, & Cameron, 2011). This story brings to light the denial of systematic racism of the indigenous people in Canada. It was established that although Canada prides itself in the great variety of culture and ethnicity and religion. However, despite such practices, racism is still a significant issue. Oppression is a contemporary issue for indigenous people because Canadians are still ignorant about aboriginal history. There is a misconception that aboriginals are either living in an idyllic utopian society or in a primitive world. “underprivileged” and “disadvantage”, lazy,
Discrimination is a big topic it can be blatantly out of discussion but it is important to stress that people of all race, gender and sex, religion or even sexual orientation. In Canada specifically has done some reasonable set of legal protections to prevent Canadians from being discriminated against but sometimes it is not that easy and things turn out of people’s control and will. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a section of the Canadian Constitution that makes it illegal for the government of Canada, and the provincial government to pass laws that either plainly discriminate against certain Canadians on the basis of their identity. Place an unfair burden on one group over another. The Supreme Court of Canada routinely overturns laws they perceive to be discriminatory on the grounds of Charter protections. Canada’s legislation called the Canadian Human Rights Act that prevents private entities, such as employers, landlords, schools, and stores from discriminating against clients or customers on the basis of identity. Discrimination cases of these sorts are decided by a government known as the Human Rights Tribunal that has the power to issue fines and or other corrective actions. The various provincial governments have their own human rights laws.
Hate crimes are difficult to fathom, primarily because they involve the unprovoked physical attacking and, sometimes, murder of people based on race and ethnicity. A more formal definition of hate crimes is presented by Shepard (2017, p. 285). As he writes, “a hate crime is a criminal act that is motivated by extreme prejudice,” This is a very good, concise and accurate definition, nevertheless, hate crimes are not the outcome of unimaginable heights of discrimination. Most people have prejudices and many have stereotypes regarding others, whether it be racial or class stereotypes. Nobody is completely lacking in any form, shape or type of prejudice but, the much greater percentage does not physically attack, beat or murder those whom they
As for what sort of bias and hate crimes typically occur in the US, several studies have found that of all the
A country built on immigration, Canada has long had a reputation of being culturally and ethnically diverse. While multiculturalism is meant to be built on equality and appreciation of different cultures, its concept has gained both support and opposition. On one hand, it allows for more assortment and the voices of minorities have a higher chance to be heard. On the other hand, loss of unity and conflicts may occur due to contrasting worldviews of the citizens. All in all, multiculturalism is a controversial policy that has both advantages and disadvantages, but has proven to be a successful strategy in Canada.
Racial discrimination in the workplace has been a persistent theme in Canada’s history as well as present-day times. The occurrence of actions and attitudes that impose a sense of one being less equal than another on the basis of one’s race in Canada’s workplace inhibits both our nation’s ability to move forward as well as strengthen unification within our country. The belief in a more egalitarian society, where one’s race and ethnic background have little to no impact on employees (or potential employees) standings within the job market, would seemingly be reinforced by the majority of Canadians, who consistently show support for Canada’s multicultural identity. Couple that with the noticeable strides Canada has made in the past several
Even though, Canada is recognized for plurality and multiculturalism, that does not mean that societal racism can be easily
Canada is routinely defined as the exemplar multicultural society with the most diverse cities in the world such as Vancouver, Toronto and Quebec. The concepts of integrity and complexity are being shaped in Canadian society because of its co-existence of different cultures. Indeed, multiculturalism has been a keystone of Canadian policy for over 40 years with the aim of pursuing Canadian unity (Flegel 2002). Accordingly, Canada is generally estimated a country where people are all equal and where they can share fundamental values based upon freedom. Diversity is sustained and promoted by governmental policy, however, there are still racist interactions, which are destructive to minorities integration, especially recent ethnic groups’ arrival (Banting & Kymlicka 2010). This paper will examine challenges that multiculturalism has brought society and residents of Canada.