The Perpetuation of Racism in Canada by the Mainstream News Media

The government of Canada decided that the country could be a mosaic of cultures where people from different countries could keep their nationalities and still be called canadian therefore allowing an influx of different cultures. The royal commission came up with the idea of "cultural pluralism" and encouraged the government to reflect this in their policies. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the prime minster in 1917 accepted this policy called the multiculturalism policy. In 1988, the governement of Canada also imposed the "Multiculturalism Act" . The factors influencing these two policies/acts were quite similiar to one another. In mid-1960s, the troubled English-French realtions in Canada desperately needed a solution. They preferred the idea of a cultural mosaic. After establishing this policy racism reduced significantly as every ethnic group was to be treated the same way, allowing canada to be a cultural hub. In the context of theory so far everything seems to be working smoothly but the real question that we need to ask ourself is whether multiculturalism is working in our society or not ? Do we feel comfortable living amogst all the different kinds of people and are content with our lifestyle? Take education for an example. A university in North America called Stanford had a program in which the curriculum was designed

Canada’s identity comes in many shapes and forms. Multiculturalism has been adopted and is at the forefront of Canadian identity. Following the Second World War, Canada’s multiculturalism policies became more acceptable and even successful in, not only accepting, but inviting multiple ethnic cultures in. In contrast to other countries, multiculturalism adaptation works for the Canadian culture. Canadian policies on multiculturalism have shifted over the past few decades; policies are now implemented for integration, not discrimination.

Throughout the years living in JNF, I’ve asked myself “why are there so many negative stereotypes and what causes them? The media does not report positive stories of the neighbourhood, so when something bad happens, that becomes a brand. As a result, it affects that people who lives there because they continue to receive messages that implies that they are more likely to become criminals because of where they reside. Not only do blacks receive a negative responses for living in JNF, but also people of other cultural backgrounds. As I’ve stated before, my thought-process in the Caribbean was that blacks were the only ones that experience racism, but I began to realize that this was untrue. For example, after the Canadian government was done using Chinese for labour to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, they were deemed useless where some were left with no jobs and the others were unfairly paid compared to their white counterparts (Packota, 2017). Similarly, Japanese, Jewish and South Asians faced hardships too. 1967 was a pivotal period in Canadian history due to the changes in the immigration laws as the system became less objective. This was done by developing a point system to protect applicants from racial discrimination.

The problem of the 21st Century is the problem of the color line: Mass Media and Systemic Racism

Canada adopted multiculturalism as an official policy, which allows the value and dignity of all Canadians, regardless of their racial origins, language or religious affiliations. Plus the status of two official languages, French and English. Canada promotes multiculturalism by encouraging Canadians to participate in all aspects of life. Regardless of their background, anyone can participate in social, cultural, economic, and political affairs. Everyone is equal to one another. Everyone has the right to be heard. These rights are provided to us through our Canadian constitution and our charter of rights and freedoms. Some people come to Canada and have a history of hate towards an ethnic group. Promoting hatred is not permitted in Canada. You have the right to have your own ethnicity in Canada but you must also respect others right to do the same. Canada has experienced racial and ethnic tensions. But the majority of Canadians are fair minded. We will accept and respect them that will accept and respect us. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the freedom of religious expression. For those who are new comers to Canada, you may contribute to this country’s diversity. But you need to be prepared to live in a

First off, I will tell my friend that we are all responsible, and it’s a fact and an debated opinion. Partaking in Canada’s systems and institutions is us directly contributing to the modern-day dehumanization and genocide that is happening towards Indigenous people today. Indigenous Canadians are not being treated equally; they’re treated worst. Only recently after several years of disappearance, the Canadian government has begun to discuss and bring awareness towards the murdered and missing Indigenous woman of Canada. (Anderson, 2016, p.90) While, some can only perceive that the negative stereotypes surrounding Indigenous daughters contributed to the lack of government attention, in comparison to other women. Thus, these stereotypes created

One of the largest and most prevalent social issues in Winnipeg is the prejudice and racism directed towards the city’s indigenous population. Maclean’s magazine has gone as far to claim that Winnipeg is the “most racist city in Canada”. Unfortunately, there are many facts and events to support this claim. One particular instance would be the case of Brian Sinclair. The 45-year-old man waited 34 hours in hospital before s doctor saw to him, but by that time he was already dead.

Multiculturalism is the co-existence of diverse cultures. In practical terms, I believe multiculturalism does not truly exist in Canada. We often compare ourselves between Canada and the United States. We often think immigrants to Canada maintain and celebrate their heritage, creating a national mosaic, while newcomers to the United States must abandon all cultural baggage and adapt into the homogenous Americans. This image as Canadians are grossly simplistic.

Canada is seen as a democratic society. It is the belief that as Canadians one is supposed to promote the principles of justice, equality and fairness. In doing so, Canada has become one of the most diverse country in the world. Most Canadian universities, such as Ryerson, also aims to promote these democratic values. This done through advertising Canadian universities as inclusive and welcoming to all students. However, this appears to be a fallacy. The reason why this is a fallacy is because Canadian society promotes racism and discrimination in the subtlest way possible. Society does this through making anti-discrimination or anti-inequity policies, but people still do not see how it perpetuates. In Frances Henry and authors Race, racialization

Canada is a country that sets an international standard for the acceptance of people of all cultures and ethnicities, that is why is not surprising that Canada adopted the official policy of multiculturalism in 1971. Canada became the first country in the world to officially adopt multiculturalism therefore linking all citizens and celebrating the multitudes of race, religion, and cultural ethnicities that exist throughout the country (Government of Canada 2012). The policy has been a topic of controversy amongst citizens and scholars due to the belief that it almost has a certain “un-nationalistic” quality that doesn’t put Canadian culture first when in fact, the policy is designed to incorporate all the varying cultures into one unified Canadian

“I carry a piece of identification in my wallet based on my ethnicity.” Wab Kinew (Huffington Post, 2016). The outcome of First Nation’s funding for education, and quality health care is based on their ethnicity. There are two forms racism in this country, the rude name calling that is not as bad as it was back 50 years ago, but it still exist in our day and age today. The other form is a more of a silent one that the government performs which First Nations people are born into and are blind too. And they try to keep this on the DL, which is sick. The lack of funding to first nations education. “Indigenous students receiving $4,000 less per pupil in annual funding than every other Canadian kid.” (Huffington Post, 2016). So obviously Canada has a big problem on their hands.

On the topics of racism, oppression, and Aboriginal issues I have chosen the articles “The Complexity of Identity” and “Stolen Sisters, Second Class Citizens” to reflect on. Racism is based on one's perspective of another’s race or ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age and physical or mental ability. Aboriginal women are at a higher risk to be subject to oppression than any other non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women also face the highest poverty rates in Canada.

Why Multiculturalism Can’t End Racism The author Marlene NourbeSe Philip (2008) in her article, “Why Multiculturalism Can’t End Racism” talk’s about the inequality among the different cultures in Canada on the basis of color or background, nationality moreover, she narrates that, according to Canadian blueprints of the multiculturalism, only two cultures, the French and the English are recognized, however other natal cultures are not diagnosed. Philip, argue that the present policies, regarding multiculturalism, originate the problem of racism instead of untangling it furthermore, she provides an example of Ontario authority, new strategy of multiculturalism, in which the government reported the crucial issues, related to the color of skin and race but the latest federal bill does not determine the multiculturalism and they just refer color only. She observes that Canadian system gives more preference to white Europeans and it puts them on top and provide more power to them in society as compared to the native, black and African individuals as they put them on lowest part society.

The news is a major source of information used by many people in order to gain knowledge on current events. However, it can become unreliable due to various media biases. These biases are used to make the news more plot driven in order to increase viewers and profits rather than providing in-depth analysis of pertinent issues. Media biases can be dangerous to society, and can give citizens a false view of what is going on in the world. They can strike fear into viewers, and make them believe that the world around them is much less safe then it actually is. In the CNN news clip Politicians Behaving Badly? and the Daily Show clip The Amazing Racism – Geographical Bigotry the media biases of authority-disorder and dramatization

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.