Presented by Youssra Badr and

Chinonye Nwachukwu

What is Race? A Canadian history of Racial

Injustice Citizenship in Canada Racism and Immigration

policies in Canada Racial Minorities in Canada:

Current challenges Conclusion

What is ‘race’? What is the difference between

‘race’ and ethnicity? Indian is not a ‘race’!!! The entire concept of ‘race’

doesn’t exist it has been proven time and time again yet we continue to use this word and accept ‘race’ as a concept

There was some variation among the scientists about how many ‘races’ there were, but one definition that was quite popular was Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's . According to a book published by Blumenbach in the early 1800’s there are five races: Caucasian Mongolian Malayan Negroid/Ethiopian American

Samuel Morton claimed to measure brain capacity through skull size, his research concluded that “their larger skulls give Caucasians decided and unquestioned superiority over all nations of the earth”

Banton, M., (1987). The Classification of Races in Europe and North America: 1700-1850. In T. Gupta.,

C. E. James., R. C.C. Maaka., G.E. Galabuzi., & C. Andersen (Ed.), Race and Racialization: Essential

readings (pp. 15-23). Toronto, ON.

“ It is acknowledged that, earlier this century, the biological and genetic sciences established conclusively in the light of empirical evidence that the attempt to establish different types or ‘races’ of human beings by scientific procedures had failed. The idea that the human species consisted of a number of distinct ‘races’ each exhibiting a set of discrete physical and cultural characteristics is therefore false, mistaken. The interventions reported as having been made in Atlanta in February 1995 only repeat what some scientists have been arguing since the 1930’s.” (Miles & Torres, 1996)

“ Most Americans still believe that there is some biological legitimacy to our socially constructed racial categories. However, our modern scientific understanding of human genetic diversity flies in the face of all of our social stereotypes. ” Joseph L. Graves, Jr.

While Canada is often thought of and aims to be seen as a just and welcoming nation, it really and truly isn't.

Canadian history is filled with incidents of injustice, towards Canadian citizens as well as those attempting to be citizens.

Sadly it is not just a thing of the past, injustice plays a very strong role in Canadian Citizenship today.

Personal stories…

Displacement Illness Residential schools

1907 - A law is passed denying Indians the right to

vote, it also prohibited them from running for public office, serving on juries, or becoming accountants, lawyers or pharmacists.

1908 – Continuous Passage rule Required immigrants to come to Canada on a

continuous passage (i.e. no stopovers). Any person who could not make a direct journey to Canada was excluded from immigration.

1914 – Komagatu Maru A ship carrying 376 Indian people who decided

to challenge the continuous passage rule, they were not allowed off the boat and in July 23, 1914, the ship was forced to return to India.

1885 – 1923 Head tax Started out at $50 per person and was raised to $500 in 1903.

This was the equivalent of 2 years wages. Approximately 82 000 Chinese paid the head tax. The Canadian Government earned an estimated $23 Million dollars

in the time of its implementation. If that head tax were put into a 2005 dollar value, it would be

about $30,000 per person. 1923 – Chinese Exclusion Act

Aimed at barring immigration of any Chinese person to Canada, made life significantly more difficult for the Chinese.

The act was repealed in 1947 Canada collected $23 Million dollars in this time.

Head Tax Redress On June 22, 2006, after the ‘head tax families’ vigorously opposed

the Governments efforts to impose a resolution which included no formal apology or redress, Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally issued a formal apology on behalf of the Canadian Government. It included financial redress of $20,000.00 to ~ 50 living head tax payers and 500 living spouses of deceased head tax payers.

This covers ~15% of the head tax families seeking direct redress and less than 1% of all families that paid the head tax.

1999 Boat incident Once again Canadian’s showed their true colors.

“None is too many” The Anti-Semitic immigration

policy during the era when the Nazis were in power – Canada's record for accepting Jews fleeing he Holocaust is among the worst in the Western world.

1911 Order in Council Prohibiting “any immigrant belonging to

the Negro ‘race’, which ‘race’ is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada.

While the Order was never proclaimed, the same effect was achieved through measures such as penalties imposed on railway companies that distributed transportation subsidies to blacks, and the hiring of agents to actively discourage black Americans from coming to Canada

In June 1919 the entry of Doukhobors, Mennonites and Hutterites was prohibited on the ground of their "peculiar habits, modes of life and methods of holding property". The prohibition lasted until 1922 in the case of Mennonites and Hutterites, longer for Doukhobors.

Until the 1960s, Canada chose its immigrants on the basis of their racial categorization rather than the individual merits of the applicant, with preference being given to immigrants of Northern European (especially British) origin over the so-called "black and Asiatic races", and at times over central and southern European "races".

Entry of Doukhobors

Racism and immigration in CanadaRacism is the belief that race is the

primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently according to their racial designation. Sometimes racism means beliefs, practices, and institutions that discriminate against people based on their perceived or ascribed race. The United Nations Association in Canada defines racial discrimination as “any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

Intolerance of refugees and immigrants, xenophobia and racism are intricately linked. Indeed, in Canada, where open expression of racist ideas is generally not tolerated, hostility towards newcomers serves as an outlet for the expression of underlying racist sentiments. This is especially true in times of economic or political difficulty, when those with less power, including newcomers, are easy scapegoats for the shortcomings of society.Anti-refugee and anti-immigrant prejudices foster hostility and violence against newcomers, and result in official policies that infringe on the rights of non-citizens. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides a fundamental safeguard of the human rights of all persons in Canada, whatever their status.

Canadian Immigration Policies Policies with differential

impact “Satisfactory identity documents” Family reunification Visa posts and accessibility

Types of Offices Types of applications processed

Source of refugees DNA testing

$975 Right of Landing feeImposition of Visa

requirements

Policies Differential Impact

Examples Recommendations

Requirement that Convention refugees produce "satisfactory identity documents" in order to be granted permanent residence

This requirement negatively affects certain groups of refugees: 

— Refugees who come from countries where identity is not traditionally established through official documents (notably African countries)

— Citizens of countries where there is no government authority that can issue the documents

— Groups who are less likely to possess such documents such as youth, women or people from rural areas

 

Thousands of refugees from Somalia and hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan have been forced to wait years for permanent residence because there is no functioning government in their countries and such documents as the refugees do are frequently discounted.

Subha fled to Canada from Sri Lanka with her young daughter and was granted refugee status. Her husband arrived one month after her and has been granted permanent resident status. Subha and her daughter however have not, on the grounds that they do not have identity documents, having lost them when their house in Jaffna was destroyed. They cannot get new documents because there is no functioning authority in Jaffna, the Sri Lankan embassy refuses to process the request and the central records in Colombo are so arranged that it is impossible to trace a record without knowing the number of the certificate. Subha and her daughter have now been in Canada five years.

Remove the requirement for identity documents for refugees and give greater weight to personal interviews and other documentary evidence. (Res.15 - Nov.96) 

Immigration Policies with Differential Impact

The $975 Right of Landing Fee (ROLF) that all adult immigrants must pay in order to be granted permanent residence.

Given relative costs-of-living, rates of currency exchange and average annual income, ROLF amounts to a regressive flat tax which affects disproportionately immigrants from the South.

The $975 fee represents about 6 month’s salary for many Salvadorans. For a nurse or teacher in Sri Lanka, it might represent 10 months’ wages.

Repeal ROLF for all immigrants accepted for landing in Canada (Res.12 – May 95)

Imposition of visa requirement on nationals of some countries wanting to travel to Canada.

Some nationals (generally from southern countries) need visas and others (generally from "white countries") don’t

Southern countries account for 81% of countries whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada, while predominantly "white" countries represent only 19% of countries requiring visas. By contrast, predominantly "white countries" make up nearly 50% of countries that do not require a visa.

Imposition of visa requirement on nationals of some countries wanting to travel to Canada.

FAMILY REUNIFICATION

  Example

Requirement to present official documents (marriage certificates, adoption papers) in order to establish family ties.

This requirement negatively affects people who come from societies where marriage, birth and adoptions are not recorded through documents.

The Equality of Women and Men In Canada, men and women are equal

under the law. Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honor killings,” female genital mutilation or other gender-based violence. Those guilty of these crimes are severely punished under Canada’s criminal laws.

A fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity. Canadians celebrate the gift of one another’s presence and work hard to respect pluralism and live in harmony. Is there any evidence of this, how much do we

know about each others cultures, traditions and beliefs?

Citizenship Responsibilities In Canada, rights come with

responsibilities. These include:

Taking responsibility for oneself and one’s family – Getting a job, taking care of one’s family and working hard in keeping with one’s abilities are important Canadian values. Work contributes to personal dignity and self -respect, and to Canada’s prosperity. Easier said than done when your credentials are

nullified. Are there any programs to assist newcomers get the

proper credentials? Should there be?

The occupation of Specialist Physician is listed on the Canadian Priority Occupation List (POL). Candidates who score 67 points and appear on this list are eligible for skilled migration to Canada without the requirement of having a job offer from a Canadian employer and are able to emigrate to Canada as a matter of priority, with the potential to arrive within months of beginning the application process. Take the Canadian point test now

? said the federal government is letting in" unacceptable" and "unproductive people" who "came here by plane, have passports when they board then flush them down the toilets and declare refugee status, even when they are from rich countries." She/he also commented on how hospital emergency rooms are now "loaded with people in their native costumes," and children who do not speak English are negatively affecting the learning of other children.

? warned about a coming “Asian invasion” in a lecture to university students about immigration policy.

? referred to a Filipino-Canadian cabinet minister as a “Chinese chap” who didn’t deserve the job of Veterans Affairs minister because he was not born in Canada.

? recently told a Toronto Star freelance reporter that she/he feared going to Mombasa for a meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. He/She stated, “What the hell would I want to go to a place like Mombasa,” adding that he feared snakes. He/She continued, “I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me”

Betty Granger, a federal political candidate in the year 2000

Hazel McCallion, current Mayor of Mississauga

Former Mayor of Toronto, Mel Lastman

Former Canadian Member of Parliament, Roy Bailey

The goal of excluding certain racialized groups was in part accomplished through the rigid enforcement of seemingly neutral immigration, health and financial requirements. For example, the "continuous journey" rule was strictly applied against Asians in the early 20th century, but not against Europeans. At the beginning of the 1920s, during a period of deep hostility towards Eastern Europeans, the rule was also enforced for a while against Europeans.Race officially ceased to be a relevant factor with the introduction of the point system in the 1960s. However, there are some aspects of current policies that are reminiscent of earlier forms of exclusion, and the enforcement of seemingly neutral immigration requirements continues to discriminate against certain racialized groups..Nevertheless, racism and discrimination are part of the Canadian reality. They are manifested at the personal level in the way individuals are sometimes treated. They are also manifested at the systemic level, through the functioning of government bodies and through refugee and immigration policies that have a differential impact on racialzed groups, or that otherwise lead to discrimination against newcomers as a group, or certain sub-groups of newcomers. Despite the extent of the problem, we rarely see the federal and provincial governments taking a leadership role in naming and combatting racism in Canada

Anisef, P., Killbride, K. (2002). Needs of Newcomer Youth and Emerging Best Practices to Meet Those Needs. Final Report to the Settlement Directorate, Ontario Region, Citizenship and Immigraton Canada from the Joint Centre of Excellence in Research in Immigration and Settlement. Toronto

Banton, M., (1987). The Classification of Races in Europe and North America: 1700-1850. In T. Gupta., C. E. James., R. C.C. Maaka., G.E. Galabuzi., & C. Andersen (Ed.), Race and Racialization: Essential readings (pp. 15-23). Toronto, ON.

Cheng, Jean (2003). The power of an illusion - go deeper. Retrieved March 5, 2010, from PBS Web site: http://pbs.org/race/000_About/002_03_a-godeeper.htm

Cox, K. (2008). Georgia Graduation Coach Initiative. Georgia Department of Education. Gilroy, P. (2000) Between Camps: Nations, Cultures and the Allure of Race. Allen Lane Penguin

Press. Government of Alberta. 2008. A Foreign Qualification Recognition Plan for Alberta. Jahoda, G., (1999). Towards Scientific Racism. In T. Gupta., C. E. James., R. C.C. Maaka., G.E.

Galabuzi., & C. Andersen (Ed.), Race and Racialization: Essential readings (pp. 24-30). Toronto, ON. McWhorter, Ladelle (2004).Sex, race, and biopower: A foucauldian Genealogy. Hypatia. 19, Noguera, P. (2008). Creating Schools Where Race Does Not Predict Achievement: The Role and

Significance of Race in the Racial Achievement Gap. The Journal of Negro Education. Vol 77, pp 90-103

Taylor, E. (2006). A Critical Race Analysis of the Achievement Gap in the United States: Politics, Reality, and Hope. Leadership and Policy in Schools. Vol 5, pp 71–87

Racial discrimination in Canada (2002 and 2007) . Retrieved October 20, 2010. From NARCC National Anti-Racism Council of Canada website : www.narcc.com

http://www.visabureau.com/canada/immigration.aspx Retrieved October 21, 2010 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp#pdf Retrieved October 23,

2010.