Introduction
Racism can be defined to mean that race is a major factor in the difference between human beings and their ability. It is the belief that one race is superior to another or others. There have been many incidences where racism has been used to prejudice others emphasizing the ability and relevance of such race. Racial discrimination is a challenge that faces the whole world in everyday life. It has contributed to several conflicts in many parts of the world where people fight along the ethnic divide. It can be argued that racism is a macrocosm of ethnicity. Here we shall deal with issues of racism in contemporary North America with a specific interest in Canada.
Thesis
Canada is historically known to be a multi-cultural state and does not discriminate along with cultural and racial origin; however, this claim has never been practiced appropriately.
Thesis Development
Canada has, for a long time been known to be a state in which all are welcome irrespective of race or ethnic origin. In fact, the adoption of multiculturalism as an official policy by the government of Canada helped reinforce this belief. That policy implied that every community, ethnic group, and race in Canada can maintain and practice its culture without interference or prejudice from other communities or races, in other words, all cultures were made equal before the law. However, is Canada really free of racism or cultural prejudice?
So many people of different races have streamed into Canada since the adoption of multiculturalism. Some of these people escaped wars and hatreds in their nations, some have come to Canada to seek citizenship, work and / or seek new opportunities. This has given Canada a mosaic social structure that is rarely found in other parts of the world hence leaving Canada as a state to lack a definite national identity (Cornelius, 2004). This is a good blend of cultures, but has Canada achieved or succeeded in uniting all people within Canadian soil and encouraging racial tolerance? It is important to note that those who come to Canada because they escape conflicts and hatred in their native countries are said to find a haven in Canada. The belief is that since Canada is tolerant to religious, ethnic, and racial diversities it is expected to be free of any form of prejudices related to racial or cultural diversities (Ignatieff, 2001). The reality is that those who come into Canada to escape hatred from their nations do not abandon their anger. This scenario definitely underscores the fact that the branding of Canada as a welcoming and culturally and racially tolerant nation is just but an empty belief.
Anybody outside there, who has not come and experienced Canada, will take pride in these two myths; that Canada is a welcoming nation and that those who come to leave hatred behind and Canadians who are not hating. Such a person can only have a true picture when he or she comes to Canada. The reality of the matter is that the different cultures and races share the political atmosphere, however, when it comes to religious, moral, and social practices, the diversified humanity of Canada does not share the same platform.
Ignatieff (Ignatieff, 2001) states in his article, “Canadians, new and old, need to think about what role their Diasporas play in fanning and financing the hatreds of the outside world. The disturbing possibility is that Canada is not an asylum from hatred but an incubator of hatred. Are we so sure that acts of terror in Kashmir do not originate in apparently innocent funding of charitable and philanthropic appeals in Canadian cities? Are we certain that the financing of a car bomb in Jerusalem did not begin in a Canadian community? Do we know that when people die in Colombo or Jaffna, there’s no Canadian connection?” the statements and questions shed more light on the relevance of Canada’s multicultural policy that should ensure no violence or hatred is committed on the Canadian soil. Even though his writing implies that the statements are just hypothetical, it is important to recognize that it serves as a basis to question the relevance of multiculturalism since its adoption in 1971 (p.3).
Some likely insurgents commit the crime of insurgency in their native countries and run to Canada to hide from the arms of the law. Moreover, it is highly possible that atrocities taking place in other countries are being planned in Canada (Bell, 2007). This implies that some of those who come to Canada do not forget their pains and are also not ready to forgive. This is exemplified by Ignatieff in his writings where he mentioned that in the 1840s the Irish people who immigrated to Canada using their ships never left their hatred behind them, but instead moved with them into the welcoming nations. Another incidence was the 1999 car bombing of a moderate Tamil intellectual in Colombo (p.1). According to the author, the Tamil group never tolerates anybody from the community who is realized or perceived to be seeking political resolution through peace. This indicates that that policy of racial and cultural tolerance in Canada has little to achieve.
With all the facts on the table, the presence of racism in Canada has not been given much of the attention that it requires. Even though many of the people living in Canada can realize the scenario, arguably, it is still largely assumed that it does not exist. Racism in Canada had existed long even before the adoption of the multicultural policy. This partly owes to the fact that Canada is an immigrant nation. During its formation, the first inhabitants had conflict based on racism and ethnicity. As more and more people migrated to the region, more conflict arose in which the minority races were discriminated against and denied opportunities. In 1971, the government made multiculturalism an official policy of the state, and all cultures were legally made equal. However, it is a mistake to assume that racism ended immediately after the adoption of the policy.
Conclusion
It is clearly evident that racism in Canada is yet to end. The adoption of multiculturalism that made Canada be a welcoming nation has not achieved much in ending racial discrimination in Canada. Racism, just like in any other part of the world, is widespread in the whole of North America. Canada, as a nation, should go back to the drawing board to come up with other strategies that will make it actualize its claim of being a welcoming nation. The seeming denial of the non-existence of racism can only serve to fuel it. It is important to note that even those being welcomed in Canada have some hatred in them that will constantly motivate them to think violence and intolerance.
Reference List
- Bell, S. (2007). Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
- Cornelius, W. (2004). Controlling immigration: a global perspective. New York: Stanford University Press.
- Ignatieff, M. (2001). Discuss Racism In Contemporary North America. America: Globe Interactive, a division of Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc.