That is right! I said it! We are a nation of dreamers....liars...phoneys! We present Canada as a nation that strives to build tolerance and acceptance towards all races, ethnicities, and religions. From the dawn of the great European diaspora of the late 19th century, Canada has become a prominent hub for international migrants. Early phases of Canadian immigration saw the resettlement of Europeans who were escaping economic issues, famines, and religious and ethnic persecutions. These immigrants were of the same racial background and shared similar history and culture. Today’s immigrants suffer from similar issues; however, their religious, and cultural backgrounds differ greatly.
To present ourselves as a nation of tolerance, our political figures have strived to remind us and the rest of the world in their involvement towards many important social movements such as the Underground Railroad, and the legalization of gay and lesbian marriages. We have also gone so far as to place a legislature within our constitution that protects the religious and cultural practices of immigrants. The Multicultural act was created in an effort to protect the mosaic multicultural society Canada had become (Thanks Pierre! Not working as it was supposed too!). Because we have done all these things, many foreigners view Canada as multicultural utopia where there is no racism and all live in peace. This, however, is far from the truth...and we know it
Just like any nation -ahem USA- Canadian history is plagued with racist instances and prejudice polices. While Canada was an important hub for run away slaves during its early tears, few Canadians know about the slavery that did exist in our nation. Also, our history books have ignored the religious and cultural Injustices that occurred in the 20th century. While our history books are proud to display the storming of Normandy and the sacrifices Canadians made during World War One and Two, they seem to forget Canada’s refusal to accept European Jews as refuges and sent them back to be executed.
Also during this time, many recent immigrants were placed into interment camps without trial due to suspicions of being spies. While some literature touches upon the Japanese internment, little has been written about the injustices that occurred to Italians at Camp Petawawa. Italian and Asian immigrants also suffered under lax employment laws that forced many new Canadians to work dangerous jobs at underwhelming wages. These poor employment practices and employers’ refusal to implement safety standards and equipment led to many tragedies including the Hogg’s Hollow disaster that resulted in the deaths of five Italian immigrants - If you are part of a constructions union in Toronto, you can thank this tragedy because it was a main inspiration for their creation.
Even today, we are a divided nation. Federal governments have always struggled with Québec, and their persistence refusal to assimilate with the rest of Canada. Also, within the city of Toronto, people are encouraged to segregate themselves and live in an area that shares their own cultural identity. Ask any Torontonian where you can find Italians (Woodbridge), Jews (Thornhill), Blacks (Scarborough), or Indians (Brampton), and they would be able to tell you where to go. Hell, even gays have their "special area" in this "liberal" city, I noticed this cultural segregation within my own classroom this year. The students with Italian heritage were all placed within one corner of the classroom, the Indians sat themselves at the back, and all the other students sat at the other corner. Coincidentally, the only students that chose to sit away from their presumed nationality where the Americans. Surprised? I am not. we are full of shit!
sorry for the serious tone in this writing... just came back from vacation and thought this up while I was there!
I hate my sister! :)
flush out
