Racial and Ethnic Issues in Canada Today - Term Paper Example

RACIAL AND ETHNIC ISSUES IN CANADA TODAY Racial and Ethnic Issues in Canada Today and Section # of > Racial and Ethnic Issues in Canada Today In order to psychologically identify yourself and map your identity in the society, we distinguish ourselves with each other across various variables. Racism and discrimination based on ethnicity is widely practised, consciously or unconsciously, in various countries across the world. The conscious discrimination is prohibited in the developed countries and most of the developing countries as well. It is the unconscious one that is present in societies to this date. This paper analyzes the racial and ethnic issues that are surrounding the population in Canada today, with a comprehensive comparison of those issues with the United States of America. The paper starts with the identification of the ethnic dimensions, following by the differentiation between the various strata of the population as a whole, based on ethnicity. The tools which are used for such discriminatory acts are then discussed followed by the outlining of patterns of ethnic relations. Assimilation and pluralism are two phenomena that are widely discussed under this topic. Towards the end of the paper, the points to ponder as well as strategic building blocks in society that can help introduce stability and change in attitude of the population are also provided. The final section of this paper, allows the comparison of this ethnic racism in the country under question, i.e., Canada, with that of United States. Ethnic Inequality/Dimensions: Inequality can take any shape and is present across economic, social and cultural factors. Due to the economic recession that has engulfed the world, a greater income inequality is seen spreading all over the world. People are either getting too rich or too poor to survive; the middle man is vanishing. When it comes to ethnic inequality, usually it so happens is that it impacts the income inequality present in that society. According to a study conducted Ellen Gee et al, there are wide differences in the economic and health status based on different ethnicity in Canada. According to the study, the recent immigrants whose mother tongue is not English are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding the jobs of their caliber; these results vary across gender as well as ethnicity. However, the research emphasizes that these differences are more gender based then ethnic. Canada, in common terms, is termed as the “salad-bowl”, when compared to the US, which is termed as a melting pot. There was an increasing observation made over the years about the two cultures; where Canadians are proud of being multiculturalists and providing room for colour and ethnicity in their culture, it was though that the United States wants to amalgamate the whole population into one single culture. Canada has always been proud of its multiculturalism; however, recent studies have shown the projected ethnic disparity in population over the years is worrying scientists all across the country. It is also worthy of notice, that the Canadian history is marked with racism towards the non-white population, particularly when the residential school system is mentioned. The employment equity act as well as increasing awareness and acknowledgement of injustice has brought the Canadian society to be proud of its multiculturalism today. Ethnic Stratification: Majority and Minority Ethnic stratification is fairly high amongst the population in Canada. Ethnic stratification deals with the system of structured in equality in the society of rewards and resources based on the ethnicity of a certain strata of population. In such a scenario, the ethnic groups which are most similar to the one is command or in majority, are provided greater favors and enjoy better benefits than others. The mix of population in Canada, has led to explosive growth of immigrants in the country, and their population is increasing at a greater rate than that of the natives. The unsaid friction between the different groups of people is increasing, as the majority might feel threatened with the increasing population and dominance of the minority class, leading to a shift in demographics in the future. Ethnocentric mentality gives rise of stratification based on ethnicity; as more favours are provided to the people of similar ethnicity, the rest of the population groups are deprived of the same pool of resources. In a simple explanation, the people who are in command give more advantages, opportunities to the people who they can identify with the most. This is human behaviour and gives rise to ethnic stratification, when studied on a bigger picture. According to the a research conducted by Mourtada Rasha (2004), “ A Climate of fear” states that the Arabic Muslims and Canadian Muslims have faced acts of discrimination in the business, after the attacks of the 9/11. Such acts of discrimination were seen all over the world; however, one did not expect to see such an investigation to come up in a country which is known for its pride in multiculturalism. Tools of Dominance: Prejudice and Discrimination The basic tool which the dominant strata of the population use is prejudice or discrimination against the minority class. According to Rasha (2004), the second biggest faith in Canada, Islam, was being targeted by the other classes, due to its alleged ties with the 9/11 attacks. Such an act by one of the biggest allies of Canada, the United States, was not expected. However, there have been instances when Canadian Muslims have faced racial profiling when entering the US or when doing business. A case in point would that be of an Arab Doctor who was provided a conditional appointment in one of the top hospitals in Toronto, saying he could join only if he changed his name to something less Arabic. This act shows that hiring of Arabic origin population or Muslims is being considered as less desirable in the multicultural Canada as well (Rasha, 2004). In the light of the current recession, a greater unemployment rate is seen in the ethnic minorities. Students from the minority ethnic backgrounds are less bright about their chances of assimilating in the work force or being provided with equal opportunities (Eddy, 2010). According to a student, the employees won’t look at the resumes after reading the name on the resume (Rasha, 2004). However, the debate whether the ethnic minority is capable enough to compete with the majority is still open. This choice may not entirely depend upon ethnicity, but may be dependent on the capability (Sears, 2010). Patterns of Ethnic Relations: Assimilation and Pluralism According to a statistics report which is now widely popular due to its findings, by 2031, one in every four Canadians will be born elsewhere and the growth of these strata of population will be four times faster than Canadian born segment of society (The Ottawa Citizen, 2010). With such a demographic shift waiting to occur, the patterns of ethnic relations need to be identified to move towards a harmonious multicultural society. In 1971, multiculturalism was considered as an inclusive citizenship and became an official policy in Canada. Canadians are expected to take pride in their ancestry and their culture. However, the immigrants are expected to take up some of the cultural norms of the country in order to gel in with the population of Canada. In olden times, when communication with the homeland was a tough an expensive task, more amalgamation with the Canadian culture took place. Today, with the advent of social media, telephone, email and video chat, it is easier to stay attached to the home country; hence the bond of assimilation with Canada is not strong enough. This is especially true for the immigrants of the past 10 to 15 years. Assimilation is highly important in a society that wants to rise together as one. Cultural assimilation in such a way that retains the core values of the original culture should be practiced. The people, who are reluctant in blending in with the dominant culture to a certain extent, are at a higher risk of being profiled or discriminated against. Since Islam is a practicing religion, the fast of prayers are now looked upon as suspicious, owing to the 9/11 attacks. Such ritualistic behavior was not given consideration before; however, today due to the media hype as well as negative stereotyping; even the assimilating yet practicing Muslims are being looked upon at as suspicious. Pluralism is something that the Canadian laws want the people of Canada to practice, however, due to the racial and ethnic discrimination picking up, it is better for the people to start moving towards a more assimilated approach while living in Canada. Building a New Society: Stability and Change: Canadian British nationals, during the 1970s, were considered to be threatened by the European immigrants who were the biggest chunk of immigrants. Today, while they have successfully assimilated as being the majority, the race of color are the new immigrants and are being considered a threat to national sovereignty. There is reasonable evidence to believe that this assimilation will also take place in the course of time; however, the political, technological advancements and changes may lead to a completely different outcome altogether (Breau, 2007). According to the research conducted by SEDAP, it is too early to identify as race being the reason for income disparity more than gender. According to their research, gender determines the income disparity more than race or ethnicity (Ellen, 2010). This brings out a better picture for the people of minority groups living in Canada, who believe are being targeted for being ethnically diverse. However, in order to address the issue of racism and ethnicity, the Canadian society should first realize and underline that the issue under question is present in the society. According to the Ottawa Citizen, a Canadian newspaper, Canadian government as well as people are reluctant to accept such acts of racism of ethnic discrimination exist. The government insists on believing that even if there is racism out there in the society, they will be vigilant in curbing it, as this demographic shift is serious transition. Note points of Similarity and Differences with the United States: When it comes to multiculturalism, Canada boasts to be a multicultural country whereas United States does not officially recognize itself as one. Over the years, the immediate history as well as the older history of the United States is known for its racism and racial discrimination. Until the 1970s, blacks were discriminated against, since the start of this millennium; Muslims are suffering the wrath of discrimination. The culture prevalent in the US is termed as a melting pot, where immigrants are expected to be more assimilated than pluralistic. This is the basic point of difference between the two nations. The Canadian culture boasts of being pluralistic in culture; bringing out the best of their culture and people in the open is encouraged. However, ethnic racial profiling has been going on for quite some time in both the countries, the difference is that Canadian government has not yet acknowledged the extent of this behaviour in the society. The past events that have occurred, that have resulted in political tensions between many countries, had led to various racial incidents against the Arabs and Muslims. Such racial profiling is a result of those events and according to one opinion should be considered as normal reaction to the threat that the majority feels. However, this profiling can only be justified for a specific time period and in the US only. Its existence across the border in the Canadian border is an alarming sign and should be treated with care by both the members of the society as well as the government. Conclusion: Most of the Canadian citizens believe multiculturalism is a good thing; it brings out people together. However, some of the critics believe that non-recognition of differences between ethnicities and society tends to increase tensions between the ethnically diverse people. Therefore, it is important to address the issues that are present, the reasons of friction between different ethnicities, so that such issues are addressed at the start only. If these issues aggravate over the years, it will be difficult to address. References Anonymous. (2010). Shhhhh… We’re multicultural; Canadians are reluctant to admit we have problems with discrimination and racism. The Ottawa Citizen, Printed on 14th March, 2010, Retrieved October 1, 2010. Greg, J. Sears. (2010). What women and ethnic minorities want. Work values and labor market confidence: a self-determination perspective. The International journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 21, Pg 676. Retrieved September 30, 2010 Gee, E., Karen, K., Prus, S. (2007). Ethnic Inequality in Canada: Economic and health dimensions. SEDAP Research Paper No. 182. Retrieved from http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/sedap/p/sedap182.pdf Mourtada, R. (2004). A Climate of Fear. Canadian Business, Vol. 77, p24-25. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from Academic Search Premier Sebastian, B. (2007). Income inequality across Canadian Provinces in an era of globalization: explaining recent trends. Canadian Geographer, Vol. 51, Pg 72. Retrieved October 1, 2010. About Canada. (2010, October 2). Multiculturalism in Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2010, from http://www.mta.ca/about_canada/multi/ Read More