SOCIOLOGY
RESEARCH PROJECT
SOCIOLOGY
RESEARCH PROJECT
ETHNIC RELATIONS AND EQUALITY: A NOBLE INTENT, BUT NO EASY
TASK TO FULLY CARRY OUT
by Kent Edward Baxter 8 December 1999
When former Quebec Premier Jacques
Parizeau blamed the outcome of the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty on
'Money and the ethnic vote', most Canadians from coast to coast were shocked,
beginning to contemplate the situation of troubled relations between ethnic
groups in their country. More so, the 'ethnics' who were blamed by Parizeau were
not even labeled as such during the entire referendum campaign. The affront's
impact was one in which 'old wounds' about 'who is a real Quebecer' were
reopened in a clearly unacceptable time, but created even more outrage by the
fact that days earlier, thousands of Canadians from all over the country came to
Quebec for a rally, not as English Canadians, Ethnic Canadians, French Canadians
or Aboriginal Canadians, but as Canadians as a whole, fighting for a united
Canada.
Although there have been deep divisions in Quebec society between the
'Quebecois' and 'non-Quebecois' [sic] portions of the population, it does not
mean that feelings of hostility towards ethnic populations are exclusive to
Quebec, although there has been (and still are) divisions in that province. An
example of differing attitudes toward ethnic populations between Quebec and the
rest of Canada can be obvious, such as the statement by Parizeau, or minor, such
as removing the profile of a person with an Asian background from an
advertisement in Quebec (with only persons of European background remaining),
yet the ad appears as a whole in Ontario, where it is felt to fully represent
the society to which it pertains to appeal to.
Clearly, over Canada's history, there have been various conflicts between
groups, often based on ethnicity. With the increasing influx of immigrants in to
Canada, a method of recognizing the changes to Canadian society as well as an
attempt to deal with ethnic-related problems has been the process of
multiculturalism, officially advocated in the early 1970's and continuing to
this very day. It has, in an overall sense, established Canada as a tolerant and
forgiving society. Criticism of multiculturalism has ranged from 'it is
inevitable, so let it be', to fear of adverse effects on majority [French and
English] cultures, a ploy for governments to increase 'ethnic votes', and a
general addition to bureaucracy and high government spending. Another opposing
view is that multiculturalism has not allowed Canada to develop its own
identity. Many feel that the cultural mosaic is, in many ways, a semi-definitive
Canadian identity, where all are considered equal, with not one group considered
superior.
Today, as a whole, there is little outright hostility towards ethnic
groups in most of Canada. Most groups in Canadian society do not consider the
ethnicity of people around them to be an issue, whether between established
Canadians and ethnic groups, or between ethnic groups. The latter is generally
seen as a positive aspect of multiculturalism; sectarianism and inter-ethnic
conflicts are rarely a problem as cases may be in other countries. Should
incidents arise, there is little tolerance for the conflicts, as they are
clearly unacceptable for Canadians to engage in.
The idea of political correctness has been used by authorities in recent
years to adjust programs, ideas and policies in order to prevent a 'negative
environment', and to 'prevent problems from arising by stressing what is
acceptable' even if it may not be the case. Clearly, the process of changing
ideas has a clear impact on the final result. As discovered in various cases,
many feel that 'righting wrongs' is a method of reconciliation, while in fact it
creates another problem, satisfying very few and resulting in divisions among
all. Moreover, various groups may take the blame and hostility for such changes,
even though they may not have had anything to do with them.
Although it may not be intentional, conflict between various groups may
arise from innocent events. In 1994, Carole Bell, a councilor for the Town of
Markham, stirred up controversy when she brought up the subject of Oriental
shopkeepers in Markham using little or no English on the outsides of their
shops. This statement polarized the community, with opinion ranging from
agreement to accusations of discrimination. Although Mrs. Bell did not intend
her statement to cause trouble, one is wary of speaking about or questioning
sensitive issues, as there may be a misinterpretation leading to a person being
accused of bigotry, or having 'no right' to speak about an 'ethnic' issue
because he or she may be of a different background, not of the one to which the
issue is related.
While equality my be the focus of multiculturalism, there may be the
impression that equality is being achieved by means of a perceived double
standard, even though it may not be the case. When the Ontario government
introduced an employment equity program in 1994-1995 to ensure that
privately-owned companies set hiring quotas to include women, visible
minorities, Aboriginals, and the disabled, a backlash resulted, not necessarily
over the intent of the program, but due to a few cases in which employers stated
in job advertisements that 'white males need not apply' [sic]. Although the
legislation has since been toned down or repealed, the fact that such a
controversial issue was in force remains potent, forming the basis for assumed
double standards, such as an 'us versus them' mentality.
Money, mainly on who has it, or who is seen as having it, can be seen as
a principal root of inequality, from some perspectives. There can be resentment
when, let's say, a recent immigrant with substantial wealth flaunts their riches
about such as expensive clothing, jewellery, and sports cars, while a person
whose family has been in Canada for generations could only dream of such
luxuries, or have had to struggle to achieve them. Another form of bias can show
in [unchanged] attitudes about who has or should have certain items - a person
driving an expensive car could be though to have acquired the car from dishonest
ways, all because the person is of a certain visible minority, yet not a second
thought would be given if the person was from another race.
At times, while not as prominent as it had been in the early 1990's,
policing is scrutinized for perceived racial bias, mainly in the way that the
police are said to deal with minorities. While it is not to say that relations
between police and minority groups have always been trouble-free, various ethnic
organizations sometimes use race as a factor if there is an incident involving a
person of a certain minority. These actions and attitudes are not only
pernicious in their substance, but trivialize the problem of discrimination when
it actually does occur. When the Ontario government set up an inquiry into
police-ethnic relations, opponents took the stand that 'Young Black hoodlums
were more of a concern than upstanding White police officers' was the general
impression left by the issue, and left the feeling that Whites had more power
and influence in law enforcement than Blacks.
While proponents of multiculturalism try to emphasize the idea of being
Canadian first and foremost, there has been a trend to take ethnic origins into
consideration should a controversial issue arise. One incident, regarding
teaching about wars that Canada has fought in, has resulted in few details being
taught, as 'it may offend children who may be of descent of past wartime
enemies', i.e. Japanese and German heritage, or discussing problems that are
occurring in a part of the world, because a child may have been born in or have
parents from that country. In some ways, this attitude has let down education
considerably; dealing with issues may very well result in an increased
understanding of problems, through social awareness.
Dealing with the perceived problems of ethnic relations may lead to the
creation of resentment among groups, especially of avocations are made by and
sought by individuals with a certain agenda. Some of the results have ironically
placated individuals who thrive on intolerance. The CBC's 1992 production of The
Valour and The Horror, a controversial 'documentary' on the Canadian
military during World War II, angered mostly veterans and their families,
by suggesting that Canada had committed atrocities equal to those of the Nazis,
while The Heritage Front, an extremist group openly discriminating
against ethnic minorities and Ernst Zundel, a Holocaust denier and a publisher
of hate literature, praised the production. Such a result leaves the wrong,
perhaps fearful impression to immigrants who have suffered from persecution, and
motivates extremist groups by suggesting that Canada's sacrifices against Nazism
during the Second World War was all in vain.
In assessing the issue of ethnic relations in Canada, it seems that pointing out that there is a problem, or believing that there is a potential problem in anything substantial can often lead to more problems. There are no easy solutions to dealing with ethnic-related issues in Canada. If equality is to succeed in a positive manner, it should be achieved through emphasizing the positive more so than the negative, and what is assumed to be negative. For all to clearly understand a problem or issue, nobody, especially in terms of ethnicity should be seen as having exclusivity to a certain issue. Not being part of the solution as a result of discouragement can more than ever be seen as being part of the problem.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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