Essay On Racism In Canada
Multiculturalism and Racism in Canada:
The Great Contradiction
Racism in Canada is an undeniable issue as seen through widespread anecdotal evidence, acknowledged institutional abuses and countless studies. Recently, within the media and politics, focus was placed on the issue of the niqab during the federal election, when the Conservative government attempted to rally voters behind restrictive policies for face coverings in citizenship ceremonies that defied previously court rulings pertaining to human rights (McGregor, 2015). Stephen Harper stated that critics of the Conservative stance were, “out of step with public opinion”. Despite the fact that Harper’s platform failed to secure him his government, the use of the issue during a federal election reflected his researched assurance that a large percentage of Canadians would reject the need to ensure basic rights for certain citizens and revealed an ongoing, pervasive and acute Canadian apprehension regarding unfamiliar customs and negative perception of ‘the other’ that presents within Canadian life as racism. Canadians live within a culture of mixed messages with regard to racism, and as such, I will examine the dynamics of racism in Canada in context of conflicting ideologies that are bound to influence current approaches to social …show more content…
Ecosystem theory looks beyond the specific and idiosyncratic and rather into the “reciprocal relationships among individuals, groups, organizations”, providing insight into “mutually influencing factors” that shape the social environment (Ives et al., 43), in this case, providing context for racism in Canada. In order to understand people, we must have understanding of the environment in which they are building their
The Great Contradiction
Racism in Canada is an undeniable issue as seen through widespread anecdotal evidence, acknowledged institutional abuses and countless studies. Recently, within the media and politics, focus was placed on the issue of the niqab during the federal election, when the Conservative government attempted to rally voters behind restrictive policies for face coverings in citizenship ceremonies that defied previously court rulings pertaining to human rights (McGregor, 2015). Stephen Harper stated that critics of the Conservative stance were, “out of step with public opinion”. Despite the fact that Harper’s platform failed to secure him his government, the use of the issue during a federal election reflected his researched assurance that a large percentage of Canadians would reject the need to ensure basic rights for certain citizens and revealed an ongoing, pervasive and acute Canadian apprehension regarding unfamiliar customs and negative perception of ‘the other’ that presents within Canadian life as racism. Canadians live within a culture of mixed messages with regard to racism, and as such, I will examine the dynamics of racism in Canada in context of conflicting ideologies that are bound to influence current approaches to social …show more content…
Ecosystem theory looks beyond the specific and idiosyncratic and rather into the “reciprocal relationships among individuals, groups, organizations”, providing insight into “mutually influencing factors” that shape the social environment (Ives et al., 43), in this case, providing context for racism in Canada. In order to understand people, we must have understanding of the environment in which they are building their