The Role Of Discrimination And Inequality In Canada

‘’Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.’’ - Rosa Parks. A world free of discrimination and inequality. People, regardless of race, gender, and class, all treated fairly. How can the dissension and the enmity between humanity ever be remedied? To be blunt, it never will. The world has progressed socially, politically, economically, and technologically, and societies have come to realize the hatred and prejudice between groups are detrimental and inhumane. However, inequality still exists. Canada, considered one of the most multicultural countries in the world, has implemented immigration policies to alter the narrow-minded traditions and values of certain
Present Canada, deemed as one of the most multicultural countries in the world, has prospered economically, socially, and politically because of its desire for inclusivity. Canada’s current immigration policy is structured in 3 categories: economics, family reunification, and refugees. All immigration applicants are taken into consideration, which is a major difference in contrast to the exclusion in Canada’s past. However, the applicants under the economic category will be judged under the points system, which is a part of the criteria Canada uses to decide who gets to immigrate. This category consists of the majority of immigrants in Canada because there are two policy objectives that drive immigration: economic growth and reaffirming Canada’s international humanitarian commitments. (Ansari, 2017) The family reunification category consists of immigrants that includes spouses and children joining family members already living in Canada. Lastly, the refugee’s category contains the smallest number of immigrants granted entry into Canada. In the past, there were many examples where Canada did not welcome refugees and denied them entry into Canada. However, now, with deeper understanding and an altered view on different ethnic groups, Canada has gladly welcomed refugees into its multicultural society. Currently, Canada has been following the 5 key principles of social
Because many of the past immigration policies excluded specific groups and denied them certain rights, many of these ethnic groups had to endure harsh living conditions, whether that was in Canada or outside of Canada. An example would be the Chinese immigrants. The government imposed a head tax on the Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and later on, excluded them completely in the early 1900s. The Chinese immigrants were denied the right to vote, denied to own property, and denied of many other crucial needs by the government. In addition, Chinese immigrants were forced to work at jobs that are undesirable to White workers due to low pay and social status, in order to provide for their families, who were unable to join them in Canada. Living conditions were extremely harsh and many sacrifices were made to accommodate their desperate needs. After many years of hardship and suffering, some of the burden was lifted off of their shoulders due to modification in immigration policies. The government eventually apologized for the past injustices and discrimination endured by the Chinese-Canadians. Presently, the immigration policies have lifted many barriers for people who want to immigrate to Canada. The current policies have advocated multiculturalism due to economic and social growth. The recent reports on the