1 in 6 Canadians victims of racism

[Gambusia]

I prefer a melting pot that still keeps it diversity.

I think the US does that in many respects.

Diversity causes problems in Canada like the Quebec seperatists.

In the US now our country is unfortunately divided by "red states" and "blue states".

Highly doubt Canada is like that (except for Quebec of course).

 

[Matak]

Happychem, maybe hard times are a catalyst for racial violence?

benedictj: interesting how you've noted that different places have distinct flavours of intolerance. About the Jew hater in France, those Europeans have always had a few militant wierdos (they're all just a bunch of low-lifes anyway )

Gambusia, I agree, I think the American style of integration is best. But I'm not sure if Canada has more racial tension than America. Look at Toronto. It is the most culterally diverse city in the world, bar none, yet racism isn't overwhelming.

There is something I have noticed though. The less of a presense of visible minorities there is, the more race intolerant people seem to be. In the big city you will frequently see dating across racial lines. But further out in the sticks where there are fewer visble minorities there just seem to be less tolerance. No studies done here, just a few decades of personal observation.

 

[OrionGirl]

I think it depends...Wyoming has a few towns that have high levels of diversity (comparatively--as a whole, minority numbers are low), and it doesn't seem to ever be an issue. I do agree that where there is little diversity, there is less tolerance, but that's true of any population size. I think there's also a lot of truth to 'the devil you know'--when you don't know anyone of a particular race, it's easier to stereotype. When you interact and work with a diversity of people, that's not as easy to do.

 

[happychem]

when you don't know anyone of a particular race, it's easier to stereotype.

This also makes it easier for a single bad encounter with someone of a different race to form a bad image of the race as a whole. Whereas if you've had numerous encounters with people of that race, then you're more likely to just associate that particular encounter with the person being a bad person, not a whole race of bad people.

As for Canadian vs. American approaches to ethnic lines, I think that both have their pros and cons. Personally, I prefer the Canadian one, but I don't think that I'd want to argue as to which one I think is objectively better.

You're way off base on the Quebec issue though, seperatism is not an issue resulting of diversity. The original movement started sue to un unfair socioeconomic system that saw the French majority as pawns of the Anglo minority. The upper class and white collar jobs were all held by Anglos, Francophones were limited to blue collar jobs. Now of course all that has changed. The modern sovereignty movement is about power. As long as the threat exists, Quebec has power. The people are easily misled by Government-friendly media and the fact that a large number of rural and Eastern Quebecers cannot speak english.

I think that the presence of French Canadians has greatly enriched our society. The history and what is currently happening is more an issue on how to deal with two very distinct cultures, not the problem of them.

 

[ScottoMacD]

Diversity causes problems in Canada like the Quebec seperatists.

In the US now our country is unfortunately divided by "red states" and "blue states".

Highly doubt Canada is like that (except for Quebec of course).

No disrespect intended but I find it so funny how people who don't live in Quebec see the province. Be it other Canadians or other countries.

Almost all the views expressed are so far off it's crazy.

Even when I head to a city like Ottawa which is only an hour and half from Montreal and people see I'm from quebec and are so surprised that I speak english.

The whole Quebec seperatist thing dates way back before any of Canada's current ways and laws. It seems that the world only hears about us when something bad or controversal happens.

The seperatists make a small minority of Quebecers or Quebecois as the seperatists prefer to be called. Even their own party the Parti Quebecois (PQ) has started to pull away from their earlier hardlined views. The older hardassed group from the past are being drowned out by the newer younger party people that realize that it is a big world out there and that the universe does not revolve around Quebec. Something the older members always seemed to fail to realize. Yes there are still some hard liners both young and old, but they are such a minority in their own party it's laughable.

The polls have consistantly show that the vast majority of Quebecers want nothing to do with seperation. This has to do in a big part with Canada's diversity. There was a poll recently that stated that because of immigration the French Quebecer (francophone) who has had the population majority in Quebec for decades is about to be surpassed by the new Allophone population (allophone: a quebecer who speaks a primary language at home other than english or french with the two latters being the secondary language) and the English Quebecer (anglophone) dropping to third.

The allophones will then hold the voting majority when it comes to seperating and Allophones are for the most part very very loyal to their country Canada.

The newer soft line seperatists have seen this and have adapted their views and plans to accomodate the new look Quebec which is essentially is forcing those old coot hardliners back into the woodwork where they belong.

 

[happychem]

No disrespect intended but I find it so funny how people who don't live in Quebec see the province. Be it other Canadians or other countries.

I dunno if I'm being included in this, but I grew up in Quebec, actually spent most of my life there.

Great post Scott, I've always wondered when the immigrants would surpass the French Canadians, who, unless I'm mistaken have been experiencing negative population growth for many years now. I guess the poutine, 50, and Players/DuMaurier diet isn't all it's cut out to be.

 

[Matak]

All the above, Happy and the fact that the Catholic tradition of 8 kids per fam is growing out of vogue.

Say, didn't there used to be some kind of birth contest or other kind of incentive in Quebec to promote maternity?

 

[happychem]

Wouldn't be surprising.

 

[benedictj]

If France is any indication, then yes. I recently found out that the French gov pays mothers a small sum every year for each child. (On face, this actually isn't a horrible thing, IMO).

 

[Cheech]

I live in Montreal Quebec, and I love it here.. Getting back to the "melting Pot/diversity issue", I love the fact that montreal in general is so diverse. It's almost like we got a little bit of many different contries all in one city. It's amazing to see how different everyone is, how people have different ideoligies, ways of looking at things. And strangely, even in Ontario, which is so close to us, things are so different.

As for the whole french thing. In my opinion, there will always be an issue with language in this province. Heck, as an example, we're in such a shortage of nurses in this province, yet nurses have lost their lisences to work simply cause they didn't pass a french exam.. These are also nurses that work in a hospital that has a huge english speaking environment.

There are things that I'll never agree with when it comes to this issue, but we've all delt to live with it. Generally, people here are very nice. Besides little things that come up every now and then, it's not much of an issue. I'm just fed up of extremists, from whichever side they're on...