Racism and Racial Inequaity in Canada Essay Example

some sections of the Asiatic communities and the treatment of black individuals especially in the country’s institutions of higher education. Some of these cases have been subject to minute investigation while others have not been investigated at all. As such, this assessment with examine the extent of racism and racial inequality in the Canada paying special attention to the phenomena mentioned above.

While Canada does not exemplify extreme cases of racism, most instances of racial inequality are limited to the nation’s sections of indigenous populations. Comparing the cases of racial inequalities against African Americans in the US and cases of racial inequalities against the First Nations in Canada, the situation is much worse for the Canadian Aboriginals. Education, health, and job opportunities are highly limited among these indigenous communities of Canada. Canada is considered as one of the countries with the best healthcare systems in the globe, yet when an individual from these communities reaches the age of 21, it is considered a minor miracle due to the prevalence of health issues in these communities (McMahon, 2014).

The education system in Canada is also referenced as one of the best, yet members of these aboriginal communities are highly uneducated. Cycles of deep poverty and violence mar these communities and their surroundings. Inevitably, these cases have pushed many of the youths in these Aboriginal communities to violence and crimes. The conditions of racial inequality among these Canadian natives have been evidenced by the condition of living of other races in the country. Canada’s other races have better access to public services, education and employment opportunities that individuals in these communities. Lack of such essential services has pushed members

of these First Nations into crimes, especially the youth.

As victims of homicide, suicide, and alcohol-related deaths, compared to the non-natives, Aboriginals are more likely to be seven times, five times, and twice succumb to the above mentioned situations, respectively. A study conducted in 1997 on Aboriginal youth illustrated that only 12% of Aboriginal youths were in custody as young offenders. However, only 19 years later, the number has risen to one out of three (Grace Galabuzi, Amy Casipullai & Avvy Go, 2012). It is a situation that is increasingly becoming volatile and has the potential to become worse. In addition to these enigmas, the mortality rate of Aboriginal children is extremely highly. Researches on Canadian health data illustrate that the infant mortality rate of Aboriginals is double that of the other Canadians, a clear illustration of the unequal healthcare system (Taiaiake, 2011). Native children and toddlers in these communities are susceptible to numerous diseases, which include but are not limited to tuberculosis, HIV infections, substance abuse and chlamydia. Most of the children succumb to these diseases while a larger number is taken by the child welfare authorities with aboriginal children representing half of the children in foster care in Canada.

In addition to the dire conditions Aboriginal children have to endure, the women of these communities face constant sexual assaults from the non-natives. Amnesty International, an NGO that is concerned with human rights in the globe conducted a research on the conditions that afflict indigenous women in Canada (Amnesty, 2004). According to the results gotten by Amnesty, there a much larger proportion of indigenous women subjected to violence, sexual assaults, discrimination, and human rights infringement as

compared to the non-native women. Such women in Canada are constantly getting sexually assaulted and subjected to domestic abuse with minimal assistance from the authorities. Canadian Aboriginal population has been growing at a much faster pace than the non-native population. As such, this has led to cases of forced sterilization for Aboriginal children and girls in an attempt to curb the increasing population. Such inhumane methodologies are only subjected to the indigenous women as women of other races experience protection from the authorities (Amnesty, 2004). These cases are especially dominant in the provinces of Manitoba and Winnipeg where numerous numbers of women and young girls have gone missing over the past years with little effort put to investigate the reasons for their demise. There have been outright racism cases in these regions, especially on social media, where non-native Canadians have complained on the alleged non-contribution of the natives to the development of the country (Macdonald, 2015). Cases the like murder of Tina Fontaine and the brutal sexual assault of teenager, Rinelle Harper illustrate the extent of the scourge in Canada. A prominent Aboriginal musician in Canada, Tanya Tagaq has also been subjected to cases of racial abuse, with non-natives occasionally referring to her as the “Sexy little Indian”.

Aboriginal communities in Manitoba are denied equal opportunities. According to research conducted by the CIIM (the Canadian Institute of Identities and Migration) 36% of the Canadian population believes the Aboriginal communities are at fault for their economic conditions. Only 6% of residents of Manitoba consider any association with the Aboriginals as trustworthy with only 61% accepting the notion of having an Aboriginal neighbor (Jeffrey G. Reltz & Rupa

Banerjee, 2014). The situation is much worse in other areas of the countries as racial discrimination and inequality of the Aboriginals continue in Canada.

While racism against the First Nations is the main racial issues in Canada, cases of classical and systematic racial discrimination are evident in Canadian colleges and universities. Although these racism incidents are not directly subjected to the racial minority students, there are illustrations that the racial situation in Canada is not as saturated as people expected. Systemic racism is rife in Canadian schools and is demonstrated by the courses offered by institutions of higher learning in the country. According to black students in Canada, universities and colleges lack courses based on Africa heritages (Taiaiake, 2011). Unlike in the United States, for example where there are courses on African American communities, Canada lacks courses on such minority races. Canadian students with an African heritage that the lack of such culture based course is an illustration of the racial inequalities that systemic racism in the schools subject the minority students to. Another notable aspect is systemic racism not only affects the education system in Canada, but also the employment section.

It is imperative to grasp that racism is not only prevalent in matters of abuse but also societal matters like education, health and employment opportunities. In 2002, an ethnic diversity survey was conducted in Canada with the intentions of understanding the racist dynamics in the country. The respondents of the survey were individuals of all races in the country. The researchers asked several questions pertaining the issue of racism in the country raging from the people’s experiences of racism, any hate crime and the like.

35.9% of members of minority groups responded that they had been subjected to instances of discrimination with the larger percentage being Blacks at 49.6%. Nonetheless, despite the largest percentage being Blacks, other minority groups also reported significant rates of discrimination. 33.2% of Chinese respondents reported discrimination and 33.1% of South Asians reported the same (Jeffrey G. Reltz & Rupa Banerjee, 2014).

At the same time, less than 15% of the whites reported incidences or experiences of discrimination. Racism and discrimination is especially rife among recent immigrants to Canada. Such Canadians are subjected to discrimination by the residents of Canada. A survey carried out by CRIC (Centre for Research and Information on Canada) on racism in Canada showed respondents replying in the rate of 3 out 4 that there was a large presence of racism in Canada; the respondents were both visible minorities and white Canadians. Most Canadians, especially the minorities also believe that Canada’s employment sector is affected by aspects of racism. 42% of the minorities in Canada believe that racial discrimination highly affects opportunities while only 30% of whites believe this. In essence, 17% of whites believe they lose out on opportunities due to being subjected to “reverse racism” where members of the minorities are given opportunities due to their racial backgrounds (Jeffrey G. Reltz & Rupa Banerjee, 2014). Existing racial policies in Canada are minute due to the assumption that racism is not a significant in a country of Canada’s credentials.

Like in the US, Toronto’s Black males are three times more likely to be subjected to carding by the police with the presence of policies more visible in neighborhoods where Black individuals are more

prominent. Surveillance is also high in racialized communities than in white communities. Studies on this issue have documented huge disparities in sectors like health statuses, income, employment and the like which illustrate huge racial inequalities. Racialized individuals have disparities in income and employment despite their levels of education in Canada. Also, while other Canadians earn an average of $37,332 annually, racialized Canadians earn $30,385. Whether the racialized individuals are first generation or second generation, they all earn less money that the white Canadians. As a result of these inequalities, 19.8% of racialized Canadians are more likely to be poverty ridden while the number is only 6.4% among the white Canadians, a damning statistic (Jeffrey G. Reltz & Rupa Banerjee, 2014). What all these statistics illustrate is that racial inequalities in Canada are still high and profound among these minority communities. The criminalization of African Canadians and Aboriginals coupled with their large presence in Canadian prisons is an illustration of the problems with racism facing Canada. United Nations findings illustrate discrimination and violence against racialized women. Racial profiling is also a concern among the diverse races of Canada. Critically, the situation of racism in Canada is exemplified by the lack of action by the Criminal Justice System in Canada to take any actions against crimes committed to people of these minority groups. Research indicates that the highest percentage of these individuals has experienced instances of racial prejudice but more report that no action is taken. These instances illustrate that the law system in Canada is more concerned with the majority rather than the minority groups. It imperative instances like these be illustrated like racial inequalities.

In conclusion,

despite many in Canada craving for a racism-free society, the idea must be considered elusive. Despite the racism situation in Canada being less prevalent that some other white countries in the globe the issues are still predominantly felt by minorities in the country. Although a number of positives have been undertaken by the Canadian government to eliminate racism, the problem still persists. It is vital for the Canadian government to strive at eradicating the growing social-economic gap between the racialized communities and the whites. Racial profiling also needs to cease and equal opportunities among all peoples availed. Racial inequality is a scourge that requires eradication in Canada and in other parts of the globe. All stakeholders in the society need to work harder at ensuring no individual is subjected to prejudice or discrimination and all people are afforded equal parts of the society.