We’re no nation of friendly fences
I'm always amazed by the media love-in whenever Statistics Canada releases census numbers on Canada's population, especially when it comes to our ethnic/racial composition.
We journalists like to think of ourselves as the ones that hold up the mirror so Canadians can see themselves, and census data is a goldmine for interesting facts about the evolving Canadian nation.
The latest census stats show that Canada's "visible" minority population-those of us that are of non-Caucasian and non-European origin-has surpassed the five million mark, more than doubling in 15 years. This revelation was generally hailed by media pundits as proof of Canadian society as a beacon of light in an otherwise intolerant world of "melting pots" and "ethnic cleansing."
Oh, please.
We Canadians may be too polite to come out and express intolerance like they do in Rwanda, the Balkans, the Middle East and just about anywhere else the maple leaf doesn't fly, but let's not kid ourselves-Canadians can be just as jingoistic as anyone else.
Trumpeting the growth of our minorities is self-serving and paternalistic. Our visible minorities population growing five times faster than the population as whole between 2001 and 2006 is not proof that we're oh-so-tolerant.
It is an indication that the Canadian government either wants new immigrants from poor, non-European countries because they are the ones that are willing to fill our low-wage jobs, or because new immigrants bring cold hard cash to start up businesses.
How else do you explain the fact that the entrepreneur from Hong Kong is welcomed with open arms but the doctor from India or the engineer from Pakistan is forced to drive a cab because our government and educational elites won't accept their degrees or credentials? Is a Canadian degree really that much better than a degree from a university in Delhi or Islamabad?
It's also interesting to dig below the headlines and see that not all Canadian communities are the multicultural haven the government of Canada is selling. Canada's diversity is concentrated in its cities, with nearly all visible minorities (96 per cent) living in metropolitan areas.
In Markham, Ontario and Richmond, B.C., 65 per cent of residents are visible minorities. In Brampton, on Toronto's outskirts, the figure is 57 per cent; in Vancouver it's 51 per cent and in Toronto its 47 per cent.
But in places such as Sarnia, Ontario 4.1 per cent of city residents identified themselves as members of a visible minority in 2006. And while more than half of Vancouver's population may belong to a visible minority, only 11 per cent of residents from near-by Maple Ridge fall into that category.
Of course, it can be argued that new immigrants, who are composed overwhelmingly of visible minorities these days, seek out big cities because that's where the jobs are or because members of their ethnic or racial groups are already there. The fact is that visible minority groups feel security in numbers.
The best thing about the latest census data is that mixed unions (marriage and common-law) like mine are growing five times faster than all other couples, accounting for almost four per cent of all couples in 2006.
For all those who want to box "minorities" in neat little categories or accuse others of "racial profiling," my own "mixed" family often experiences the uncomfortable reminder that Canada isn't a polite little nation of friendly fences.
I'm Brazilian by birth and my wife is Korean. When we moved into a suburban neighbourhood a nice white lady up the street came by to ask whether I was the gardener.
It's good that Canada hasn't seen the violence, resentment and sense of exclusion seen in parts of Europe as we've changed the face of Canada. But we also have a long way to go in making immigrants and visible minorities feel welcome and invested in Canadian society.
Visible minorities and immigrants need to be able to practise as doctors and engineers, not be consigned to drive cabs and clean office buildings. They need and want to integrate, which is to become an equal and full parts of a whole. This is much different from assimilating, which is what many feel Canada really wants of them.
The road to Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of a society where colour doesn't matter is still a long one.
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