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Canada Diversity

Rob Ford: It's Not Just the Crack That's Whack

Rachel Décoste | Posted 05.20.2013 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

What's troubling is that the homophobic and racially slanted comments allegedly made by Rob Ford have received little or no scrutiny. The biggest stain this scandal brings isn't the possible addictions of a well-known politician. It is the fetid stench of acceptance and normalization of blatant bigotry that stinks to high heavens. Have we become collectively complacent in the face of bigotry?

Diversity at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games

Samuel Getachew | Posted 05.16.2013 | Canada
Samuel Getachew

Toronto's 2015 Pan/ParaPan Am Games is in the process of asking the public to help it choose a mascot design. We are only just over two years away from what will surely be a movement of sportsmanship. Toronto's 2015 PAN AM Games is intent on leaving a legacy found in the essence of human diversity.

Let's Present the Voice of the First Generation Immigrants in the Media

Lily Pourzand | Posted 04.11.2013 | Canada
Lily Pourzand

On April 1, TVO broadcasted another episode of The Agenda, as it does every evening. That night, the show focused on "Reflecting Today's Ontario" and ...

Lessons From Holocaust Remembrance Day: Don't Just Remember, Take Action

Jeffrey Bernstein | Posted 04.17.2013 | Canada Impact
Jeffrey Bernstein

If we Jews and all other citizens of humanity actually mean the words we speak when we say, "never again," then we must take a stand, today, and actively choose to care and to defend justice by celebrating the uncelebrated and by protecting and giving voice to the voiceless among us, and to say that hatred and intolerance, in any shape or form, no matter how small, has no place in this world.

Our Home and Unequal Land?

Rachel Décoste | Posted 05.21.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

For many Canadians, racial discrimination is a ghost they've only seen in movies or sporadic outbursts inevitably baptized "isolated incidents". While this has become a part of everyday life for most Aboriginals and Canadians of colour, there is a persistent incredulous strain that refuses to acknowledge a problem exists.

The Great Black North: B.C. Tweets Black History

Rachel Décoste | Posted 05.01.2013 | Canada British Columbia
Rachel Décoste

As the fog around black Canadian history dissipates, a clearer picture emerges: there is no need to revert to African-American historical heroes because we have our own crusaders. Black Canadians pioneered B.C.'s very foundation, and they still contribute to the cultural fabric of the province to this day.

Don Cherry Is Holding CBC Hockey Back

Rachel Décoste | Posted 04.29.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

Don Cherry's regressive rhetoric betrays Canada's reputation as a nation of inclusiveness and cultural tolerance. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has tolerated this treatment for too long. Don Cherry's distasteful diatribes belong in hockey's past, not in the Canadian national pastime's present or future.

How Germs Can Ruin Your Smile

Jason Tetro | Posted 04.26.2013 | Canada Living
Jason Tetro

2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpgA trip to the dentist is for many a stressful event, especially when accompanied by the dreaded words: "You have a cavity." Naturally, you can blame germs for this aggravation. The main cause is a group of bacteria known for their ability to grow on hard surfaces, such as the enamel of the teeth.

Canada's First Racial Discrimination Trial

Rachel Décoste | Posted 04.22.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

It is oft-implied that the United States had segregation while Canada was above this racial retardment. Hollywood movies dramatize the plight of Afric...

The Whitewashing of Canadian Currency

Rachel Décoste | Posted 04.12.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

Today, it was revealed that not only were Asian features deemed unworthy of appearing on bank notes, but also Black, Aboriginal, South-Asian and Gay ones, as well. A pattern of institutionalized xenophobia is emerging, and it ain't pretty. The Bank of Canada fiasco is only the latest incident in a long chain of slights.

Will Canada's New Museum Shatter Our Vanilla Image?

Rachel Décoste | Posted 04.09.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

As recently as 2009, Canadian Tourism Commission spokesperson conceded that "Canada has had a kind of vanilla pudding image -- safe and nice, like the girl next door -- not the hot chick you'd want to go on vacation with." In other words, we're perceived as "uninteresting." Will the Museum of Canadian History change that? The Americans think they have the monopoly on those adjectives when it comes to their country's history. They don't. A Canadian History Museum can showcase the contribution of people who fall outside the dreary stereotypes and repetitive platitudes.

Kathleen Wynne's Diversity Problem

Rachel Décoste | Posted 03.30.2013 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

It was revealed by confused Liberal party members that Ontario's premier-designate Kathleen Wynne's campaign sent letters in foreign languages to would-be supporters. In a gauche effort to connect with the ethnic vote, the Wynne campaign combed through membership lists and divvied them up based on perceived cultural origin. The Ontario Liberal Party's federal cousins have progressively lost their grip on traditional liberal-leaning communities by ignoring them or taking them for granted. History could repeat itself if the Wynne team fails to take corrective measures.

Harper's Top Seven Successes in Seven Years

Rachel Décoste | Posted 03.27.2013 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

This week marks seven years since Stephen Harper was first elected Prime Minister of Canada. The Harper Administration has been described as a dark cloud, but it does boast a silver lining. A thin one. Perhaps the Prime Minister should reassess his criteria and/or consider these seven success stories as feathers in his conservative cap.

'A N*gger in Net': Racism at the World Juniors

Rachel Décoste | Posted 03.02.2013 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

The World Junior Hockey Championship has captivated Canadians again this holiday season. But the sight of Team Canada's goalie's skin colour was met with laughter, bemusement, confusion and contempt in Canada and abroad. Thankfully, the long-ignored vestiges of disdain for diversity in hockey have been gaining attention nationwide, in the USA, and across the pond as hockey fans and foes band together to address long-standing pressures that still blight the game.

Canadian Boardrooms Need More Than Binders Full of Women

Rachel Décoste | Posted 01.27.2013 | Canada Business
Rachel Décoste

For the same reasons women should be invited to the decision-making table, visible minorities and immigrants can offer perspectives which elude multi-generational Canadians with respect to common issues and situations they may face.

Diwali Gives Us An Opportunity To Celebrate Our Diversity

Lucy Miller | Posted 01.13.2013 | Canada Alberta
Lucy Miller

Diwali, also known as the "Festival of Lights," is a time-honoured Indian cultural festival. It is a tradition that conveys a universal message of hope and peace that transcends all borders and faiths. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring community together and to celebrate our diversity. It's one example of the many cultural celebrations available to Calgarians throughout the year and I am always thrilled when I participate, because I come away with such a feeling of pride and hope for our future.

Yellowface In 'Cloud Atlas' Continues Hollywood Tradition of Racism

Alden Habacon | Posted 01.02.2013 | Canada British Columbia
Alden Habacon

Cloud Atlas' trailers, TV ads and web banners not only feature heavy-hitters Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in the film, but showcase creepy images of non-Asian actors wearing "slanty eyes." If felt weirded out or was reminded of the times you may have heard someone yell, "Hey, chinky eyes!" from across the street -- you are not alone.

Whitewashing Canada's National Heroes

Rachel Décoste | Posted 12.30.2012 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

For all the racial adversity the Unites States have faced, they still elected a minority to head a major party and their country. When it comes to honouring their heroes, American cynosure comes in all colours. Canada could stand to learn a thing or two from this particular slice of Americana which fosters a more inclusive, more perfect Union. In Canada, the archival whitewash persists.

The Day (Some) Women Achieved Equality in Canada

Rachel Décoste | Posted 12.18.2012 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

Today, we celebrate the 1929 Persons Case on the anniversary of a ground-breaking case which the Supreme Court of Canada declared women to be "persons" under the law. Well, not all women. October 18 is now celebrated as Persons Day, but it was a milestone victory that did not extend to all. It is also worth giving credence to the struggles that continued for 40 long years after this 1929 monochromatic victory.

Four Steps to a More Diverse Corporate Board

Deborah Nixon | Posted 12.12.2012 | Canada Business
Deborah Nixon

Only 150 out of 1000 Canadian companies had any diversity on boards. What is the business case for diversity on boards? There is no clear evidence that diverse boards create greater shareholder value. There is, however, evidence that diverse groups make better decisions and mitigate group-think.

Some Myths About Equality in Canada

Rachel Décoste | Posted 12.11.2012 | Canada
Rachel Décoste

Misinformation about Canada's evolving demographics is all too common in the national media and it usually goes unchallenged. There are many myths perpetuated in the national dialogue (like "hockey is Canada's #1 sport," and "Canada respects the environment"). In an age where Canada's multicultural fabric is bafflingly unnoticeable in the upper echelons of influence, we have a long way to go to achieve the dream of an equal and just society.

Alberta & Ontario Rejected Intolerance, Why Did Québec Embrace it?

Rachel Décoste | Posted 11.06.2012 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

Over the last year, the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and Québec were called to renew their representatives in their respective provincial legislatures. But Contrary to the trend in Ontario and Alberta, where the revelation of a candidate's bias would stain a campaign, Parti Québecois rose in the polls following the aforementioned disturbing disclosures, and even managed to win a minority government.

Why Immigrating to Quebec Might Become Tres Difficile

Rachel Décoste | Posted 11.02.2012 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

Jean-François Lisée, star candidate of the Parti Québécois divulged the PQ's vision of "maintaining a majority of native French-speaking citizens on Island of Montreal." That means a PQ government would favour an immigrant from Bordeaux, France, who speaks French at home, over a French-speaking Shanghai immigrant wishing to settle in La Belle Province.

Canadian Law Schools Looking For Diversity In Student Body

CP | Linda Nguyen, The Canadian Press | Posted 10.21.2012 | Canada Impact

TORONTO - Going to law school was not something Janine Manning ever dreamed of doing.Now, as she's preparing to write her Law School Admission Test in...

Bank Of Canada Apology: All Talk, No Action?

Rachel Décoste | Posted 10.20.2012 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

After much indignation from Canadians, some who do not fit the "neutral ethnicity" the Bank of Canada's P.R. team had seemingly invented, Bank governor Mark Carney, offered a carefully worded statement this morning. Though the governor "apologizes to those who were offended," admitting that "the Bank's handling of this issue did not meet the standards Canadians," there were many points missing from the statement. The Twitterverse is abuzz about the underlying problems in Canadian society which proclaims allegiance to multiculturalism.