Are Canadians becoming racists?

I not surprised to read this. Many expats from around the world immigrate to Canada  so i dare to say that Canadians were influenced by  some bad immigrants who were up to no good back at home who took their bad behavior with them to Canada. I guess that's the flip side of immigration.

I have lived in Canada for 5 years curently in Vietnam. AnD I agree with Hericles, some born and raise in Canada were influence by bad immigrants and took their bad behaviour with them in Canada. Canadian wer famous for their being fair but I gues we have to accept the fact that the world is changing and nothing is permanent in this world and no countryor place  is safe to any cruelty..

Hi Hericles and honeyclotte,

While I agree with you both that sometimes we do not like some people because of their behavior, we're talking about individuals here. I also think that would be the same if they were immigrants or other Canadians.

What I mean goes way beyond this. I'm talking about intolerance and hatred, prejudice. I've been away from Canada (my homeland) for eleven years now, but I will always consider myself a Canadian. We had our problems in the past, but we struggled as a nation to overcome them, to be a people who were tolerant and accepted people from other cultures, religions and races with warmth. We made them feel welcome in 'OUR' country. We gave up the idea it was just 'OUR' country, or at least I thought we had.

Now I see hatred being leveled at people from Islamic countries for no other reason than they have a different religion, dress differently. They are shunned because 'they're not like us'. The attitude I see is they don't belong here - and that is something that I am very ashamed of. That's not the attitude that I worked so hard to teach my children who still live in Canada.

I don't know if it's just the young people or not. I suspect so, I think they blame all Islam for the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 which is totally wrong, and moreover stupid. I would really like to know if my fellow Canadians are becoming more racist, especially toward muslims or if my perception is wrong? If they are, is this prejudice extending to other groups as well? Are Canadians becoming xenophobic?

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Hello all,

I agree with everyone.I lived in Ontario before and I am currently living in NL, so I have no wonder many Canadians would discriminate against people from the Middle East. I have seen that a lot in Toronto, but I was surprised when hearing that type of news.

It is not only Middle-Eastern people living in Ontario. Apart from what Hericles & honeyclotte mentioned, I think Canadians might have heard with bad reputations from others or they have dealt with those bad immigrants before? That is based on my observation.I think Canadians should try to open their mind and the real world. I hope Canadians do not want to end up themselves like Americans, do they? This is the real world. I find Canadians talked a lot when travelling outside Canada, but how many people would go to Asia,Africa,South America or Middle East continents? It is really rare to see. I have been living and moving in different countries and have been travelling over 35 countries before I reached 30 years old. I know travelling and living cannot be compared but there are some parts that can see similarities/differences in comparison.

Where I am now is people do not seem to know/mingle with foreigners (immigrants/different races apart from being westerners). The downside of being immigrants is most of them may not want to stay with Canadians because they may not know how to behave or are able to speak English with Canadians. From my perspective, they should be more open to learn Canadians as well as Canadians should learn from immigrants, but I do understand them why they could not do that. I think everything should come in the right time/opportunity/place or whoever they meet.

I have observed some Canadians who discriminate to others and since I have been living from country to country, I got that myself a couple of times in the past 6 years spending my life abroad. Perhaps I am fortunate that I work in the company that value diversity, but I still see a lot of international companies based in Canada or real Canadian ones may not value that yet.Everything will be better if that is done from many small places and that will develop this to the big picture nicely.

Even though there are a lot of immigrants in UK, USA, Australia, there are still a lot of discrimination. Based on these country, I find Australians are more welcoming immigrants but sadly the opportunity of employment may be difficult to these people unless they are from English speaking countries. On the other hand, Canada gives more opportunity when it comes to employment and education but there are some discrimination scattered around the country.Perhaps Canada is bigger than these countries & immigrants like to flock in the same cities/provinces? There are many factors and small influences that make Canadians/immigrants impact that way. I hope things will be improved in the future, but I believe if the government tries to push harder federally or provincially, it may help to minimize discrimination.

Hi Hollywoodbkk13,

Thank-you for your observations. I too feel it's sad that my fellow Canadians are starting to become more and more like our American neighbors to the south in that we are becoming less tolerant of immigrants. I agree with you that they should open their minds a lot more. It's funny because it wasn't this way before I left Canada eleven years ago.

9/11 changed a lot of things and it looks like the changes were not only in the USA, but in Canada too. It's a sad note that even the current Prime Minister has shifted the focus of the Canadian Armed Forces away from it's traditional 'Peacekeeping' role with the United Nations to one of much greater involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan. I personally believe this to be wrong and am fearful that it will have a bad effect on Canada's reputation worldwide. I'd really hate to see Canadians being seen as just like Americans when they travel abroad. I've known many from the US who have put a Canadian flag on their backpacks while abroad, knowing that they will be much better received by the people in some countries if they think that they're from Canada.

I believe that one of the major problems is that we Canadians are, in one sense, becoming too much like Americans - and that is the attitude of taking every little thing to court or to the Human Rights Commissions of the various provinces. I think these kind of complaints end up doing more harm than good in most cases. While I firmly believe that all groups should have equal rights and should respect the rights of all the other groups it appears that the average Canadian is getting the attitude - "damn, it's just some minority group battling against another minority group".

In one case in particular that I'm thinking about it even appears that a group who should understand well the sting of discrimination because they've suffered enough of it (GLBT), is pitted against immigrants from Islamic countries. In fact it looks like they have actually targeted them for this fight. Very sad indeed, since the issue that sparked the whole battle takes banality to new hights. The hateful comments (on both sides) that followed a news publication in a Toronto gay newspaper were shameful. It's hard to understand a group that says essentially that their rights are more important than the rights of any other group and does so in an openly hateful way. Sadder still is that the Ontario Human Rights Commission is taking the complaint seriously rather than stating flat out that the initial complaint was something that was provoked by the complaintant herself to gain media attention and throwing it out.

What some people won't do in order to get their 15 minutes of fame!!!

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Hello wjwoodward,

I totally agree with you. That is one of major problems against immigrants right now. It's not only Islamic people but there are some other minorities as well. I heard that Americans are moving to Canada a lot lately due to their economic crisis and a lot moved to Asia. You may have no idea why many Asians may like Americans and they seem to be welcoming them. Perhaps Asian education systems are more American system than British ones as well as trades/media.

Though Canadians have good reputations in many ways,I understand why others may put Canadian flags on their backpacks. When talking about this, I could foresee what consequences would be in the future, it is not only discrimination but would also be dragged to other sectors such as economy, society,economics, etc. This is hard to change people's thinking as many are used to where they belong to and even based on their life experiences domestically/internationally. What we are talking about now is in the big picture, but how many people would think like this?

I hope Canada will  maintain their reputation and more welcoming to all immigrants. I knew some refugees who told me they were being treated badly by Canadians too, but I understand them why they faced with that kind of thing. I used to have friends from the poor to the rich from different countries as well as refugees. I know how others looked at me/at us when walking together, but I did not care. I think discrimination is everywhere even some countries would discriminate people from the rich and the poor or the city people and the country people or Asians/Muslims/Africans/Latins and Westerners.

I am not sure if you have ever been to Africa before. Based on my experience, Africa is an interesting continent. Most of them may not have been abroad and do not recognize how American or Canadian accents are, so tourists may be warned when travelling in some African countries. They could think you were an American even though you told them you were Canadians and they apparently brought things up with the skin color topic. I was there, so I could say this, but I still love going back to Africa. There are many unique parts that I am still interested in.

Cheers.

wjwoodward wrote:

Hello all,

I am a Canadian who has been living in Brazil for eleven years now. I keep tabs on some of the things that are happening back in Canada by reading the online versions of both the Hamilton Spectator and Vancouver Sun, since those were the two cities I lived in for most of my life.

Recently I've seen a number of disturbing articles and their related comments which deeply sadden me because they make me wonder if the average Canadian is becoming a racist. We went through a lot of internal struggle during the 60s with separatism and anti-French sentiments, but came out of that with a more unified country and a sense that we were really a multi-cultural nation and should embrace other cultures, not shun them or worse still discriminate against them.

I left Canada in January 2002, shorlty after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Things I've seen and read in the Canadian media since then make me wonder if there is a lot of open descrimination against Canadian residents who have immigrated from the Middle-Eastern nations. I've seen a lot of horrible remarks, the kind that make me ashamed to call myself a Canadian, hateful things directed against those from Islamic countries. This certainly is NOT the Canada I remember and it shocks me. I was taught to respect everyone regardless of race, color, origin and Canadians were known throughout the world for tolerance and acceptance of all who came to our shores. It doesn't seem that way anymore.

I would love to hear the personal observations of the expat community in Canada, especially those from Islamic nations, if you feel discriminated against by the average Canadian, or is my impression wrong?

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Racism exists in every nation. I am not sure if you are trying to 'stir the pot' or if you were given false information. Immigrants continuously come to Canada for a reason: we are the most accepting nation in the world.

I would argue that Canada to a certain degree faces racism from its immigrants, where as the immigrants discriminate and dictate those born in Canada. Furthermore, as mentioned by others in this topic, some immigrants have issues with abiding to Canadian laws and customs and want to bend the 'rules' for their personal interests.

I left Canada in January 2002, shorlty after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Things I've seen and read in the Canadian media since then make me wonder if there is a lot of open descrimination against Canadian residents who have immigrated from the Middle-Eastern nations. I've seen a lot of horrible remarks, the kind that make me ashamed to call myself a Canadian, hateful things directed against those from Islamic countries. This certainly is NOT the Canada I remember and it shocks me. I was taught to respect everyone regardless of race, color, origin and Canadians were known throughout the world for tolerance and acceptance of all who came to our shores. It doesn't seem that way anymore.

(modéré: commentaire offensif)

Hello members,

Let's try to keep it to a nice thread

Melissa

I am Peruvian national that has lived in the USA, Canada and temporarily in Europe but Canada is home... to be honest.. having lived in these 3 places I can say for sure that in Canada I have not felt discrimination at all as I have seen in the other 2 countries mentioned.
In 2006, just before moving to Canada, I read an article published in The Economist that compared to other countries Canada is the country that are more open to foreigners compared to other countries.

Hi Alf007,

I'm extremely pleased to hear your comments about not experiencing discrimination in Canada. That at least is a hopeful sign that the racist ideas and comments are NOT generalized.

My original posting was, however, about the perceptions of those immigrants coming from Islamic nations because I've seen many statements in the Canadian media and comments that they have generated that cause me grave concerns about those specific individuals being targeted for discrimination, largely because of 9/11 which they had nothing to do with and because their religion requires them to dress and behave in a certain way that some so-called Canadians object to.

Thanks again for your very encouraging response.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Hello everybody,

What I'm really talking about here is the perceived discrimination and public verbal attack on Canadian residents coming mostly from Islamic Nations, and others too (of course).

Some things that I've seen lead me to believe that at least in Toronto there is a trend to being less tolerant and accepting. Also a disturbing appearant battle brewing between two 'protected' groups both essentially saying "my rights are more important than yours". One of those groups with a legitimate argument that of religious freedom, and the other (a group that has long demanded recognition and understanding in Canada) that seems not only bent on pushing down Islam at every turn, but is completely unwilling to give the other side the same understanding they themselves have fought so hard to achieve. It's a shameless US v THEM situation that has now focused on a manufactured non-issue playing out in the media and OHRC, which I'm sure all Ontarians if not most Canadians are well aware of. A petty war being waged by an individual with a hidden agenda and mostly to gain 15 minutes of fame and stike a blow for the real cause, not for the stated cause.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

interesting, i'm a born and raised torontonian, and i have always been immersed in diverse cultures be it at school, where i lived, work etc. and perhaps it is how you are raised; what you're exposed to (thankfully i befriended many people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds). i married a sikh (i'm caucasian) and years later converted to islam...so there you have it i love toronto because we are diverse. and yet, i am protective of minorities as i hate to see ignorance projected on to them. if a person has the courage to leave their homeland and relocate to a new country, i see that as our gain. i applaud them. we have many many productive new cdns in our midst. the media just likes spewing the same prejudice other nations push. the best thing i've done is travel. it educates and illuminates us all. so i would say i have not experienced cda becoming intolerant but then again, even if we did, it's pointless...we need people to generate tax revenue to run this beautiful country we're fortunate enough to live in

I wished that nowadays Canada had more people like Suzie Que who embraced various folks from different culture background. Canada is too good to be like its neighbor next door.

Hi Suzie Que,

Thank you so very much for your personal insights and for sharing your own situation to give even more credance to what you're saying. You have eased my mind considerably and make me feel much better about my people.

Like you I have had friends from many different races, cultures and lifesytles over the years, even during periods when that was not so popular in Canada. I have no room in my life for intolerant people and am so very proud of my fellow Canadians for the worldwide reputation they've earned our country.

Being a Torontonian then you must be aware of the situation that spurred my oringinal question; the Faith McGregor haircut incident. After having read your comments I went back to re-read the article where all the hate was being spewed. I noticed only then that it was a Toronto LGBT newspaper. I now understand the real situation. One breakaway militant member from a 'protected' group which has fought long and hard to be recognized and for their rights to be respected, who is unwilling to offer the same recognition and respect to a member of a religious group that SHE has taken issue with in order to garner her 15 minutes of fame. The hatefull anti-Islamic remarks and outright bigotry were being spewed by this wacko's supporters who are equally wacky. Sadly she has brought the whole LGBT community into the spotlight in a very negative way in doing so. Fanatics to any cause end up doing more harm than good to their cause, sad indeed.

Ironic indeed that this 'Loonie Toon' takes issue with the very thing her parents named her after... FAITH. I wonder if she can obtain a legal name change to FAITHLESS?

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Cheers

so far, i haven't believed that 'canadians are racists' but the european imigrants(especially Britains) follow that practice. am i right Dr.William James Woodward

Er.Balaji

kudos william, well said. the woman needs to pick her battles more wisely. there is so much real suffering in the world and she would be a better person by showing respect towards the shop keeper. i have no sympathy when there are literally people being bombed, shot and their rights taken with no hesitation. she needs to travel more and leave her soapbox at home.

cheers william.

k

thanks hericles. i don't think im special but i do love diversity.

cheers,

Susie Que,

I too think you're kinda special. I'm proud to say that I can see that most of us Canucks are the same. Guess there are a few bad apples in any barrel.

I was never prejudiced agains any group and never will be, but coming here to Brazil was a real eyeopener for me. Hard to believe that despite all the troubles they face on a daily basis the average Brazilian is so much like a Canadian it's amazing. Thanks to their participation alongside Canadians with the UN they are being seen in exactly the same light as us Canucks on the global stage.

I'm so proud of my home country and my new home too.... wonderful folks.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

but i say that the whole world is equal for all living creatures, whether its men or mammal, no one has any right to say that
'this land is MY native',

but has the right to say that 
'I belong to that land'

then there wont be any racism among our bros and sis

Hi soppu,

I pray to God that one day we can all get to that beautiful moment you have just mentioned. I ask myself why we can't all be like five year old children again, I watch my little boy and other kids.... Why is it they can get along so well with one another and WE ADULTS CAN'T???

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

I don't know about Canada, but things in the US changed a lot after 9/11.  An Egyptian family moved into our neighborhood when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade and they were as welcome as anyone else.  Now they'd have to be careful and not attract too much attention.

Hi Hailey,

Unfortunately things have changed a bit in Canada too following 9/11 and for the life of me I can't understand why. The whole sorry mess had absolutely nothing to do with Canada whatsoever.

It's absurd, insane in fact to blame all Islam for the attack on the World Trade Center. The average citizen of any Islamic nation had no involvement and certainly does not espouse terrorism at all. This horrible act was perpetrated by a militant break-off sect of fanatics who will stop at nothing to achieve their own ends.

Why so many Americans feel they are responsible is difficult enough to understand, but why some Canadians have adopted that same lopsided logic simply defies comprehension. As if Canadians don't have important problems at home to worry about, we're importing them from the US.

Do you think that's because there's no tariff imposed on whacky ideas under the NAFTA agreement?

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

We don't really blame all Muslims for 9/11.  That would be insane.  There are something like a billion Muslims in the world.  If they were all terrorists, we'd be dead already.

I think people who were looking for an excuse to hate them found one.  The weirdest thing about the US is that it's a nation built by immigrants that basically doesn't want any immigrants.

Hi there.

For me as a South African who wants to live and work in Canada, this does not sound very good, I realise that every country do have their problems, but then is seems that Canada is not better off than S.A. Seems to me I am busy with a wrong disicion.

Thanks
Barry.

Hello Barry,

Actually no you're not busy with the wrong decision. I feel that it is unfortunate that Canada is becoming a bit more racist yes, but it is certainly not generalized. A minority of Canadians are becoming less tolerant. I also think that of the ethnic groups that are being mostly discriminated against are those from Islamic nations. There is some misguided and twisted notion since 9/11 that all Islam is responsible for the attacks and all support terrorism. This is equally as ridiculous as saying that ALL Canadians are racists. Neither statement has any basis in fact.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Good evening,

I am canadian living in Canada.  Recently there were a few surveys showing that the unemployement rate within the islamic comunity was one of the highest.  People coming from middle east are usually educated and teir diploma is not always recognized.

There are signs of greater challenge for integration but I also know some success stories.  I am a people manager and have 3 arabs in my team.  So, there is still hope for equity.

Hi danie,

Thankyou for you comment which clearly backs up my statement that many newcomers to Canada are under-employed since they face difficulties having diplomas recognized.

It's sad to see that some Islamic immigrants are having difficulty in integrating into society. I sort of think that this is not so much through their own doing, but rather we Canadians are putting up barriers because "THEY" look different. This was exactly what happened when there was an intense influx of immigrants from Pakistan and India in the 70s and 80s, they had difficulties fitting in because "WE" shut them out, called them names, told them they couldn't wear their traditional religious headwear. I see that many Canadians are doing the same with Islamic immigrants now. Sad, very sad.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

The World is changing, people. Do we think that when the Europeans conquered the World, they 'assimilated'? No, of course not. Even Business ex-pats stayed in their own communities in the late 20th century. the wonderful thing about this country is it's cultural mosaic. You can choose which part of the mosaic you feel connected to, but no-one is forcing you to 'assimilate' yourself in another community if you don't want to.

No, fortunately Canada is not going down that road and isn't even getting anywhere near it.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

stevej1 wrote:

The World is changing, people. Do we think that when the Europeans conquered the World, they 'assimilated'? No, of course not. Even Business ex-pats stayed in their own communities in the late 20th century. the wonderful thing about this country is it's cultural mosaic. You can choose which part of the mosaic you feel connected to, but no-one is forcing you to 'assimilate' yourself in another community if you don't want to.

Extremely well put Steve, I'm in full agreement with you. It's a shame that there are many more Canadian than there used to be who are rather narrow minded and intollerant, who refuse to take responsibilty for their own problems because it's so much easier to blame their problems on others.

It's really sad that some Canadians can't seem to celebrate the differences that Canada's cultural mix has and see that it enhances the lives of everyone. I don't see it written in stone anywhere that we should all be Xerox copies of the guy standing next to us. I too feel that everyone should be allowed to maintain parts of their own culture and have the right to associate with whoever they please.

I find it rather amusing that someone who has such difficulty in spelling their own mother tongue and problems with grammar can't understand why they have difficulty finding a job. I know if I were in a position to be hiring people and received a resumé and cover letter that were so full of errors it would go right into the "circular file" without delay.

Marriage breaks up, blame it all on hubby - because after all there's absolutely nothing wrong with me! But it's hubby who gets rich and I'm here whining about my troubles and woes, being discriminated against because I'm after all just a woman, when in fact women are considered protected groups by every Human Rights Commission in Canada. If a man has a problem, he's got to deal with it himself, yet a woman has a problem and she's got at least a dozen 1-800 numbers she can call to get all kinds of assistance in any kind of situation. Hubby's new wife doesn't want him to keep the ex's photos, big deal, why would she want her ex to keep them around anyway and what should it matter?

Must be a lumberjack with that many axes to grind!

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Dear Members,

Some inappropriate posts have been removed from this discussion

Thank you for your understanding.

Maximilien
Expat.com Team.

Dear wjwoodward-

In my experience moving here I would say that in some places people are becoming very racist. I've lived all over Canada and I loved being out east. Keep in mind, this is only my experience, some people might have experienced the opposite, but my time in Edmonton has been awful.

I grew up on the west coast of the United States and I never seen so much hate as I do in Edmonton, to me I would easily mistake it for a racist city in the "dirty south" plus snow. I'm starting to see these lifted trucks decorate their license plates with confederate flags which greatly confuses me, where I'm from you only had that if you we're from the south or if you we're racist. As a team leader in my employment I have actually had to have discussions and write ups because I heard racist terms being thrown around in front of customers. I'm not talking about the big no-no word that is often used in rap music, I'm talking about terms to describe immigrants in a terrible way. I had never had to do this in my years of managing/shiftleading before. I also heard a person at Walmart tell the girl at the till to go home.

As for myself, before I got settled in Edmonton I showed many signs that I was from the USA. Sure, americans may not be the most popular bunch, but what I understand about humanity is that you can usually win friendship and love from any culture if you are naturally a kind person. I try to reflect my kindness in my eyes and it has never failed me. That is until I moved to there. Complete strangers have gone out of there way to tell me I'm not wanted here, or to go home. It shocked me because I thought if I was kind and helpful and good natured I would fit right in.

Like I said, this is just my experience. I am glad I got to try out places like Halifax, charolettetown, lab city. I liked all those places and found them warm and welcoming.

The only thing with Lab City is that I could tell that they were not used to the huge Filipino immigration there. Although they where welcoming to it, sometimes I would hear some boarder line ignorant things being said about them. But I feel like that was just a lack of being exposed to anyone other then Newfies for the past 30 years, because all in all Lab City has the friendliest, kindest people I have ever met.

Hi Stephdee,

Thanks for your personal observations, they're very important.

I'm not at all surprised by your statement that you feel there's more racism in Edmonton than anywhere else you've been. Not that I'm putting down Edmonton or the Province of Alberta in any way; it's a great place and one of the few in Canada that is undergoing a real burst in expansion economically.

Actually that's the whole basis for the problem. Up until now the three most sought after locations for immigration were Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Now anywhere in Alberta is way up there on the list. Now they're getting the massive influx of newcomers to Canada that the other cities started getting long ago and as a result now the competition for finding employment is getting heated up. Now those cities are starting to experience a bit of backlash against newcomers because it's always easier to blame ALL life's problems on foreigners. Thank goodness, at least in my experience, in Canada people who tend to do that are in the minority. Most Canadians will always be very gracious and willingly accept newcomers to Canada with open arms.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Maximilien17 wrote:

Dear Members,

Some inappropriate posts have been removed from this discussion

Thank you for your understanding.

Maximilien
Expat.com Team.

Your definition of inappropriate is interesting.  Rambling, illiterate, racist posts are allowed, but pointing out hypocrisy and complimenting the person who started the topic is not?

I will no longer be participating in this topic, but I might look in later to see if questioning those who can arbitrarily silence us is allowed.

Hailey,

Please note that the inappropriate posts which had nothing to do on Expat.com have been removed from the thread and its "author" has been banned.
All posts related to them (including replies from animators) have been moved to an admins' private forum in the process as well because, again we don't think those posts deserved much more attention and have their place on the site.

Thanks for your help.
Armand

Sorry for being off topic

Hello everybody,

I'd like to share my comments responding to an article appearing in the online version of the Washington Post entitled "Quebec moves to ban religious headgear for public employees"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ … story.html


**********************************************

I would ask the Honorable Minister Bernard Drainville how any proposals that remove one's fundamental right to adhere to the tenets of their faith can possibly be "balanced"? 

This report makes me ashamed of being a Canadian and also shows me how much better off I am having left my country over eleven years ago now. It's disgusting to see exactly how bigoted and xenophobic many Canadians have become since I moved away. I used to pride myself that we Canadians were a nation of people known for our tolerance and acceptance of religious and cultural differences that make Canada the chosen destination of newcomers from every corner of the globe.

For decades the right of the individual to wear religious headgear, which is required by their faith, has been enshrined in Canadian law. Now with the stroke of a pen the Party Quebecois wants to destroy that completely. Canada should be about extending rights to people, not about depriving them of their rights.

I'm shocked, perplexed and dismayed that the entire Canadian population, including Quebec residents, aren't up in arms about these proposals. How does it injure me or deprive me of anything seeing someone wearing a turban, hijab, yarmulke or for that matter a set of Mickey Mouse Ears????

I'm so angry and ashamed right now that if these proposals should pass I will give serious consideration to renouncing my Canadian citizenship in the most public way that I possibly can.

Wake up Canada, don't let these crackpot Party Quebecois politicians continue trying to divide and destroy the country. Put them back in their places like you did with the referendum on separation.

********************************************

I hope that each and every one of you who are as upset about this as I am, will phone or right to your federal Member of Parliament and express your profound concern. The Canada I know was always about celebrating our religious and cultural differences, not about shunning people and depriving them of fundamental rights because we think they should be (and look) just like us.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

The Parti Quebecois has proposed a "Charter of Quebec Values", which it is set to introduce sometime in September. The proposed Charter is nothing less than a thinly disguised attempt to legalize racism and discrimination in the province.

This law is an affront to ALL Canadians. For those of you who might think, "well it's just those darned Muslims and Sikhs anyway, so who cares?" and might be tempted to support the move. I'd like you to think about a few things first.

The Charter will ban ALL religious headwear and symbols, not just turbans, hijabs, yarmulkes and the like; it will ban Catholic Nuns from wearing their full habit or wear a crucifix. It will ban Mennonite and Amish and Quaker women from wearing a kerchief to cover their heads. It will ban Catholics and Cristians alike from wearing a cross or crucifix that may be visible to others and Jews from wearing a Star of David pendant. So don't be tempted to throw your own rights and beliefs into the trashcan just because you wrongly think you're not on the Parti Quebecois hit list.

For decades now we in Canada have had laws that allowed everyone to wear headwear or other symbols that make up part of their religious tenets, not just Muslims and Sikhs. The turban has long been accepted as part of the uniform for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Provincial Police Forces, city police forces and the Canadian Armed Forces. Why all of a sudden should turbans or hijabs, burkas and the like be seen as somehow offensive or limiting OUR rights and traditions? How does allowing others to follow their conscience and wear them infringe in any way on my rights or diminish them? Are we all just sheep? Do we all have to pander to the Parti Quebecois lunatics who have tried for so many years to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada? Do we have to buy into the twisted logic of our American neighbors that ALL MUSLIMS are responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center 9/11? This idea is absurd, the vast majority of Muslims are just as appalled by terrorism as we are, they had nothing whatsoever to do with the attack.

So don't be sheep, don't just knuckle under to the whims of the Parti Quebecois and their radical separatist leaders. Think for yourself.

And for all of you Catholics, Protestants, Jewish, Mennonites, Amish and Quakers... if you do support the proposed Charter - Please don't cry when you find that you too have lost your freedom to enjoy the heretofore inviolable right to follow your own religious beliefs and wear whatever your religion requires.

There is a vast difference between the separation of church and state and the all out assault on religious freedom that the Parti Quebecois is trying to impose. Remember once we get stripped of a right that is fundamental, nobody is going to give it back to us. Don't just roll over and play dead, giving up the right voluntarily.

While the proposed legislation is purported to be aimed only at those in public service positions in the province it is clearly their goal to amplify that to prohibit all residents from wearing their religious headgear or symbols in any public place. Once they get their foot in the door they know they've won the battle. Don't let this happen.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team