Newfoundland needs immigrants and anti-racism action now

 Last year, there were two overt incidents of racism in Newfoundland and Labrador. Racist and Islamophobic posters were found at Memorial University and Blackface was portrayed at the local branch of the Law Enforcement Torch Run. While one could claim these are isolated incidents, these moments have pointed to a larger issue at play.


In Newfoundland and Labrador, visible minorities — defined as non-Indigenous and non-white — are discriminated against based on the color of their skin, according to a recent survey by Corporate Research Associates, a global public opinion and pasar research company. It operates the independent Atlantic Quarterly and it conducts quarterly telepon surveys to trek political, economic and social trends affecting residents in the Atlantic region.


In the survey, only four per cent of informants reported that they experienced racial discrimination five or more years ago, but nine per cent said that they were the sasarans of racial discrimination in the last five years, suggesting that racism in the province has been increasing.


These results paint a different picture from that portrayed in the provincial cultural narrative and memorialized in the Broadway hit Come From Away which is that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, a predominantly white population, are friendly and warm.


This may be true in the context of everyday relations among white people, but less so where systemic racial diversity is concerned, since white people are not beyond acting in racially self-interested ways. Hence, differences are tolerated so long as they are not a threat to the status quo.


The friendly reputation attached to the people and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador can thus perpetuate a dangerous myth of inclusion and acceptance of visible minorities which, as the Corporate Research Associates results show, is not always true.

Strategi Bermain Judi Slot Online Secara Handal

This characterization of Newfoundland and Labrador as racist reflects that of the rest of Canada. The experiences and stories told by generations of visible minority immigrants and refugees across Canada about discrimination within many public systems that impact on their lives tell of a racism that is deeply rooted in the fabric of Canadian society.



Attempts by the general public and public officials to mask this reality with appeal to notions of "friendly," "warm" and "pleasant" only serve to conceal the ugly truth about racism in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the rest of Canada.


Economic challenges require immigration

The challenges of a rapidly aging population, a troubling fiscal outlook and youth out-migration have put Newfoundland and Labrador in an economically disadvantaged position. The response to these challenges — namely, increasing immigration to the province — has not been the antidote that many expected.


In discussions about the outflow of visible minority immigrants and refugees to other provinces, there has been very little dialogue about the role of racism. A recently released report by Dr. Tony Fang, the Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation at Memorial University of Newfoundland, hints at the importance of examining the experiences of racism on the retention and integration of refugees in the province.


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