Influence of Race and Racism on Canadian History - Essay Sample

Introduction

Without regards to any anthropological evidence, it can be deduced that racism is a belief of superiority of a particular group of people who are given special privileges. A perception that some race is superior over the other still holds grounds for discrimination, whether it is from an individual perspective or institutionalized organization. Racism has played a significant impact in the development of Canada as the blacks and the natives have faced significant prejudice from the majority of white people which has significantly shaped the racial discourse development in Canada. As a result, race and racism have significantly influenced Canada development and social aspects in different ways with issues of race and racism being evident in Canadian demographic settlements, economic activities, politics, social interactions and education (Satzewich, 2011). This paper will assess how race and racism ideologies have shaped Canada and continue to influence social, political and economic spheres of the country.

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In Canada, the history of racism shows the exploitation and discrimination of the African Canadians, the native minorities and the racial minority immigrants from Asia. Historic institutionalization of Canadians has significantly led to socio-economic differences between racial groups. The institutionalization of slavery in Canada had significant ensuing structures of racial prejudice that continue to affect the country labor market due to the prejudice against the racialized immigrants seeking homage and jobs in Canada. The Canadian labor market is one of the most affected institutions by racism due to color based hierarchies in social and economic spheres. Despite the efforts of the country to reform the labor market basing employment on skills and qualification discrimination still exist that deny racialized immigrants equal rights to employment benefits and promotion opportunities (Pendry, 2011).

Between 18th and 19th century racism was already present where the blacks and the natives were prejudiced and viewed as the lowest people in the Canadian social class at the time. The historical prejudice against the Africans in Canada is behind the predicament of the African Canadians today. Despite the end of slavery by the abolitionist campaign in 1833 through the Emancipation Act African Canadians continued to suffer prejudice in different aspects of life. Canada has previously been said to be the haven of the former African slaves, but their integration into the Canadian community has been that of resilience due to institutionalized racism in Canada (Kihika, 2013). The myth behind the view of Canada as a refuge of African slaves freeing forced labor in southern American has been established because Canada did not have plantations like the United States of America which made the need of forced labor unnecessary. Agriculture not being a primary economic activity in Canada created the perception that Canada was a haven for the freed and the runaway slaves (Kihika, 2013). However, slavery was an accepted activity in French and English Canada in the year 1628 to 1833. In Quebec which was previously under the French and later Britain slaves were owned by the Catholic church, nobility, farmers and business people and were used to do the domestic chores such as milking cows, farmland chores, and cleaners. Both the Africans and the Aboriginals were marginalized and used as slaves at the time. Stereotypes against the Africans and the Aboriginal people as unskilled and dependent continues even today which has significantly shaped the Canadian history of racial equality (Kihika, 2013). Today, African Canadians are prejudiced against due to the stereotypes that they are aggressive, hostile and incompetent which has continued to marginalize the Africans and the Aboriginal people from participating in cultural, political and economic activities. Today, the African Canadians occupy the low social structure of the Canadian social class. This is true in Canada today as most of the non racialized populations of white people enjoy better-paying jobs with high monetary compensation and status compared to the blacks who occupy low paying jobs (Kihika, 2013).

In the late 19th century in the 1920s, immigration in Canada created violent and prejudiced organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Orange Order that were against the immigrants and viewed them as a significant threat to the Anglo-Saxon Canadians. Vicious prejudice based on race continued in Canada even in the 1930s which led to negative sentiments by the racial minorities most of which started supporting the radical groups such as the communist party which further increased discrimination against the racial minorities in Canada. In one instance, the Canadian government retorted to deporting the racial minorities who supported the communist party in the 1930s to 1935. Prejudice against the racial minorities who were non-Anglo-Saxons continued during the great depression and the following decades in employment where the Africans were denied rights to be in labor movements with most of the labor strikes being termed illegal by the Anglo-Saxon management (Zucchi, 2007).

In the 20th century racism in form of racial prejudice targeting the minority racial groups was witnessed in Canada during the second war where the Jews were socially discriminated where they faced restrictions regarding education quotas, residential restrictions, and exclusion from the social amenities of elite racial groups in Canada such as beaches. As a result of anti-Semitism stereotypes, Canada closed its borders for the Jewish people seeking refuge from persecution in Europe. During the Second World War, racial groups from German and Italian origins were prejudiced upon and faced extreme hostility. Another racial group that faced hostility during the Second World War was the Japanese minority groups especially after the Pearl Harbor attacks by Japan (Ward, 1982). Today, police brutality against the African Canadians has ignited the racist rhetoric in Canada with most stereotypes against Africans in Canada depicting them as criminals. Increased number of extra judicial killings against African Canadians in the recent past showcase the ongoing racial cleansing and discrimination in Canada with the African people being denied justice like the white Canadians (Antonopoulos, 2003).

In the 21st century racism has led to the loss of educational opportunities for minority groups children (Sheppard, 2017). Children in some schools are suspended in their kindergarten up to grade six. The suspended children have to stay at home without being taught leading to education loss. Besides, remedial work is rarely allocated to the expelled students thus making it difficult for them to access education. The impact of racism in school can be very devastating to students thus shuttering the child's ambition. The increasing rate of expulsion in schools has also led to dropping out of school by students. Racism has led to some students refusing to pursue certain careers due to fear (Allan & Smylie, 2015). For example, some children view a policeman as being so brutal and inhuman. The fear in children has led it to be translated into all their social life thus being unable to choose their career life. Some students also have low self-esteem thus not being confident in facing the reality of life. Some African Canadian children are always given the least opportunities in accessing universities.

The minority groups in Canada feel like their citizenship has been compromised due to racial profiling which is aided by institutional supported racism (Sheppard, 2017). The minority citizens feel like they are unequal and as if they do not enjoy the resources of their country fully. The immigrants and the existing African generations which have been in Canada for long feel they do not have a sense of ownership. The employed persons are being assumed at their working stations making them not to feel appreciated. Most of them are not promoted due to profiling thus remaining at the same level for years.

The people's behavior and their activities have been interfered with due to racial profiling (Allan & Smylie, 2015). For example, an expensive car being driven by an immigrant in Canada attracts the police attention. Racial profiling has largely affected the mode of living for people. The measures are taken to ensure that law is followed but at the same time create loops to ensure that it is exploited by those who do not experience profiling. The African Canadian taxi drivers are always afraid of picking up some Canadian individuals due to believing that they will cause problems after the ride.

Conclusion

Race and racism has played a significant role in Canadian history at different points in time. Racial supremacy amongst the Canadian population has existed since the founding of the nation and continues even today with many racial rules which are established based on race. The white Canadians have always been the superior race and united against the minorities in social, economic and political matters. The blacks and the native tribes have faced prejudice since the colonization era where in most cases they were considered lesser beings compared to the white settlers. The white people have access to better schools and employment opportunities while the prejudice against the racial minorities silently continues to shape the misery of the minorities in Canada. However, during 20th century a significant division amongst whites was experienced during the persecution of the Jews and during the 1st and the 2nd world war where white people from Germany and Italy were shown significant hostility. Today, the black people and the native people remain prejudiced where they are denied equal opportunities and rights like the white people. Stereotypes against the blacks where they are rebelled as gang members and violent are amongst the justifications used by the white people to deny the black people equal education, security, investment and employment opportunities.

References

Allan, B., & Smylie, J. (2015). First Peoples, second-class treatment: The role of racism in the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Toronto: the Wellesley Institute, 2015.

Antonopoulos, G. A. (2003). Ethnic and racial minorities and the police: A review of the literature. The police journal, 76(3), 222-245.

Kihika, M. (2013). Ghosts and Shadows: A History of Racism in Canada. Canadian Graduate Journal of Sociology and Criminology, 2(1), 35-44.

Pendry, N. (2011). Race, racism and systemic supervision. Journal Of Family Therapy, 34(4), 403-418. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6427.2011.00576.x10.8 Race and Racism - Canadian History: Pre-Confederation. (2018). Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/preconfederation/chapter/10-8-race-and-racism/

Satzewich, V. (2011). Racism in Canada. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press.

Sheppard, C. (2017). Challenging systemic racism in Canada. In Race and Inequality (pp. 57-76). Routledge.

Taylor, C. (2011). Race and Racism in Foucault's College de France Lectures. Philosophy Compass, 6(11), 746-756. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2011.00443.x

Ward, W. P. (1982). The Politics of Racism: the Uprooting of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War by Ann Gomer Sunahara. The Canadian Historical Review, 63(2), 236-238.

Zucchi, J. (2007). A history of ethnic enclaves in Canada (Vol. 9). Canadian Historical Association.