Since the end of World War two, Canada has experienced a boom in immigrant arrivals throughout the years. As the Canadian society did not experience the arrival of so many immigrants before, part of the population generated tensions, stereotypes and prejudices towards visible minorities. More recently, these attitudes towards new comers have reached the workforce, creating inequalities regarding the immigrants, by the dominant group. This essay will be examining racism and discrimination in the work force by looking at the causes, the consequences and the life experiences of those who suffer from this issue in today’s Canadian society.
To better understand this problem, discrimination in the workforce, can be defined as actual actions taken by an individual or an institution, to justify an unjust behavior regarding someone’s physical, psychological or social characteristics (i.e. social class, sexuality) (Newman, 2012, p.188). In the case of racism/discrimination in the workforce, this definition can be relevant when an employee or someone applying for a job is given a different treatment because of one of the characteristics mentioned above resulting in inequality towards that person, and therefore disrespecting the human’s rights.
Causes
First, discrimination at work can be explained by three main attitudes towards the victims: “stereotypes, prejudices and racism” (Idriss, Ries & Heckmann, 2011, p.4). In the case of stereotypes in the workplace and in hiring practices, they are thoughts or opinions about one group of people due to generalizations. For instance, an employer refuses to hire a black person he believes how media, culture and his surroundings portraits blacks (i.e. aggressive). Similarly, prejudices are opinions a...
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...last five years, by type of situation, 2005 to 2009 (Catalogue no. 89-503-X). Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11527/tbl/tbl017-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2010, October 6). Median earning of recent immigrants and Canadian-born earners, both sexes, aged 25 to 54, with or without university degree, 2005, for Canada, provinces and territories-20% sample data. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-563/Teng.cfm?Lang=E&T=802&GH=4&SC=13&SO=99&O=A
Statistics Canada (2013, June 19). Labour market outcomes of immigrants aged 25 to 54, by period of landing, Canada- 2010-2011 (Catalogue no. 71-606-X). Retrieved from http//www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-606-x/2012006/t043-eng.htm
Tetchena,B. (2010, April 7). Doctors without Residency (Video file). Retrieved from http://www.nfb.ca/film/doctors_without_residency
Over five years after the 2008 economic crisis, the Canadian economy is still in rough waters. Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has been lagging below 2% and falling short of economists’ predictions (Hodgson, 2014), with no small part due to the stunted American and European recoveries. Tied into this is the country’s unemployment rate, which has hovered around 7% for over a year, while the rate for those aged 15-24 is nearly double, at 13.6% (Statistics Canada, 2014). Clearly, there is a need for more jobs in the country. At the same time, however, Canadian companies have been bringing in Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) to fill what they call a “jobs gap”: that there are places in the country where the labour supply is nonexistent, and outside help is needed to fill certain roles. This has set off a firestorm of controversy, both in the commercial and political realms, with accusations of corporate greed and government apathy abounding, as unemployed Canadians are seemingly passed-over for available jobs. This paper will explore how TFWs are filling a necessary role in the economy, and are not “taking jobs” from Canadians, and will then analyze what governments and businesses can do to change the program, how immigration reform can play a role in filling jobs and lowering unemployment, and what risks a focus on a “skills gap” instead of a “jobs gap” can have on the economy.
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Canada was determined to create a strong nation state during the first few decades of the twentieth century. Immigrants from various countries moved to Canada in hopes of prospering in a country that promised them so much. But not every immigrant was treated fairly. This is why intersectionality is necessary to consider because of existing complexities that exist within different groups of people. It is essential to examine the intersections of class, race/ethnicity, and gender, in order to understand why particular migrant groups experienced certain social and economic inequalities in the first three decades of the twentieth century.
Anisef, Paul Sweet, Robert Frempong, George. “Labour Market Outcomes of Immigrant and Racial Minority University Graduates in Canada, CERIS - The Ontario Metropolis Centre 2003
1.Wente’s article The Original Sin of White Privilege uses logical reasoning, anecdotal and a statistical example to argue that the concept of white privilege is deteriorating in Canada.
Every year, over 250,000 people make Canada their new home. Attracted by its education system, economy and universal healthcare system, there are few other places in the world like it. All Canadians are guaranteed equality before the law and equality of opportunity, regardless of where they are from. However, some might argue that Canadian policy has not been put into practice as well as it should be. Is the concept of true equality a far-fetched idea? It seems that Canada has taken great measures to promote the integration of immigrants socially, but can the same be said for their integration economically? Politically? To judge whether or not Canada has been successful at promoting the integration of immigrants in these realms, a deeper understanding of Canadian policy must be considered.
In this thriving time period, Canada admitted countless immigrants and refugees from other nations. This second wave of immigrants contributed to Canada’s exponential population increase, alongside baby boomers. Canada was also introduced to many cultures and religions conveyed overseas by newcomers from Asia and Europe. This symbolized the start of Canada’s worldwide recognition of a multi-cultural country. As the coveted land for foreign citizens, Canada did not completely welcome every person who applied for citizenship. Under that desirable façade, the Canadian government somewhat welcomed and admitted immigrants with a comparatively hospitable attitude, however, once the immigrants arrived in Canada, they were left alone by the government to fend for themselves. Similar to the treatment of the government, immigrants were not completely welcomed by the Canadian mainstream society after settling in Canada.
Preston, V., Chua, J., Phan, M., Park, S., Kelly, P., & Lemoine, M. (2011). What Are Immigrants’ Experiences of Discrimination in the Workplace? Retrieved from TIEDI website: http://www.yorku.ca/tiedi/doc/AnalyticalReport21.pdf
Debate on whether Asians are subjected to workplace discrimination based on their race has been raging on for years. The research findings on this issue have been varied. For instance, Cabezas and Kawaguchi (1988) showed that fore...
On the other hand, migration can provide some negative impacts. One of them is unemployment of native population. As it was said before, foreign-born are more profitable for employers; therefore they have bigger chance to receive the workplace than native people. From 1997 to 2006 the UK-b...
Discrimination is known to exist in all workplaces, sometimes it is too subtle to notice, and other times it is exceedingly obvious. It is known that everyone subconsciously discriminates, dependant on their own beliefs and environments that surround them. However, discrimination can be either positive or negative in their results, and sometimes discrimination is a necessary part of life.
...eated in the workplace. The intended audience in the article are the people that are in the labor force or hold high leadership position in the labor force. There is a high level of comprehension when reading the article because things are explained in layman’s terms. The authors behind this article are Shelley J. Correll and Stephen Bernard. Both authors of the article are sociology professors, so their credibility is strong. They are qualified to write about this topic. The url has an .edu description. This improves the credibility of the source given. The information is backed up using evidence from research. There is an overall objectiveness inside the source. The only opinions expressed in the articles are the ones that speak against discrimination. The purpose of this article is to inform people that these actions take place whether we realize it or not. (220)
Introduction- Discrimination affects people all over the world. People of all ethnicities and from all different walks of life are influenced in some way by workplace discrimination. "Discrimination" means unequal treatment. One of the most common elements discriminated against is a persons ethnicity, or their race. This is called Racial Discrimination. While there are many federal laws concerning discrimination, most states have enacted laws that prohibit it. These laws may have different remedies than the federal laws and may, in certain circumstances be more favorable than the federal laws.
Canada is measured through two ways. One is the low income cut-off (LICO) and according to Stats
Work plays an important role in our daily life, it is considered much more huge part of our personal life. During our daily work we make many relationships throughout our career history. Sometimes these relationships become lasting, and sometimes employment discrimination might happen. This relationships that we thought it last could be cut off by the devastation of claims of discriminatory treatment. Discrimination in the workforce has been an issue since the first people of workers in United States in the present day and as well in the past. Some employees were subjected to a harsh working conditions, verbal abuse, denial of advancement,, and many other injustices. There was also the fact that certain employees were being treated differently than other employees.