On October 17, 2009, seventy-six Tamil refugees arrived off the cost of Victoria, British Columbia in a rusty boat followed by another four hundred ninety two exhausted Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers in August 2010 (CBC News, 2010). Their migration stemmed from the civil war that had been ongoing in their homeland for over two decades. Human rights agencies and media around the world raised concerns over human rights violations, and death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Sri Lanka. Canadians, those of Tamil ethnicity and otherwise, were concerned, many of whom took to the streets of Toronto in protest between January and May in 2009. However, despite the street protest throughout the summer of 2009 and Canada’s reputation as one of the most generous nation in the world toward refugees, the Tamil boat migrants received a cold welcome as they arrived in Victoria (Bauder & Bradimore, 2011). The Canadian media was particularly critical, expressing concerns over the migrants’ identity and the validity of their refugee claims (Bauder & Bradimore, 2011). Based on Cynthia Bogard’s (2011) writing, this paper will describe the framework for understanding the social construction based on claimsmaking activities and the context to explain how and why the Tamil refugees were typified in an overall negative representation in Canadian society.
Claimsmakers and their activities
Bogard (2011) states that ‘Claimsmaking activities’ are the ones that typically construct and reinforce social problems in which the media, activists, government and experts play significant roles. Two major claimsmakers who contributed to negative representation of Tamil refugees during and after their arrival in 2009 and 2010 were the government and ...
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Historically, Canada has held a world renowned reputation as nation with a magnanimous ideological approach to providing asylum to those individuals subjected to marginalization and persecution in their homeland – regardless of their nation of origin (Ismaili, 2011, p.89 & 92). Indeed, providing sanctuary to refugees who would otherwise experience significant hardships ranging from blatant discrimination and racism to torture and genocide, has very much become an institutionalized aspect of Canadian society. However, recent changes to Canada’s immigration policy delineated in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Bill C-31 may have perhaps put this ideology in peril (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, 2001).
The Canadian justice system, although much evolved, is having difficulty eliminating bias from the legal system. Abdurahman Ibrahim Hassan, a 39 year old man, died on June 11 in a Peterborough hospital, while under immigration detention. He came to Canada in 1993 as a refugee and was suffering from mental, and physical health issues such as diabetes and bipolar disorder. There was an overwhelming amount of secrecy surrounding the death of this troubled Toronto man, and to this day no light has been shed on this tragedy. (Keung, 2015) An analysis of the official version of the law will reveal how race class and gender coincide with the bias within the legal system.
...a’s immigration policy becoming fairer. From 1991-1997, 607 Rwandan refugees were allowed into Canada. From 1992-1997, close to 13,000 thousand Bosnian refugees were allowed into Canada. The acceptance of these refugees from Bosnia and Rwanda show how much Canada’s immigration policy has changed since 1914, when many immigrants and refugees trying to enter Canada were rejected.
Bagnall, K. (2001). The little immigrants : The orphans who came to Canada. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press.
Definition/explanation : The issue is the controversy in letting Syrian refugees into Canada. There are pros and cons to letting Syrians into Canada, which means a lot of people are divided on whether to let them into Canada or not.
Downey, Michael. “Canada’s ‘Genocide’: Thousands Taken from Their Homes Need Help.” Acting on Words: An Integrated Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook. Ed. David Brundage, Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson Canada Inc., 2012. 445-448. Print.
The Indian Residential schools and the assimilating of First Nations people are more than a dark spot in Canada’s history. It was a time of racist leaders, bigoted white men who saw no point in working towards a lasting relationship with ingenious people. Recognition of these past mistakes, denunciation, and prevention steps must be taking intensively. They must be held to the same standard that we hold our current government to today. Without that standard, there is no moving forward. There is no bright future for Canada if we allow these injustices to be swept aside, leaving room for similar mistakes to be made again. We must apply our standards whatever century it was, is, or will be to rebuild trust between peoples, to never allow the abuse to be repeated, and to become the great nation we dream ourselves to be,
In Adelman’s Canadian Borders and Immigration Post 9/11 and Hugo’s Australia Immigration Policy: The Significance of the Events of September 11, both authors explore the effects of 9/11 on the Canadian immigration and refugee policy and on the Australian asylum seeker policy respectively. To arrive at their findings, both authors use media coverage, public opinion, and examination of post 9/11 impacts on the policies of both states. Additionally, Adelman uses new legislations that Canada adopted after the attacks while Hugo uses the justification of the Australian government for their change in policy. Attempting to reason states’ actual purpose for introducing controversial immigration policies is problematic. Adelman and Hugo’s method of analysis and hurried conclusions show that the dilemma that arises in explaining immigration trends, including policies.
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
In conclusion, Canada has come a long way in promoting the integration of immigrants socially. The country is making progress integrating immigrants economically, and much needs to be done before the same can be said politically. What is certain, is that the immigrant’s path of integration may be a slow process, and the Canadian government has been slow to propel it… but the future looks bright, and Canada is on the right track.
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914.
Li, Peter S. Destination Canada: Immigration debates and issues. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2003.
Vancouver currently maintains an image as a sort of maternal ethnic melting pot, a region rich in cultural diversity and with a municipality that is both tolerant and welcoming of various displays and traditions. However, upon closer examination of recent history, it becomes clear that the concept of the city embracing minorities with a warm liberal hug is both incorrect and a form of manipulation in itself. The articles Erasing Indigenous Indigeneity in Vancouver and The Idea of Chinatown unravel the cultural sanitization that occurred in Vancouver at the turn of the nineteenth century as a means of state domination. Through careful synthesis of primary documents, the articles piece together the systematic oppression suffered by BC indigenous people and Chinese immigrants, reformulating our perception of the interests of the Canadian government.
During the month of October, Canada’s political scene was very busy due to the 2015 federal election held on the 19th. Throughout the previous months, the public held great interest towards the campaigns of each party as well as their platforms in order to choose the party that the public wanted as the new government of Canada. In the campaigns, a major topic that was included in every party’s plan was the Syrian refugee crisis that is currently an issue in many countries around the globe. This crisis has taken the media by storm and is a concern for many citizens in Canada. As a country known to be peaceful and generous, many people would assume that Canada would be one of the first to step in and help those in need but that is not the case. The general population does not know that the current laws in place make becoming a refugee in Canada a long and unfair process. Acquiring refugee status in Canada, protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, health care for refugees and the current stance of Canada in regards to the refugee crisis are all factors that the general public must be more aware about. The current laws regarding refugees of Canada must change.