March 21, 2010 - International Day to Eliminate Racial Discrimination

A message from Lorene Oikawa, BCGEU vice-president and chair of the Equity + Human Rights Committee

March 21 is the International Day to Eliminate Racial Discrimination. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations in remembrance of the 69 unarmed black men, women and children who were killed 50 years ago by police. This deadly example of racism took place at a peaceful anti-apartheid demonstration in Sharpeville, a black township in South Africa.

From 1960 to 2010, we have seen many changes and most of us have embraced diversity.
In Metro Vancouver, we see the vibrant ethnicity on our streets, in our workplaces and communities. Howsever, inclusivity is more than festivals and food.

Recent headlines have blared the news of "seismic shifts" in our society. Statistics Canada has updated their analysis of demographic trends and it's expected that one in four Canadians will have been born outside Canada by 2031 - a change from the one in five from 2006.

What kind of Canada will these new immigrants encounter? One of the first ways that people learn about Canada is through a citizenship guide - required reading for citizenship applicants. Unfortunately, people will not learn about how immigrants and ethnic communities contributed to the building of this country, because it's not included in the federal government's newly redesigned guide. Also, particularly disturbing is the inappropriate use of "relocation" used to describe the incarceration of Canadians of Japanese ancestry during the Second World War.

"Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters," says the African proverb. The federal Conservative government is re-writing the history book that is used to test new citizens, and I understand they also plan to distribute the guide to high schools.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has expressed concerns about the "civic literacy amongst native-born young Canadians."

And who are these native-born young Canadians? In 2001, visible minorities were represented by about 20 per cent of Generation X (18-34 year olds) and about 33 per cent of Generation Y (5-15 year olds). Under 3 per cent of the boards of directors of corporations in Canada are racialized (visible minorities). In 2031, the "visible minority" population will be a 59 per cent majority in Vancouver. Currently the rate is about 40 per cent.

Of course not all visible minorities are immigrants. In my own case, I am a fourth generation Canadian of Japanese ancestry. My family came to (BC) Canada in the 1800's and 1906.

Whether Canadian-born or not, we must seek to engage people in all facets of our society including the political process as well as in our community organizations and labour unions. In order to effectively face upcoming challenges, we must have the positive contribution of skills, abilities and experience from all our people.

It is not acceptable to have so many skills be un-recognized. People should receive respect and fair wages. Wages for racialized groups are 15 per cent lower than those of other Canadians. Aboriginal and visible minority women make up the bottom wage earners. Income does not necessarily reflect skills.
The BCGEU took the lead in Canada to work on a migrant health worker project, and found that Canada has lost nursing skills because of barriers to have nurses' foreign credentials recognized. These women, mostly from the Philippines, work in other jobs and are not able to effectively use their skills.

On March 21, use the opportunity to speak up about a vision for an inclusive society - at home and around the world. Every day, challenge racism when you hear or see it. Do not accept intolerance, whether it's comments from a co-worker, an article in a newspaper, policy from a political party, hiring by an employer or any actions by friends or family.

We benefit by including everyone, and our strength depends upon it.

The BCGEU Equity + Human Rights Committee works with labour organizations such as our national union (NUPGE) and the BC Federation of Labour as well as community organizations to fight to eliminate discrimination. For more information, go to www.bcgeu.ca. If you are a member of one of the four equity groups and wish to receive further information regarding equity issues please complete the questionnaire located on the website. All information is CONFIDENTIAL.