The number of Canadians facing discrimination because of the colour of their skin or based on their religion is going down reveals the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey released Monday by Statistics Canada.

Ethnic Diversity Survey 2002

* 13.4 million immigrants came to Canada in the last century * 23% of the population was born outside of Canada * 55% report 'Canadian' as their only ethnic identity or part of their ethnic identity * In the Atlantic provinces, 10% of the population reported 'Newfoundlander' as their ethnic identity * 10% reported feeling out of place due to their ethnicity, culture, race, language or accent * 1 in 5 visible minorities reported discrimination or unfair treatment sometimes or often (*Source: Statistics Canada: Ethnic Diversity Survey. The survey included non-aboriginal Canadians aged 15 and over.)

The information, gathered from phone interviews with non-native Canadians over the age of 15, was conducted between April and August 2002.

The subjects were asked if they had experienced discrimination based on ethnicity, culture, race, skin colour, language, accent or religion.

The survey shows about 587,000 non-Caucasian, non-native adults in Canada have been the victim of racism, sometimes or often and the feelings of not belonging were strongest with African Canadians.

About three million Canadians over the age of 15 classify themselves as visible minorities.

Nearly one-third of African-Canadians who were interviewed said they had sometimes or often been treated unfairly because of their skin colour, compared with 21 per cent of South Asians and 18 per cent of Chinese.