As a white immigrant to Canada from the US this story rings true.

I have a bit of native American blood and everyone said I came from a reserve without ever asking. My skin is white as can be and I am mixed european ancestry from the US. I often find Canada to be very anti non white and anti American. Yet people scream diversity is so good in Canada. Not even close.

From lack of autism therapy to people who make you feel less than welcome. The govt funds org to help people fill out immigration forms. Why not make the govt employees do this? There are ethno centric orgs that help immigrants find jobs. Why not mainstream govt!

The discrimination starts from the govt on down.

People by nature want only 'their' kind to prosper i think. I have lived in USA and Canada and i found americans to be more racist, especially in southern USA. Canadians may be harboring some reservations on non-whites, but atleast they dont show it directly. thats the least i want as a visible minority. treat me fair, you dont have to love me :-)

This story rings true and through will people of all races.

It seems practicing democracy while not being white is a crime in Canada at times.

I believe that the gentleman driving the cab actually reflects the views of many "white Canadians". Whether it is right or wrong, racist or not, that is not the problem. We need to accept the reality of such views and find productive ways to address it. By dismissing these people as "right wing nuts" I think that it only leads to more resentment that will fester until one day when the problem boils over.

I am a white person and come from a long history in Canada. My Last name goes back to 1874 landing in New York then Canada in 1876 and married white immigrants English, German, Welsh and mostly Norwegian along the way. I grew up in a small town and as I entered high school I began to hear about racism. It wasn't obvious, usually when white kids gathered in groups because they new openly it was wrong and didn't want others to hear. I realize now they weren't bad, they were just influenced by one or two other kids. It's those one or two kids that caused the problem - a rotten apple spoils the bunch so to say. And most often it's their parents that influenced them. Now, I am married to a non-white Canadian mother of one. I didn't marry her because she was non-white, nor to be "anti-racist", but because of who she was. Our son is the best thing we've ever done and I believe that only through education of other cultures that others will be more tolerant. Prejudices will always be with us, but violence towards others just because they look or act different is not the answer. Sure, there's some things that my in-laws do that embarrass me, but I tolerate it for my wife and son. At least I know why they do what they do - ie: Education. And with this education, I can educate my family to a new culture. As a side note too, it's not just white people who act out in racism, it comes from all cultures.

The most interesting statement your limo driver made was that Canada should seek white immigrants from Eastern Europe instead of the "third world." Two generations ago many of his people considered Slavs and Poles subhumans, and were looking to wipe them out! Perhaps that's progress of a sort, when white supremacists can include anyone from West of the Urals among their people.

As an expat Canadian married to a Pinoy and who has been to privileged to spend many happy years living with the Haisla I can only agree (because of my own life experiences) that Canada is indeed a racist nation.

However racism is not the exclusive domain of the 'whites'.

I have met very very few people that were not racist.

What is important is how one allows their racism to affect their lives and the lives of their neighbours.
Brian W.

Very stirring blog. I too have encountered this impression among Canadians that Canada's ethnic composition is changing for the worse. However, I would add that there are definitely regional differences in this impression, and would argue that this type of idea tends to emerge more in Canada's growing plural cities (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver). In my experience, the remainder of Canada tends to more aggressively address this idea and tends to be less concerned with the way their feelings are expressed. This emerging debate concerns me a great to deal. There is a desperate need for a national conversation on racism within this country. There is also a desperate need for a dialogue on our national identity. These two themes seem to be intersecting here. I for one cannot help but feel that these racial tensions that exist just below the surface of Canadian society will be further exacerbated by the current economic crisis. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for dialogue to emerge, but I for one am less optimistic.

Mr. Parasram,

Thank you for sharing this story and I commend you for how tactful you were with the driver. When strangers meet me, they have no idea how to interact with me. Within 10 to 15 minutes of a conversation, I get a sense of when the person finally asks, "What are you?" because they are curious. I'm usually coy and ask them to guess without providing my family name. When they give up I tell them this in order: I'm human, I'm a Canadian and my ancestors are Swedish, Norwegian, Beaver, Slavey and French. I smirk at their reaction when I say I'm human first and Canadian second; it kind of throws them off.

Hey, this is a great story, with a hilarious ending that showcases the writer's integrity and thoughtfulness. You might think its funny, but I myself have had many similar conversations when I used to hitchhike across BC and the rest of Canada and encounter a multitude of either jokes about Surrey girls or East Indians when I told the driver where I was from. As a white teenager getting a ride from a white guy, who was giving advice in a fatherly yet obscenely racist way, I never felt threatened by the comments but sometimes disagreed and told my side of the story. Other times, just for fun when the driver was a truely lost cause I agreed with to either explore his thought process or get him to change the subject.

But I would like to state my reason for comment explicitly: those guys who were "lost causes" in my eyes are the ones who would actively think about how they can avoid any contact with non-caucasians, and most of the ones I met did not live in a multicultural area. There seems to be many more lost causes who are non-caucasians in my city though, who do the same thing. And most choose certain areas to live in so as to avoid integration with regular society. I call it regular society as in my world I work with people who speak english on the street, at work, and at school because its the official language and you need to know it in order to survive and not be a burden on society. The Austrian guy might not have been very eloquent, may have been going off on a rant, but from my racists friends explanation of how they feel is that they were forced to learn English, against their will, as they wanted a job and they didn't come from an ethnic background where they could still pretend they were living in the old country. They always complain to me that things were so much better there, they would have been married by now, after 12 years their english still has problems, that they work like a dog in Vancouver yet they can't afford the lifestyle they would have had back home. Some of my friends who work in construction are racist because they feel they were forced to integrate, whereas immigrants from both China and India are so much in the majority, that they don't need to learn english, hence speak to person outside their ethnic group. I too feel its sad they can't afford to take time off work to go back to visit, even after 12 years, whereas other groups go back in large numbers every year because they really do not like living here.

I don't know if it's just me, but I would assume that everyone reading this post has the same feeling that if you don't learn english, you can't integrate outside your ethnic background, hence, you are a racist. Being a white guy in an asian world has led me to constantly reexamine myself, as when I was younger I never appreciated the differences in people. Do you readers think that not learning english is racist? Or do you think that a person has to state in clear words that they "hate" a certain group to meet the definition. I would like to express my opinion more often in public that all people need to learn english in order to get along, but I don't want to be viewed as a racist. What do you think?

I must say that as a member of the "white" community here I have never heard such tripe this aticle itself is racist, an imaginary story designed to stir up race hatred ....I am surprised that it was allowed to be published

Ajay,

As a white Canadian who grew up in the middle east as a foreigner in that society, returning to Canada was a bit of a shock. Canada today is not the Canada of my grandparents or great grandaprents. You have to realize you caught a glimpse into what average working joe Canadians feel about the immigration situation in the country. As seen in Holland there can be immense backlash when there is over concentration of immigrants in some places (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal) and a slow intergration into society. I however enjoy the cultural mix and welcome all citizens.

I am a third-generation Canadian, whose grandparents all immigrated to this country (from the US, England, Ireland and Scotland).

As a child growing up in Toronto, I was torn between pride in my country's cultural diversity, and fear of immigrants who speak no English and live in their own neighbourhoods. We fear what we do not understand.

As a mature, reasonably well-educated person, I have landed on the side of pride. I feel privileged to live in this country, and welcome anyone who means to live here peacefully, as most immigrants intend to do.

I am ashamed of the fact that so many of my fellow Canadians are intolerant, and cling to their ignorance like some kind of moral superiority.

Hey Ajay! Glad to see you're finally getting your word out! I'm sure this will create a lot of insight and conversation.

In a society where technology is further isolating individuals, some seem to be desperate to retain whatever bonds they have, and often, in its most simplistic form, it has to do with those most like oneself. It is likely that this Austrian man, were he in Austria, would home in on those from his region of Austria for comfort. Then break them up into their respective religious affiliations, then political leanings, even ancestry. So it may not be racism as much as isolation; yes, one can turn into the other, but it may stem from isolation instead of intolerance. Just my 2 cents.

What I find more racist is the fact that Ajay Parasram labelled the driver as a madman or a Ku Klux Klan member just because his is white. The same issues can be found between indian and chinese, intalian and portughese, croatian and serbian comunities and so many others. What the driver is saying is that everybody comes in Canada with their ways with them and don't want to change at all. Don't forget he is in the taxi business.

Amom's comments about moving to Canada from the US, and finding Canada to be often anti-nonwhite and and anti-US have to have some context. The Bush years put a lot of strain, on Canadian/US relations, and I say this a right wing conservative. As to the rascist part, saying Canada is rascist, is like saying the US is rascist. It's all where you live, Alabama, New York, Montana and California, are worlds apart. So Are Vancouver, Regina, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.

I can't count the number of times I've had a similar conversation. Unfortunately the views of this taxi driver are pervasive in our society. Just look at the comments section under many news articles covering immigration on the CBC website - the seething xenophobia and racism is there on display and it is just waiting for someone with power to take advantage of it. Right-wing political parties will emerge to take advantage of this fear and negativity, as they have in many European countries. Hopefully Mr. Parasram's conversation changed the attitude of this taxi driver.

We as a society must do more to cast off the institutional racism that is sewn into our fabric.

This driver must not get along well with his fellow drivers. I take those same airport "limos" several times a year, and the majority of the drivers seem to be south Asian. Still, interesting as your experience was, let us not generalize to the entire "white" population of Toronto from a single Austrian immigrant. There is a wide range of opinion on immigration in the "white" population (just as there is a wide range of opinion in the "non-white" population about the fairness of "whites").

Great article. "Canada is a Tolerant Nation". The problem with this phrase is that I find the meaning has changed in Canada, from "Accepting peoples differences" to "Putting up with diffences, but you still hate"

Lets be accepting of all people.

I truly find this story hilarious with all it's irony. As a white guy living in a city that I have grown up in all my life with all sorts of ethnic diversity. I find it very disturbing that we have (Canada) have felt the need to allow so many immigrants into Canada in the past 15 years or so. Even Russel Peters has to poke fun at Bramladesh. We have such a high population of East Indian people that we can no longer go anywhere without having their culture rammed down our throats. I absolutely love the various cultures and all that they have to offer but at what time did those things become Canada? I don't know how many people reading this have attempted to achieve employment with our government lately but unless you are brown and or female .... GOOD LUCK! I find it discraceful that this would even be a policy to only hire supposed minorities. I honestly beleive that caucasians are now a minority in Canada. Unfortunately this will be taken as a biggots point of view. I just long for the day when everyone will appreciate this country and be thankful they are here. This topic opens so many doors for discusion and AJAY I applaud you for being an open minded patient Canadian. Perhaps we should all sit down in the dark as a country and hash out our differences. I think it would be very educational and productive.

This guy is a fine example of his own comments. They bring their ways with them, hmmmm. Well he's a fine example of the many people who bring old hatred and prejudices with them. It is true that racism is unacceptable coming from anyone, and it is not limited to whites. Cultures do clash, and every culture has its rednecks, and its crusty ignoramuses who can't accept others for who they are. How many people do we all know, who demand acceptance for their culture, religion, way of life etc., but have none of the same tolerance for anyone else?

What grace the author showed in such a situation. This Austrian fellow who mistakenly thought that his skin colour made him a better citizen sure got his comeuppance. I had to laugh!

My extended family is truly Canadian. I was born here (a Canadian “mutt” with Norwegian, English, Scottish, and Irish blood in me), and my hubby was born in India (he’s a pure-blooded guy). But we are equally Canadian. My family has been here for many generations. But his family came over in the 1970s and with only twenty dollars to their name, they grew a beautiful family and added a first-rate nurse, a Certified General Accountant, an award-winning high school teacher, an award-winning primary school teacher (with expertise in teaching autistic and special needs children), and an award-winning university professor of Western classical music (who is also a professional opera singer, a voice teacher and an expert woodworker) to the Canadian economy. This family shapes young minds and prepares them for life, shapes this country’s finances, and has even saved people’s lives.

My extended family has grown since I met my hubby 15 years ago: we now boast Canadian, English, Indian, German, Norwegian, Dutch, Scottish, Filipino, French, and American roots. Our religious backgrounds include Anglican, Episcopalian, Catholic, United, Presbyterian, Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim, agnostic and even atheist. We speak English, French, Hindi, Urdu, German, Spanish, Filipino, Dutch, Italian, and (I think) a little Japanese. Anyone who wants to tell me that my family or my country is in any way diminished by the arrival of non-white immigrants will get little more than my contempt and a listing of my family’s incredible achievements and contributions to this nation.

A person’s skin colour does not determine a person’s worth. It does not determine a person’s culture or beliefs. It does not make that person more or less worthy of a good job than the next person. It does not determine whether that person will be a worthy citizen, and anyone who says differently is out of touch with reality. Without the loving influence of my extended family, I would not be who I am today, and I would not have learned to appreciate how lucky I was to take my first breath on Canadian soil. The stories of hypocrisy and hatred that my loved ones have faced and overcome inspire me to be a better person – a better Canadian - who seeks to understand, to appreciate and to embrace others for who they are and what they have to offer. I can only hope that more people will start to open their eyes and understand that diversity is enriching and that it strengthens us as individuals and as a nation.

It is excellent to have this kind of discussion sometimes, but we shouldn't hurt someone's feeling because racism is an imbecile behaviour of humans. so, if we want to talk about religions, cultures, race, tribes and so on, we have got be very careful to respect and venerate other people's dignities. However, this chatty driver could be a racist or not; he disrespected and hurt this non-white man's feeling. He should regret and take back his racism words.

Good article Mr. Parasram, lucky you for having a visible comeuppance to present the village idiot taxi driver. But, and to me this is huge…what’s with the “white” business? I thought all had agreed “race” is a social construct and really when was the last time you saw a truly white person unless it was someone with the flu or otherwise ill, most so called whites are pinkish or reddish some times brownish , but white ? Not so much. As a person of Irish and Scottish ancestry I feel the whole “white” thing is an identity sucking label every bit or even more offensive than ones that at least acknowledge a person’s ethnic origins.

What to do? This is so-called demographical advantage.
As soon as white minority will appear, government will protect them and delegate privileges to them. Not so bad perspective.

It's funny that the cabbie would refer to Eastern European immigrants as "white", perhaps he didn't actually mean people from Eastern Europe. I immigrated to Canada as a child during Martial Law in Poland so I'm more Canadian than Polish at this point, although I speak the language fluently. When I entered the school system I was forced to use the English equivalent of my first name and drop the accented letter in my last name. (My English first name was a source of taunting and teasing and caused me to quit many social clubs at a young age). When I applied for my post-secondary education I received a letter requesting that I take an English equivalency test, even though I had 2 English and 2 French (Immersion) OAC's. I've been called a Polack by my "white" neighbours, and have been stared at like some kind of freak while speaking Polish in public, not to mention I've never, ever, had anyone even get close to pronouncing my last name correctly... Pagawaska, Pagooska, Pagoyska. So, in theory, I look white, but I am not, and it seems that unless your last name is Smith or Baker, you're not really either. Canada has a long way to go in terms of racist attitudes, and that can be said within minority groups too, although when immigrants talk about their experiences, we soon realize that we actually all go through the same bull in this country.

I think most such prejudices are a temporary thing as people adjust to social changes. Much of this is due to clashing codes of conduct. I also think that it is not just white Canadians that hold such prejudices.

I have worked with several Chinese that talked loudly about the joys of beating up whites. In some cases I think this may have been bravado covering fear, but in others it was their Friday night entertainment.

I worked with one Sikh who was convinced that I was a redneck because I had a moustache. Yet the people that I would call rednecks (which I recognize is a stereotype) tended to call me a faggot before they tried to beat me up.

My MP lost her cabinet post when she said in parliament that they were burning crosses on the lawns of Prince George. I've also been called a redneck numerous times by gays and treated as a monster by some man-hating feminists, not because of my actions, but because of their preconceptions.

I guess it doesn't help that I *look* like a redneck. ;-) Prejudices come from our disappointed expectations and from our fears, as well as our brain's tendency to work with generalizations based on limited evidence. We each have to work hard to overcome these reflexes to categorize and to view unexpected behavior as a personal affront (I'm still working on this last bit myself).

For my part, I've shaved my moustache and I try to broadcast "friendly" as I walk down the street, except to rednecks, of course, who I just punch in the head. I'm amazed that the VPD doesn't admire my enlightened attitude.

The author states: "I argued that many Caucasian Canadians feel, within themselves, that the ethnic composition of Canada is changing for the worse, but are too afraid/ashamed to vocalize this for fear of being seen as racist." This is pretty much the crux of the matter, because it is this fear of being seen as racist, and thus marginalized, that also prevents them from voicing legitimate concerns regarding immigration and its policies in areas such as defining who qualifies as a refugee, requiring certain qualifications before being allowed to immigrate and how to deal with immigrant criminals. These issues affect all Canadians and the majority's views on it are stifled or trivialized before they can even be heard.

As a white Newfoundlander, when I first left home to look for work I moved to Toronto. When I got there I had to find a place to live, so I looked in the paper and found a room in a house owned buy a lovely lady and great friend from guyana, in that house there was an Italian guy, and a trinidadian. There was something special there, we became a very tight knit group of friends.
During my time there I experienced racism on a whole new level (not from my roommates though) A brother of the lady from guyana was over one day and when I was introduced to him he asked me where I was from upon hearing my accent, when I told him I was from Newfoundland he went off into a tyrade saying that Newfoundlanders take all the work, and work all the overtime they can get in a very nasty tone (he was a union carpenter). This made me a bit angry as a very patriotic Newfoundlander, but to my surprise his sister got angry also and kicked him out of the house(i'll never forget that she is such an amazing person).
I also met a friend from Ghana at work, he was new to Toronto and so was I, and we became best of buds right away. One night we went out for a few frosty's at a near by pub, we were sat down when his girlfriend showed up, he introduced me to her, she seemed to be very nice, she had to leave shortly after so he walked her out. When he came back in and sat down he was a bit upset, he told me when he walked his girlfriend outside she asked him why he was hanging out with me and that he was going to be white washed and that he shouldn't hang out with me.
Now I've also heard many a racist comment made by white people also, and alot of bad comments about Newfoundlanders by white Canadians, such as we are stupid, or all alcoholics, or that we marry our cousins. This is the reason I call myself a Newfoundlander and not Canadian.
I just wanted to show that racism is all around and there are people from every race that are guilty of it. Ignorance is bliss for so many people, if only we could educate everyone on different races and cultures this world would be a much better place.

I read your post with a creeping feeling of deja vu. I also had a late night cab ride with a character I felt was generally unstable. I was returning from a business trip to Trinidad. I was describing briefly why I was down there and I chortle of disgust emanated from my driver's lips.

I am a Canadian of Anglo-Saxon origins but my story departs and contrasts from yours as I will not go on to describe a white driver disgusted with what would be a community of visible minorities here in Canada. He went on to describe his Pakistani origins and how he had left his family behind and was now (for never clearly established reasons) unable to reenter that country. He had been given landed immigrant status here I believe.

Back to the disgust, he went on in very uncomfortable phrasing to describe how the populating of Trinidad was done by that of slaves of both the African and Indian continent. His special contempt was for those of the Indian continent as he described them as being from such a lowly caste that even looking at them was offensive. I was truly disgusted by the intolerance and my story again crossed path with yours as I sent an uh-oh text to my wife.

I spent some time describing the affable, capable and generally great people that I had encountered in my work in Trinidad but found myself speaking to someone, as you did, that wasn't truly listening.

I by no means describe this experience to put you, Ajay, on the defensive as your roots trace back to this lovely Caribbean island. This is merely an unkind coincidence that I apologize for. The reason I bring this up is that my takeaway from that cab ride was quite different from yours. I found myself proud of a country that could take on this intolerance and theoretically still protect his rights and mine in equal measure. I thought back to my days spent in much more homogenous countries like Japan and Greece where attitudes like this are more than represented by by the lunatic minority but start to filter into the mainstream because of all the likeminds.

Personally I believe, the worry of white Canadians that they will be overrun by an ever-changing ethnic composition does exist as you say. But my own belief is that it exists at the margins just as these drivers of different enthnicity but similiar bigotry do. I know that the benign racism you describe is not at the far margins where these guys reside but I do believe if you were to visualize this attitude it is moving slowly and inexorably to the edges. This is because we have institutionalized pluralism and protected everyone's right and from my experience that has the effect on rational, thoughtful Canadian's of making them accepting and inclusive over time.

As a brown person, I thought I was not influenced by race until I saw the movie "A Time to Kill". It startled me when defence counsel told the story of a little girl being abused in the same way that the daughter of the accused had been abused...and then asked the jury to imagine that she was white.

Even with sincere, concerted effort and an open mind, it is harder to eradicate the double standard than you would think.

Ken B,
Great comments. Very insightful.
It would be interesting to hear about racism
in other cultures beyond the white stereotype as well.

It is sad every time I hear about the extreme racist comments/extreme closed-mindedness, whether from whites/non-whites. It's simply a fear of the unfamiliar, a fear of change. We naturally make stereotypes against people we do not understand. Some people went to certain parts of Canada with high concentration of immigrants, maybe certain shopping malls with minimal English signs, then they blame the specific ethnic group (the entire ethnic group) for not trying hard to learn English, not integrating into the "mainstream society". We need to understand that within one ethnic group, there's diversity, huge diversity.
Some people argue that if an immigrant is not learning the new language, he or she should not be in Canada in the first place. Well, if that's the case. All white Canadians should learn all the languages spoken by the Aboriginals in the first place. I'm not suggesting that immigrants should not learn English. Indeed, learning English is almost like a basic life skill & it would only bring more benefits. However, we need to understand the older you get, the harder to learn a new language. Well, English & French are kinda similar & most young Canadians has to learn French in school. Well, how many native born Canadians can speak & write both French & English fluently? I just hate to see people simplify the issues & so quick to blame the "Others".

I love the taxi ride story above. Thanks for writing it. My parents are white immigrants. I was teased by Canadian kids mercilessly as my Dad was Scottish and my mother was so Polish.

Will you all relax about this minority/majority thing. Every country with a large indiginous population have their own deep rooted race/class problems. Go travel and find out on your own. Stay way from the tourist areas and you will find out very fast that there is more prejudice there than here. INDIA especially. Thank God for Canada because it is the only country where you can look anyone in their eyes and speak your mind.

I can only speak about living in Toronto (I grew up downtown)for 34 years. I can honestly say that the stigma and silence on racism are alive today. This is a recognizable fact from my lived experiences personally and professionally. What is even more ugly is the double standards that are acceptable as "normal" i.e. you can be "racist" and ok so long as you say and do the "right" things according to what is bureaucratically defined as such...smile, interact and quietly keep your genuine feelings hidden.
This is an ominous attitude that pervades many organizations and individuals and, it is this attitude that creates divisions in this city. It does not promote or reach for "inclusivity" and equity in diversity. The whole idea of "diversity" has been reduced to the crazy practice that come summer, we celebrate "multicultural" festivals. Yet, the largest one was banned from the city core to the borders of the lake, leaving the city core empty and hollow in this celebration.
One organization that is notorious for its racist practice is the Toronto police. Children of citizens in this city are daily subject to harrassement and arrests because they are dark skinned and mistakenly believed to be "recent" immigrants despite the fact that they are born Canadians with dark skins.

The majority of the media of course panders to viewers with images and ideas that clearly do NOT encourage or include a variety of people of all colors and ethnicities in "normal" spaces. Until we stop referring to "others" there is no unity for a Canadian identity - that subject used to be a university level course that i personally took in the 80's.

Like it or not, you older folks, no matter what race you belong to, will have to face the facts and accept it that your kids are mixing with other races more and more. Too bad. Deal with it.

This is just a bad hangover of the PC and multicultural policies of our country. I doubt this fellow has a hateful bone in his body, but people do get fed up with the notion of having to recognize other cultures. To what end? Who cares if I do or don't?

I speak as a son of "white" European immigrants. Let me tell you how this Austrian thought when he came to Canada; he said, "I appreciate coming to this country. I'm going to keep my cultural beliefs to myself because that's all I need, and I'm going to find work, and contribute to my new country as a native citizen would. And I'm going to try to master the language"

That's HIS culture. I imagine that his experience is the standard he wishes all immigrants would adopt.

Let's not forget, just because someone is "white" it doesn't mean you're not a minority. There are lots of immigrants who find moving to another country a challenge. I just don't read about Ukrainians and Russians etc.

You're right about one thing...a discourse definitely needs to be had.

Just recently I asked a colleague whether he had been to the local doctor. His reply was "Oh that Indian doctor...he almost killed me". I pointed out that the doctor wasn't Indian, but of Egyptian descent, and his reply was "Indian, Egyptian, Whatever", quietly remarking that he couldnt tell the difference.

I once did an experiment where I showed a bunch of guys the picture of a bald chinese guy and asked them whos picture it was. All of them replied "some chinese guy". A few days later I repeated the experiment showing them a bald white guy and their unanimous reply was "some bald guy". It was a fascinating observation how for someone belonging to a different race, race was the first characteristic observed. I am sure a similar experiment with a group of any race would be pretty much the same.

Xenophobia, howsoever small, is a universally inhenerent human trait and, unfortunately, despite human advancement in science and technology, we have collectively failed to overcome it. As someone pointed out here, it's not just whites against black or browns, it's more of an "us versus them" idea that everyone has his/her own interpretations of. I have seen white canadians make fun of the way "white" eastern europeans speak. who inturn ridicule the "white Canadian culture". South Asians sneer at whites or Africans, Japanese ridicule Chinese etc, we are all to be blamed. White Canadians get blamed because "they are supposed to be fair, unbiased and accomodating" and immigrants are coming to their country not the other way round. Try seeing how whites are treated in Pakistan. We are all racist, some less, some more.

To make a really pluralist society, we have all to rise above our belief systems and petty biases and accept everyone from all races for who they are, not from their skin colour.

In the era of Barack Obama, there should be no room for racism. All racists are shooting themselves in the foot.

I am an Indo-Canadian and have generally found the people in Vancouver area to be pretty racially tolerant and receptive to other cultures. However, I do get a "vibe" every now and then which I very rarely got in Houston, TX, where I lived for many years. The Indian community there is actually very highly respected, with a lot of engineers in the petroleum industries, not to mention educators, doctors, even astronauts.

Sugar Land, TX, should be an example of integration for any North American city. It has some of the best school districts in North America and 50% of the population are of Asian and Indian ethnicity.

The main problem affecting non-white immigrants to Canada is in the hiring practices. Since many non-whites tend to be from third world countries like India and China, their qualifications tend to be deemed inferior to Candian qualifications - which is nothing further from the truth. In fact the basic education in places like China and India is in many cases actually superior.

Any white Canadian who doubts this should make a trip to the Silicon Valley in California, where the common saying is that the "Silicon Valley was built on ICs". (IC = Indians and Chinese). And compare the skills of foreign graduates to Canadian skills where it actually counts!

Over the years I have listened to many of the same opinions shared by your taxi driver. But, I think that there is more going on than racism.

Having lived around Vancouver all my life, I have always been surrounded by a variety of immigrant groups. Growing up, most of my friends were immigrants or children of immigrants and I loved this exposure to different cultures.

Thus, I used to be confused when established immigrants were critical of new immigrants. In fact in the last few years I've had a number of conversation with Hong Kong immigrants who are very negative about letting in more immigrants from China.

I think that many people (whether born in Canada or immigrants themselves) who are threatened by immigrants haven't had the same experience with a wide diversity of cultures as I have had. They understand a monoculture and can't understand that a diverse culture with a constant influx of new people can be strong and vibrant.

I think that most people believe that new immigrants coming to Canadian urban centers are non-white. Thus anti-immigration sentiment sounds racist. Sometimes it is, but as the writer points out, when my Ukrainian grandparents came to Canada in the 1920s they faced prejudice even thogh they were white.

Sadly, bigotry and prejudice is not confined to Whites. It is a deplorable condition that knows no barriers to its entry. I recently watched a news story of an East Indian man in the States that had his son's fiancée murdered because she was Black (Afro-American). Two years ago I worked on a job with with a non-white man who openly admitted to me that he “hates Chinks".

After 51 years of being part of the human race and having travelled extensives throughout the world on business, I have come to observe that every man, woman and child (irregardless of race, ethnicity, religion or culture) has the seeds of racial prejudice buried somewhere down in their heart. And if it hasn't yet been exposed then it's only because the "right set of circumstances" has yet to prevail and push them into "expressing" their underlying fears.

Please do not think for a moment that I am attempting to justify racial prejudice, because I am not. There are times when all of us and anyone of us has had almost euphoric feelings of love for all humanity. But even that warm emotion (much like expressed bigotry) tends to be more of a reaction to some stirring event, than it is a deeply established conviction that will overrule our fears. In the end all that can be said is: -“You who judge are guilty of the same.” God help us all.

Here is my opinion, which I am sure a lot of people will not agree with.

Once racism is extinguished some other form of bigotry will inevitably flow in to fill the void. It could be ideological, geographic, olfactory, or a combination of a bunch of different things - who knows? Prejudicial ignorance-based fear is part of our nature and always has been. The human psyche needs a bogeyman to blame the ills of the world on and no amount of sensitivity training or education is ever going to change that. Taking individual responsibility for the world around us has never been a particularly strong trait for humanity and it never will be as long as the convenient scapegoat of "foreigners" or "the government" or "infidels" is available to blame for our lot in life. The best that we can hope for as a species is tolerance and some level of civility between the infinite number of groups that make up humanity because expecting that these groups will someday become transparent is unrealistic.

Like many other uncomfortable aspects of human nature, there are 2 types of people when it comes to prejudice - the ones that admit that they are prejudiced to a certain degree and the ones that lie about it.

Racism is one of many forms of oppression, that has everything to do with power. In Canada, white people have the power to be racist towards people of colour. That's basically it. Prejudice and racism aren't the same.

I wonder, what did this continent look like only a mere 400 years ago? Hundreds or thousands of nations covered the land, having lived there for thousands of years. Thousands of languages and people, living in a democracy (Six Nations I know of for sure, courtesy of Barbara Mann's excellent book "Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas"), with something far closer to what we would call social justice or harmony.

What does it look like today? A 350~ year old colony where if you aren't white, male, English-speaking and heterosexual, you're open to being oppressed by someone who is. In one sense, Canada is built on Turtle Island. In another, it is built on the suffering and unpaid labour of native people, people of colour, and poor people in general.

So from my perspective, two major obstacles lie in the way of an honest debate about race in Canada: white guilt stemming from colonization and the genocide of native peoples, and an unwillingness to recognize the privilege that comes with white skin.

Wonderful article! Thank you for sharing and glad (as was your wife, I'm sure!) that you made it home safely. IT is remarkable what "white" and "immigrant" means to some people.

K

DH:
I do agree with much of what you say about the need within the human psyche to identify, and consequently the reverse, with other people.
I don't think emphasizing that some people deny they have prejudices is your strongest point. Just as fundamental to human nature are coping strategies to resolve cognitive dissonance. I think that some resolve the conflict of wanting to be enlightened, accepting people by denying their own impulses to see others as different. This stream of people may be in denial but their "benign" racism as some people put it is far better than the blatant, exclusionary variety.

It is a type that the original author and many thoughtful people struggle to pinpoint its results and detrimental effect. This is because its effect is negligible in comparison.
The real part of your comment that I agree with is that we need to accept the divisions and that we will all never be holding hands and singing O'Canada in harmony. Let us all just agree to be tolerant, respectful and let the rules of the land protect our rights and give us some opportunity for a decent life.

On being mistaken for being white.

Personally I believe that you will find in any culture that there are those that resent people not of their ilk.

Now I also feel from my own experiences living in Edmonton and Vancouver that "white" Canadians are often exposed to situations where individuals of other culture are not willing to integrate and seclude themselves within their own cultures and come off as not accepting of "white" Canadians. This many people can find quite offensive, especially within our own institutions. Unfortunately this can lead to racial stereotyping.

Personally I believe that individuals who have immigrated to Canada need to make a pointed effort in accepting the beliefs and morals (even when they don't necessarily agree with them) of other Canadians and learning the official languages of the country.

Where this doesn't occur, it only promotes racial divisions.

That's my $.02 for what it's worth.

On being mistaken for being white.

Personally I believe that you will find in any culture that there are those that resent people not of their ilk.

Now I also feel from my own experiences living in Edmonton and Vancouver that "white" Canadians are often exposed to situations where individuals of other culture are not willing to integrate and seclude themselves within their own cultures and come off as not accepting of "white" Canadians. This many people can find quite offensive, especially within our own institutions. Unfortunately this can lead to racial stereotyping.

Personally I believe that individuals who have immigrated to Canada need to make a pointed effort in accepting the beliefs and morals (even when they don't necessarily agree with them) of other Canadians and learning the official languages of the country.

Where this doesn't occur, it only promotes racial divisions.

That's my $.02 for what it's worth.

As a Montrealer living in the US, I can tell you that expression "the grass is greener on the other side" applies here. Certainly, some Canadians harbour racist thoughts. Certainly, some of them express these thoughts openly. However, you must realize that as mentioned above, most Canadians will keep it to themselves and will rarely make racist comments to your face. The fact that the cab driver almost passed out when he saw you were not white shows that he was ashamed of what he had said to you and would not have done so had he known it would have offended you. The same is not true across the border.

Let's flip the switch to the U.S.. While some areas like New England and California are quite liberal, any travel beyond this will reveal that the majority are not politically correct at all. People are openly racist and they are not ashamed or secretive about it. They will flat out tell it to your face, and will propagate it to whoever wants to hear. I have heard comments like, "There are no educated black people like the ones you see on TV, living here (in the South). It's true. They all live in the projects and they don't care about education. They are all like that." There is a lot of hate visible.

Canadians are on the contrary extremely polite and go through great lengths to appear politically correct and multicultural, regardless of their true feelings. To me, this is much more civilized behaviour. People will feel how they feel. You cannot blame them if they do not understand foreigners. If they keep it to themselves, then what is the problem? With time, people will learn to accept eachother.

To finish, consider this:
- Ask a Canadian immigrant, "what are you? what is your nationality?", they will say "I am (insert birth nationality, Chinese, Cuban, etc.)"
- Ask an American immigrant, "what are you?", your answer will be clear... "I am American".

In our political correctedness, we are forgetting the importance of Canadian pride. Pride of being a diverse and accepting community. This applies to everyone, no matter how long you've been in Canada. Even though America has so much racism, at the end of the day, they all stand together and say "We are Americans." Why can't we all be proud Canadians, no matter where we initially came from? As DH suggests, why make a fuss about what is human nature? At least let's be proud of our civility compared to most other countries.

Great story. One very important thing you raised with your driver is the integral role of dark-skinned people in building Canada. History text books often portray non-whites as problems to be overcome; slavery, civil rights, and internment reparations are burdens which would not be if not for "minorities." We can learn something from Mr. Parasram and engage.

Excellent article. Very interesting to see this narrow little sliver of racism in Canada. I found the irony almost too astonishing to be true. I hope nobody really feels this guy represents a majority or even a large minority of people in Canada.

I am a "white guy" and I live in one of the most "diverse" cities in Canada. In my neighborhood I am definitely a minority. My family has been on the receiving end of overt racism on a few occasions. From harmless comments like "You're very white; how do you like living here?" to more disturbing incidents where (5-year-old) kids refused to play with my son because he was "not Chinese". (His response: "I know I'm not Chinese. I'm from Canada. What does that have to do with it?" I was pretty proud of him.) Where do 5-year-olds learn to spout that kind of crap?

Don't think that I feel like a victim or anything. That is not my point. My point is that racism (rooted in fear of those different from us) is out there. Its just a matter of degrees.

Our government sponsors a "cultural mosaic." This leads to what I like to think of as "quaint tolerance". Like getting an appreciation for Indian or Chinese culture by going to a restaurant. Or getting an understanding of first nations people by watching dancers or going to an art exhibit. This is reinforced by the media. Think Little Mosque on the Prairie -- there are some differences between us and they are kind of funny sometimes.

Real tolerance involves acceptance, give and take, and not trying to impose your views/ culture/religion/mores on others.

But maybe I just did that by asking that everyone be tolerant...

There are two major issues I'd like to touch on. I hope this will help to clarify to non-whites and immigrants why white Canadian majority thinks and behaves the way they do. Perhaps this will even help other white people better understand some of the emotions they are feeling.

Many white people probably read this opinion piece and found themselves feeling slightly angry or frustrated. As a white person, I felt this way myself. This is because there was an inherently racist logic underlying the author's arguments. In trying to tackle the issue of racism by using his own experiences exclusively, he has invoked the notion that racism is a white-only issue.

Some white people in these forums have tried to balance some of these arguments by giving examples of their own experiences of racism. Myself, I have experienced endless racist jabs at my "whiteness" by non-white friends and co-workers. I've been told that white people are all obese and lazy, that we are all ugly, and that "white" cultures are inherently inferior to the cultures of Asia. Non-white friends have confided in me that they feel uncomfortable in a crowd of white people. On one occasion I had been denied a place to rent on the basis that I'm white. The Chinese landlord in this case apparently had a Chinese-only policy when accepting new tenants. She told this to me directly.

Part of the problem of being a white person in a multi-ethnic environment such as Toronto is that we have no way of complaining when we experience discrimination. White people who complain about racism are often treated as delusional, since racism is perceived as an inherently white problem. Likewise, many white people who experience racism often remain unaware that they have experienced it. Our education system tries to eradicate prejudice largely by educating white children to identify racism only among other whites, and only which is directed at non-whites. (This gives rise to the phenomenon of the self-righteous white anti-racist crusader - that's something that many white people reading my post can understand)

I'm an openly gay man. I quite literally experience some sort of discrimination on a weekly basis. Even in a supposedly tolerant city like Toronto. Because of this, and because I've been educated to identify homophobia readily, I'm actually much more aware of race relations issues than many other white people. Racism against whites is in fact mainstream. For example, racist terms like "whitey" "white bred" "white trash" and "WASP" are uttered frequently in the media and go unquestioned.

Not being able to talk openly about the "white experience" in Canada in fact exacerbates the problem of racism by whites directed at visible minorities. The Austrian taxi driver was complaining about too many visible minorities in Toronto and these comments were perceived as racist. Is he a "mad man" as the author claims? As a white male taxi driver in Toronto he's actually part of a small minority of taxi drivers. Has he ever experienced discrimination? Or perhaps his problem is that he finds the rapidly changing ethnic demographics in his field of work to be an alienating experience?

White alienation from society is another subject the merits further study. As Canada's ethnic make-up begins to change, many white people begin to feel alienated from their own society. In certain ways this relates to my second point:

The discussions we have on racism often ignore the major issue of ethno-cultural identity. People are simply reduced to just being part of a race, and if two races have difficulty coinciding the culprit must be racism. This is especially true when we use the generic term "white people". In reality most white people don't see themselves as being part of the same group. Most "white" readers probably took issue with the fact that the racism of the Austrian man was linked with white people as a whole. Most "white" people would never even identify this man as one of their own in the first place.

One reality that we need to accept in moving forward is that a Canadian ethno-cultural identity already exists. Many so-called white people, including myself, view their ethnicity as a subset of a much larger umbrella term "Canadian". Canada may be a young nation, but a Canadian identity has already fully formed. If you don't believe me, simply read the 2006 census. Something like 40% of Canadians identify their ethnicity as "Canadian". Part of the problem in integrating new immigrants to Canada is that many Canadians don't hold this "blank-slate" multicultural view of Canada that many immigrants have. Part of the reason many "white" people react negatively to immigrants is the fact that their identity as Canadians is held in to question. Their concerns as Canadians in turn become, generically, the concerns of white people... and white people in turn are viewed as being no different than any other immigrant group. This is the basis for white alienation from society, or perhaps more appropriately the Canadian alienation.

I could go on writing about this for ages, but I'll stop here. Hopefully this information will help people.

As a prairie born and raised "white kid", I too have had similar experiences with taxi drivers especially in Toronto and Vancouver.

I spent some time in Somalia and Afghanistan and pick up languages quickly. Once in Toronto two young Somali taxi drivers where going on in Somali about driving "white pigs" around and then one looks at my wife and says to the other how he could violently defile her.

I, like the author, tried to give them an out by saying in English "so you like my wife?" and they were horrified that I understood them. They started sputtering about how I didn't understand and that I was wrong because I wasn't one of them. Then they became aggresively defensive but I offered to get the police to come and sort it out. The one who made the disgusting comments smirked and said "no court in Canada sides with you anymore".

We took the bus to the hotel.

I think its interesting that your very ethnic cab driver was on a tangent about immigrants at all. Naturally only Eastern European immigrants were desirable, since that is where he hailed from!

I think all cultures have a tendency to feel protectionist of their own nationalities. In fact, most Canadians are the same way in the US it seems.

I see a lot of people have left comments on this blog where they feel racism is rampant within Canada. I no doubt agree that racism is inexcusable. I do however, feel that it is far less prevalent in Canada than in most other nations of the world. Partly because we do have such a diverse society of cultures within Canada!

I think what concerns many Canadians about other cultures establishing themselves within Canada is the changes that it brings. Such as a Sikh police officer who may wear a turban as opposed to a standard RCMP hat. Is this threatening? No. Different? Yes. It's silly to get worked up over headgear - but again its an iconic Canadian image that is now different. This goes back to nations being protectionist of their cultures. Its human nature.

As time goes on, and we face new situations, we will learn to find a good common ground for all people to enjoy, and eventually racism will become less and less. We just need to be tolerant AND respectful of everyone, regardless of the nationality, and we will move in the right direction.

SandyVC, on the 24th at 5:22 PM, says she(?) doesn't consider herself white...only Canadian.

Well, easy for her to say, but that's the way I feel too...despite it seems the situation on that issue for me is no better than when I was born before the 2nd world war, or even 20 years after...at least it hasn't changed in any way noticeable to me.

Because it could be any number of times a month that going by what other Canadians say to me, I'm not Canadian (though I was born here and my forbears were living here already at the time of the 1st world war, maybe before their forbears got here).

So I always feel pretty good when, say, clerks at hotels and other businesses ask me for my status card. I'm always honest, but next time I think I'll just say I left it at home.

Hey, CIC, how about educating our Canadian public
better ??? Multiculturalism ??? I think we need an *Obama* as head of state to wake up our somnambulant citizens on matters of so-called race...but then again, I guess he'd just end up being called Canada's first *black* prime minister.

One start to the solution might be to make Esperanto the official language....yeah, that could prime the pump, once and for all !!!

Thank you CBC for posting this article.

Hi, I have read this debate and it is stirring, somewhat painful as it demonstrates that racism is still real in Canada.

I too am Trinidad born, and I too, have experienced racism here. I consider Canada maybe one of the greatest nations in the world, yet something is very wrong...we preach inclusion and we strive to achieve this, yet the philosophy of equality and fainess for all is not embraced by all in society.

Discrimination is not only colored white...it is discrimination.

I am a vis min and have had to endure much here yet love this nation and the people here. But let us not fool ourselves, you cannot legislate morality, it must come from within.

The system has laws in the workplace federal, provincial, local, and all over, that reward or protect such poor and dehumanizing behaviour...here is the start...fix what goes on in the workplace...unfortunately most of spend most of our day there and thus this is important...it can set the tone for a more inclusive society...

the world, white world that is, is struggling to wrap its head around that brown people, non white people, Asian etc., will rule this world and dominate...a numbers game...in all fields...so it is only a matter of time...yet let us be real...racism and discrimination exists even in our own sub groups...so the debate must be broad and people must be willing to confront this equally...we may need to admit some things about ourselves we want hidden...that we are racist...whether we like it or not...

this debate is a good start.

Why am I not surprised at the cabbies attitude? Racism in Toronto seems to be "I have nothing against visible minorities as long as they don't settle in my neighborhood, marry one of my family and take a signifigant job or position in Canadian society".It appears that this is the opposite attitude to racisim in the USA where they tell you who you are and what you are. One immediatley knows where they stand.

I have read all of the comments posted, and I don't think that anyone can disagree with the fact that racism and prejudice is alive and well within all countries,cultures, ethnicities and races. Oh yes, it may be that many, in countries like Canada, most will adhere to the politically correct stance if directly questioned or polled on the topic, but for most, the racism and prejudice is there, just under the surface. Even the more tolerant of us who are in a workplace or other type of environment where we are mostly of the same "genre", will admit that fellow employees/comrades will generally feel free to express their intolerance freely, when the "object of ridicule" is absent, especially in the blue collar area of life....having said that however is not to exonerate other types of work environments etc., the blue collar environment is the one in which I live and move and have my being, so I am speaking of my own, general, personal experience.

There is another area of intolerance that is even more rampant than racism, and is common to all races, and that is the rampant intolerance against those who may not meet the intellectual or educational standards set by society, the intolerance against those with physical or mental disabilities, those who are overweight, those who are just plain ignorant and don't know any better through no fault of their own, the intolerance toward those who have become addicted to all manner of drugs, to those with HIV or other diseases, to those who are disfigured or "ugly" by today's standards...ad infinitum. Until each race can eradicate these intolerances, within their own race or culture, then how can we expect real tolerance toward other races. Thank you.

Racism it would seem is built into the language. "Visible Minority". Even that phrase highlights difference or division.

We are all one in the sight of the most high Jah!

I don't feel we get along either.
I was born here and is as white as can be, grew up Downtown (Annex) Toronto. Went to school and lived with all types of cultures. I loved it. People who don't know my last name always feel comfortable about discriminating to me about other cultures.

I know when my Dad got his first job in Canada, the white folks couldn't pronounce his name (Laszlo) so they called him Joe and Dumb immigrant. He still loved this country and saw opportunity here.

What kills me is that over and over I hear that immigrants come over here and don't want to change into this way of life, they bring their traditions and culture and language. If they (others talking) go to other lands then Canadians would have to adhere in the other cultures ways.

But what I find funny is that, when the Europeans first came to Canada, they changed the ways of the Native peoples here to adhere to their ways!!!

We as Canadians/Americans should all be speaking in the Native tounge and living Native cultures then!!!

This was an interesting read; it reminded me a lot of some of my experiences as a Canadian from Caribbean heritage.

I am grateful to a friend for sending me a copy of your, shall I say extraordinary experience? You should visit Kelowna, in my opinion the most racist city in Canada. Have a look at my web site: www.racismkelowna.cp.s. Unless you object, I would like to publish it. Regards and take care.

Mo

I'm a white, french born canadian living in Ontario. I think the problem is we are getting a taste of our own treatment.

I'll be honest, i've never been or will be racist, but lately i'm the one feeling like a minority.

Maybe this is the reason for some of our frustrations.