Constitution Acts and Government Research Publications
Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024-2028
Author: Canadian Heritage
Publication: Government of Canada
Article on how the Chinese government promised to revise a bill on issuing “green cards” to foreigners. Citizens protested and express that they don’t want any more immigrants. Social media comments online show xenophobia towards black individuals and Islam.
Author: Viola Zhou & Arman Dzidzovic
Publication: Inkstone News
An article discussing the criticism of the West towards China for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains how Western prejudice against China has always been present historically and increasing as of late. It brings into attention how China’s response to the virus was much more brilliant compared to the West.
Author: Martin Jacques
Publication: People’s Daily
Article discussing a resolution blaming China for causing a global pandemic and calls on the Chinese government to publicly declare that COVID-19 began there. Association of the disease with a geographical region will lead to stigma, discrimination and violence directed at groups of people. The article discusses discrimination faced by other Asian Americans, not just Chinese Americans.
Author: Jennifer Bendery
Publication: Huffington Post
Article discussing a House resolution brought up by Rep. Grace Meng to denounce racism towards Asian Americans related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation follows another House resolution that demands the Chinese government to publicly state that COVID-19 originated in China.
Author: Kimmy Yam
Publication: NBC Asian America
Article discussing the racism faced by Asians and how it has largely gone ignored. It discusses how former US Presidential candidate Andrew Yang insinuated that Asian Americans can be accepted if they work harder to be more “American” instead of calling out racism for what it is.
Article: Tony Wong
Publication: The Star
Video where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls on provinces to request COVID-19 testing and contact tracing help. He also condemns racist acts against Asian Canadians, stating that “Hate, violence, discrimination has no place in Canada”.
Publication: CBC News
Article on how the Quebec government decided not to gather data about the race of those infected with COVID-19 despite an earlier statement saying they would. The article discusses the importance of this data as well as the effect of COVID-19 on Quebec.
Author: Matthew Lapierre
Publication: Montreal Gazette
Article discussing the confusion arising from the announcement that wearing masks can help prevent COVID-19. It highlights how this change is a result of evolving understanding of the virus, yet mask wearing has increasingly become a political statement. The article also discusses the importance of mask wearing.
Author: Inderveer Mahal
Publication: Macleans
Article detailing an incident where a nail technician went on a racist rant after her client said she was originally from Mainland China. The article discusses the rise in hate crimes and xenophobia against Asian Americans due to COVID-19. Furthermore, the article discusses how very few people online hold compassion for Asian American victims and how the model minority myth, lack of Asian representation dehumanization of Asian women, and politics/media play a role in this lack of compassion.
Author: Leanna Chan
Publication: Next Shark
Article discussing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s condemnation of the surge in hateful violence towards Asian Canadians. The article discusses a variety of hate crimes that have occurred since the start of the pandemic and how Trudeau’s remarks contrast the xenophobic and racist tweets from US President Donald Trump.
Author: Samantha Beattie
Publication: Huffington Post
Article discussing how feds should ask jurisdictions to gather more data on race, language and economic status. It discusses the shortcomings of the current federal strategies against racism.
Author: The Hill Times
Official declaration in French by the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade standing up for Chinese Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
Article discussing a 60-second ad created by a pro-immigrant group denouncing the racist anti-Asian remarks made by President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Sakshi Venkatraman
Publication: NBC News
Opinion piece that compares the similarities between the experiences of Muslim, Arab, and South Asians during 9/11 and Chinese and East Asians during COVID-19. It discusses how the rise in Sinophobia is also related to the changing political, economic, and social relationship between the US and China. The author calls for people to confront the forces that perpetuate inequality regardless of the group affected.
Author: Aly Kassam-Remtulla
Publication: Aljazeera
Article on how the British Columbia government gave Chinese speakers stricter COVID-19 rules in which the BC Ministry of Health’s website states customers may only dine or eat with persons from their same household or core bubble, which only appeared in traditional and simplified Chinese. An English equivalent of this rule was not found.
Author: Ian Young
Publication: South China Morning Post
Article on Joe Biden signing a memorandum which denounced discrimination directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander community during the pandemic. The memorandum was meant to guide the Department of Justice on how to better collect data and help with anti-Asian hate incidents.
Author: Kimmy Yam
Publication: NBC
Article discussing racist graffiti and how it should be handled. The City of Burnaby anti-graffiti coordinator states that the incidences are not reported to RCMP unless it is determined to be ongoing or with malicious intent. Additionally, the coordinator discourages graffiti to be raised in the media since it encourage more of this type of graffiti.
Author: Cornelia Naylor
Publication: Burnaby NOW
Article on a bill passed in the Illinois lower house requiring public schools to teach Asian-American history in public schools. The bill has been promoted by the advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice since early 2020 and has increased in popularity following the attacks on Asian women in Atlanta.
Author: Nathan Layne
Publication: Reuters
Article discussing how Illinois has become the first state to mandate Asian American history to be part of its public school curriculum beginning in the 2022-23 school year. Schools will teach the contributions of Asian American communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.
Author: Kimmy Yam
Publication: NBC News Asian America
Article on the recent banning of critical race theory in Florida. This has been a trend across the country as more local boards of education and states are pushing against teaching the impact of systemic racism and critical race theory in schools.
Author: Leah Asmelash
Publication: CNN
Article on the Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change asking UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to recognize Canada’s failure to comply with international human rights obligations. NGOs are seeking more specific data that specifies race, gender, disability to measure impact of policies. Also looking into immigrant detainees affected by laws.
Author: Shree Paradkar
Publication: Toronto Star
Article on the rise of virus-related racism and xenophobia towards Asian minorities. It discusses how this Sinophobia reveals the complex relationship the world has with China. This exists not only where Asians are minorities (where sinophobia is due to unfamiliarity) but also in Asia itself (due to too much familiarity, mainland dominance/immigration, etc.). Mentions the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Author: Tessa Wong
Publication: BBC
Report on the research by Environics Institute and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation on attitudes towards immigration and multiculturalism. Surveys results were reported with relation to the topics of immigration and refugees, treatment of minorities, and Muslims in Canada.
Author: Environics Institute for Survey Research and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation
A summary of the report on a consultation regarding systemic racism and discrimination within the jurisdiction of the City of Montreal. The consultation was meant to underline the current state of affairs and highlight solutions and enlarge perspectives to guide decision-making. Specifically, this is a summary of the third chapter of the full report – the findings of the Commission, analysis, and recommendations for actions taken by the City of Montreal to fight systemic racism and discrimination.
Author: Office de Consultation Publique de Montreal
A document by the Government of Canada outlining Canada’s strategy towards anti-racism for 2019-2022. It builds a foundation for long-term action by supporting three guiding principles: Demonstrating Federal Leadership, Empowering Communities, and Building Awareness and Changing Attitudes.
Author: Canadian Heritage
Publication: Government of Canada
Official document by the Government of Canada on the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Author: Government of Canada
Official document by the Government of Canada on the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
Author: Government of Canada
Paper that focuses on an analysis of Canadian multiculturalism as a sociological fact and as a federal public policy. The paper focuses specifically on attitudes towards multiculturalism, provincial and territorial multiculturalism policies and parliamentary action, as well as provides a chronology of federal policy on multiculturalism.
Author: Michael Dewing
Publication: Parliamentary Information and Research Service
The tenth report by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on systemic racism and religious discrimination. The report includes an introductory overview on existing legal frameworks, initiatives, definitions in the study of systemic racism and religious discrimination, race and religion issues in Canada, and action plans on how to move forward.
Author: Hon. Hedy Fry
Publication: House of Commons Canada
Article discussing the importance of economic revitalization to bring people back to Vancouver’s Chinatown. The city of Vancouver is pushing for a UNESCO designation which would protect and preserve Chinatown as a world heritage site.
Author: Kristen Robinson
Publication: Global News
Article discussing immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as plans to increase immigration post-pandemic. The report brings up the question of how many immigrants Canada should accept, which regions should prioritize accepting new immigrants.
Author: Angus Reid Institute
Opinion piece discussing how many states are considering laws to ban the teaching of critical race theory in public shools. The author explains that CRT is not a racist ideology and is not taught in public schools, and that right-wing media has branded all reform efforts in education and employment as CRT. The author also explains what CRT actually is.
Author: Gary Peller
Publication: Politico Magazine
An article discussing a formal apology from the federal government of Canada meant to address the racist treatment of members of Canada’s only Black military unit that served in the First World War.
Author: Aya Al-Hakim
Publication: Global News
Article on an Australian researcher who went “undercover” to far-right Chinese-American networks to understand how disinformation is passed. The article discusses how anti-communism beliefs play an important role in mobilizing right-wing Chinese Americans, as well as how members of this far-right community supports the terrorist organization the Proud Boys.
Author: Zhaoyin Feng
Publication: BBC Chinese Service
