Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canada doesn't have the “systemic, deep roots” of racism that the United States does.
Not sure if this has been submitted yet but wow
just because Canada wasn't built through slavery doesn't mean we aren't racist. we, as a country, have abused, neglected, and straight-up committed genocide against Indigenous peoples, and anti-Black racism has deep roots in many of our provinces. our government has failed our missing and murdered Indigenous women, leaving dozens of cases unsolved and uninvestigated (link to a PDF). we have the same issues of police violence and brutality against Black people. Canada denied Jews from entering the country during WWII, sending them back to Europe for many to die in the Holocaust. Canada still, to this fucking day, has systemic and rampant racism and oppression built into our legal system and government policies. look at Colton Boushie's case, read about the Sixties Scoop, or Residential Schools - education systems that were made with the explicit intention of eradicating Indigenous culture, language, and ways of life.
"When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with its parents, who are savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly impressed upon myself, as head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men."
- John A. Macdonald, 1879
this was said by our first Prime Minister, less than 10 years after Confederation. this happened less than 150 years ago. we might not be as old as America, but that sure as hell doesn't mean we're any better and it makes me so fucking angry when we as a country try to push off racism as "an American thing." no, we can be just as fucking awful. folks up here just like to smile when they're being racist and say it quietly rather than shouting it in the open. so fuck you, Doug Ford, and everyone else who tries to bury the long, ugly history of what we've done and get off your high horse. change needs to happen everywhere. this isn't an American problem, it's a worldwide problem, and pretending to be innocent is the same as hiding the injustice and oppression you're guilty of perpetuating.
Also Canada did have Slavery:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Canada
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-enslavement
Colonial Canada Had Slavery For More Than 200 Years. And Yes, It Still Matters Today
Founder of University of King’s College was a slave owner, say researchers
Erased by the administration: James McGill was a slave owner (McGill University)
So much of Canadian History is completely white washed and has completely erased the presence of people of colour.
Although McGill takes superficial strides toward inclusivity such as participating in a Black History Month and Indigenous Awareness Weeks,
"Slavery was the context in which current race relations were created."
History, politics, arts, science & more: the Canadian Encyclopedia is your reference on Canada. Articles, timelines & resources for teachers
Slavery in Canada - Wikipedia
