Hey everyone! So we at the JHC are switching up the blog posts a bit and applying a little style to our writing. Instead of posting random news articles and making commentary on it throughout the week, we’re just going to do it once for our top 3-5 news articles that caught our attention this week and adding mini-commentary in a new feature called Friday MashUp. The other days of the week will have different content (probably on a MWF schedule).
So. Without further adieu, here is your first edition of Friday MashUp for the week of March 15-19, 2010.
Canada must face up to multicultural angst: Experts
This news article goes over the recent StatsCan report that it’s possible that by 2031, at least 1 in 4 Canadians will be foreign-born. The article focuses on the reactions of Canadians over the news that more immigration is about to come, which will effectively render the phrase “visible minority” moot.
The experts in this article state unequivocally that there are a lot of myths about Canadian multiculturalism and that politicians and activists who point out that Canada is actually quite discriminatory and racist are muzzled. Immigration in this country is not as idyllic as that Tim Horton’s ad; immigrants and newcomers face substantial barriers to employment and education and it is distinctly racist because the immigrants who face the most problems are “visible minorities”. When your newly arrived Dutch or Irish immigrant comes, it’s cool that they’re Dutch/Irish. They’re white but speak with an awesome accent–who doesn’t love a European accent? (Okay, granted, a 100 years ago, that Irish dude might not have such an easy time…and I randomly picked two countries).
But if they’re from a Muslim country, or an African country, the attitudes are completely opposite. They are met with suspicion and fear, and suddenly the accent is not charming, it’s difficult to understand. The language barrier yields frustrations and cries that they should “learn to speak English”. That’s racism. Judgement based on prejudiced notions of race, culture, ethnicity, religion…without evidence. Why is it different for the Iraqi guy than it is for the Swedish girl? Or do people honestly believe that Europeans don’t immigrate to Canada anymore…?
This proves to be a good time to talk about multiculturalism in Canada and the perpetually fun question of Canadian identity. But I will point out that abolishment of the term of “visible minority” is a good thing. It doesn’t mean that all Canadians will no longer be white–it means that second, third and fourth generations, who are “visible minorities” will identify as Canadian, upholding Canadian culture and values. They will become Canadians. And isn’t that what we’re going for?
Alberta University Students Protest Fee Hike:
This item is included in today’s MashUp because it amazes me that there are apparently a LOT of people who think that University is a privilege and students should not be subsidized by taxpayer dollars. And since we do talk about the value of Education a lot, this is important.
Post-secondary education is no longer just a privilege for the rich in today’s world; it is a necessity for long-term sustainability and resources of a country. The globalized world is highly competitive and citizens who are critical thinkers, innovators, engineers, doctors etc elevates a country’s ability to compete. Post-secondary education provides better opportunities and creates critical skills that foster independence, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. That is not to say that people without University degrees can’t achieve these things on their own–but these people are exceptions, rather than the norm.
The job market reflects the value of the degree: This report from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation shows that post-secondary students earn more money over the long-run than people with just high school diplomas–but this isn’t new information.
And yes, this includes Arts graduates. This is not the place to espouse the values of a liberal arts degree (which are known as Bachelor of Arts degrees in Canada) over a professional/technical degree/diploma but Arts graduates are found in all sectors of the economy doing a lot more than just “flipping burgers”. And that, by the way, has nothing to do with the value of the degree but rather how the person chooses to utilize their education.
But let’s not even argue the economic value of a degree–how about the value of education for education’s sake?
Dominion Institute Releases Report Card on Canadian History Classes:
Apparently, we don’t know anything about our own country. This fascinating report talks about the findings of this study commissioned by the Dominion Institute on how well high school students know or understand Canadian history. This report breaks down the results by province (for the record, Alberta received an F) on how well high school curriculums teach Canadian history.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has gone through the Alberta education system within the last 10 years or so. Dominion Institute argues that most history classes are rolled into “Social studies” which cover, not only history, but current events and political economics. There is an increasing focus on international development, global peace/justice/human rights, as well. That’s fine and vitally important for becoming global citizens, but it is equally important to have a firm grasp on this country’s past, achievements and disappointments, and policies, since that history does a better job of providing a reasonable framework to evaluate current issues.
Case in point: Aboriginal history. Think back to what you learned in grade school about Aboriginal peoples. Did you learn about the Treaty rights? How about the Indian Act and the impact on Aboriginal peoples. Or did you learn how Aboriginal peoples (generalization on purpose) learned to use all the parts of the buffalo, lived in teepees and made pemmican? (Cause that’s what I remember from 4th grade social studies…and that was the last time I remember learning anything about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada in a social studies class period). It wasn’t until university (yes, in my Arts degree) that we even touched Aboriginal issues (in a Canadian politics class).
Go download the report. It’s well worth reading just what high school students learn in Canada about this country of ours. And we wonder why people still think Canada is a mosaic multicultural wonderland that serve as the world’s peace keepers.
The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children Releases Budget Assessment:
The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children did an assessment of the recent Throne/Budget speech (March 3, 2010) on how the Conservative Party intends to deal with various children/family issues in Canada. The report is very extensive and worth reading. Check it out!
The End!
That wraps up the Friday MashUp for March 15-19, 2010. See you next week!
