Preview

Mixed Unions In Canada Essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1319 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mixed Unions In Canada Essay
The term “multicultural” has been used to describe Canada for decades. The Canadian government has emphasized the social importance of immigration that has made Canada into its mix of cultures, race, and religious backgrounds. The number of mixed unions in Canada is rising, but criticism against interracial relationships is also lingering along side. What are the main contributors to the difficulties interracial couples still experience, specifically when seeking acceptance? Mixed unions are prevalent through out the country; along with them are rejections and unfair difficulties that are not also encountered by couples of the same race. I see interracial couples all the time facing unique struggles and lacking support from family, friends …show more content…
Different countries experience a greater degree of struggles than others. Since Canada is a multicultural country, one might assume that interracial couples would be more accepted and faced with less racial struggles. Unfortunately, that is not the case; couples are still ridiculed. In present day, it’s true that interracial couples are more accepted now than years previous but support of exogamy is still low. A mere fifty years earlier, the thought of a mixed union was a taboo. During the era of segregation, a mixed union between an African Canadian and a Caucasian person was unthinkable. The federal government in Canada has a history of polices that have attempted to separate races from joining in relationships. A vivid example of Canada’s attempt to control and prevent interracial intimacies is the Indian Act. “The Indian Act, with all its variations, clearly restricted and provided penalties for interracial sex and marriages.” (Real Canadian History, 2012) Some of the discrimination that mixed couples receive today, from individuals has been passed through the previous generations. Though, as generations become more educated they are likely to be more opened minded. The history of views on interracial relationships has contributed to the lacking acceptance experienced in present

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The history of colonial is a major reason for race discrimination in Canada. Morrison and Borsa (2014) study that during the history of pre-confederation in Canada, colonialist creed and European cultural and racial hegemony contributed to equivocal relationship with Aboriginal people. In brief, the interrelation between these two ethnicities was vibrating midst overt hostility and patronizing submission. Morrison and Borsa (2014) also point out that during the process that those colonialist struggled to assimilate native people, enormous Aboriginal people started to immigrated to exotic country. Thereby, it caused population loss, dislocation, extensive social disruption and widespread sedenterization among the Aboriginal people. This influences…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, Canada is not ethnically based, but is a nation of immigrants. For the minority groups who live in Canada usually felt like outsiders in Canada but official multiculturalism had provided a real sense of belonging for them. Like hockey, multiculturalism has become a symbol of what defines Canada. It promotes diversity, keeps us open-minded and provides an opportunity for different cultures to learn and work with each other to create a stronger whole. Multiculturalism in Canada was more than just a government arrangement, it was a way of belonging for many residents in…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pa250 Unit 1

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the basic rights we hold sacred in this country is the freedom to marry whomever we choose. While that seems like a given in the US, because we don’t have the strict class hierarchy of Europe, or the arranged unions found in certain Eastern and African cultures that define who marries whom. We have had, and still do for that matter, rigid restrictions on marriage, when they seem counter-intuitive to social mores. When social feelings begin to shift towards a more progressive outlook, challenges to the status quo are bound to occur, especially when the emotionally charged aspect of marriage is involved. Two perfect examples are the cases of Loving v. Virginia 388 US 1, 87 S Ct1817(1967), and Goodridge v. Department of Public Health 440 Mass 309, 798 NE 2d 941(Mass.2003).…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The last century has seen many movements for change in Canada, yet there is still much work to be done. Our society views a certain group of people with a high regard and an authority over others; these same people fall into the group that Audre Lorde calls the ‘Mythical Norm.’ Although Canada claims to be a land of equal opportunity, the ever-present conception of the mythical norm creates a breeding ground from which oppression grows in Canadian society. The idea of this norm is what leads to the domination of white males in the Canadian economy and within the country’s justice system. This essay will explore the ways in which the mythical norm creates sexist, homophobic, and racist oppressions in society.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “Why Multiculturalism Can’t End Racism,” Marlene Nourbese Philip discusses how multiculturalism promotes discrimination opposed to stopping it. Philip explains that there is inequality between different cultures and races in Canada; the Canadian government only recognizes the French and English in the constitution. Examples of genocidal practices against natives, past treatment of Chinese and Indian immigrants, and the preference of white European immigrants are used to explain unfairness amongst cultures in Canada and white supremacy. Philip believes Canadians can one day achieve equality among races but only if a strong, united effort is made.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    African Canadians have seen themselves as lower class citizens by mainstream society and their own racial communities. Neil Bissoondath’s a Canadian teacher that came to Canada from Trinidad at the age of eighteen and went to York University to earn his Bachelor of Arts in French. Bissoondath writes stories and essays focusing on economics, the cultural mix of Canada and social problems that are linked to multiculturalism. Bissoondath’s essay “Marginalization” focuses on the controversies central to multicultural policies in Canada. Through various examples and stories, Neil Bissoondath’s work “Marginalization” argues that the hyphen separating an individual’s ethnicity and place of settlement can be separated and demonized by society when it is seen fit. For example, reverting back to an individual’s ethnicity when there is a social controversy, need for aid or help for the in the individuals ethnic country and to take advantage of one’s ethnic perks.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the 1970s, the Federal Government undertook an official policy on multiculturalism that was based on the understanding that, “…there cannot be one cultural policy for Canadians of British and French origin, another for the original peoples and yet a third for all others. For although there are two official languages, there is no official culture, nor does any ethnic group take precedence over any other.” (Trudeau 1971) If Canada were to establish policies on official cultures, cultures that people must integrate into, the effect would be to increase feeling of alienation in minority communities by creating barriers to entrance. By actively promoting these different cultures, so long as there is a collective will for the…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Homosexuality In Canada

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page

    Since the beginning of time, issues regarding homosexuality have proven to be very controversial grounds in society. However, there is no doubt that Canada has challenged these issues and reformed the face of its society by standing as one of the most accepting nations in the world in respect to LGBT equality. A timeline so rich in historical value since 1965 to the present day recounts Canada’s journey in addressing the needs and concerns of this topic. Undoubtedly, while many people still have polar views on this topic, it is something that is fortunately starting to be addressed and accepted more as time progresses. Many factors such as court cases, changes in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the current LGBT movement,…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every country has its own culture and identity. Nowadays, the migration of students, workers is seen in majority among foreign countries for education and employment. In some countries, people from another region are not accepted with culture of their native land, the nationalism is given as the priority rather than multiculturalism. The term multiculturalism is that people from different parts of the country live together in society with their own cultural backgrounds. The following paragraphs will depict that multiculturalism is working in Canada and details about the comparison among other overseas countries.…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Canada’s topography is spectacular, you can go from oceans to lakes and from deserts to rainforests all in a day's drive, or drive across this vast nation and experience waves surging onto shore, fields of wheat dancing in the wind, cobble stone roads where Canada's first settlers had a dream for a new nation, and cliffs looking out onto what seems an endless sea. The beauty of my country makes me proud. Canada is the least racist country in the world, in my opinion. Ethnic backgrounds are mixed which makes Canada hard to define. Every culture has their own unique qualities and strengths; in Canada their qualities have merged to become one. This new nationality created from blended backgrounds is Canadian. In other countries a lot of people don’t accept ethnic minorities. In Canada, we treasure the various cultures that reside here. The more ethnic background we incorporate into our society the richer we will…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The common belief that Canada is far less racist then their neighbors to the south is perhaps one of the greatest falsehoods of North American society today. Through out history, Canada has been home to many race-based atrocities. Because of time and lack of media attention these events have been buried. To such an extent have these issues been neglected that the general public now cannot recognized them or discern them as part of their country�s past.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism In Canada

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The article Canada’s Racial Divide: Confronting Racism in Our Own Backyard by Tavia Grant discusses the ways in which racism towards Black residents is evident in Canada. By comparing the events that have occurred in the United States of America, the author concludes that individuals should not undermine the level of racism that also occurs in Canada which is hidden both in data as well as in media (Grant 6). With this information, I argue that Grant challenges the notion of racism through the organization of her article and by targeting the paucity of public data.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, it has been shown above that multiculturalism as an official policy for races and ethnicity in Canada provides a large number of advantages for both the visible minority population and native-born Canadians. Despite of some drawbacks…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Racism In Canada

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Racism in Canada is an undeniable issue as seen through widespread anecdotal evidence, acknowledged institutional abuses and countless studies. Recently, within the media and politics, focus was placed on the issue of the niqab during the federal election, when the Conservative government attempted to rally voters behind restrictive policies for face coverings in citizenship ceremonies that defied previously court rulings pertaining to human rights (McGregor, 2015). Stephen Harper stated that critics of the Conservative stance were, “out of step with public opinion”. Despite the fact that Harper’s platform failed to secure him his government, the use of the issue during a federal election reflected his researched assurance that a large percentage of Canadians would reject the need to ensure basic rights for certain citizens and revealed an ongoing, pervasive and acute Canadian apprehension regarding unfamiliar customs and negative perception of ‘the other’ that presents within Canadian life as racism. Canadians live within a culture of mixed messages with regard to racism, and as such, I will examine the dynamics of racism in Canada in context of conflicting ideologies that are bound to influence current approaches to social…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Taking Marriage Private

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the mid-20th century, governments began to get out of the business of deciding which couples were “fit” to marry. Courts invalidated laws against interracial marriage, struck down other barriers and even extended…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays