Canada is mourning…
Flags are lowered.
Hearts are broken.
Broken in at least 215 pieces…
Since the remains of 215 children were discovered at a former residential school in British Columbia :(.
Of course, Mr. Trudeau is also deeply sad like all of us, as a father, as a human being, and as… our Prime Minister.
Today, Ms. Jody Wilson-Raybould challenged Mr. Trudeau with the following question:
Perhaps Mr. Trudeau will use the national grieving time of reflection OR discussion (as wisely demanded by Mr. Jagmeet Singh, from NDP) to move forward with his “concrete actions”. Could it be?
In the meantime, he seems to forget about our Canadian context. Yes, he appears to insist on considering us as a Northern extension of the United States.
Why is Bambi saying so? Because Mr. Trudeau insists once again on creating those identity-based programs for so-called “Black Canadians” entrepreneurs”? The federal government loan with allow the latter to access loans of up to $250K.
What kind of message is this program giving to those entrepreneurs? You cannot compete on your own to start your business because of your skin colour/hue?
As a result, you need the government to become dependent on in order to succeed your business.
Plus, on which discrimination-related banking services data is this program based on? Are our banks that awful in providing services to their customers?
In other terms, why are we resorting to publicly-funded identity-based programs?
What if we take this logic of identity (or sectarian)-based programs further in the future? What and whom will be next? Today, it is this target group. Tomorrow it will be whom? The Arab-Canadians? The Muslims? The Jews? Is this a wise approach in life?
Bambi may be wrong, but this approach to entrepreneurship seems to be counter-productive to the mindset of entrepreneurs. The latter usually take financial risks in aiming to succeed in their profit. They push themselves forward to serve their clients. They compete with other entrepreneurs, as needed. They likely do not need to be taken by the hand (by governments) to that extent, like little children.
Plus, will our bankers now have to apply a skin hue test to their clients to help them set up a business? Why don’t they just simply apply the same criteria with all their potential clients, that is asking them entrepreneurial questions like a solid business plan, a guarantee for reimbursement, or the potential of success of their business idea in 2, 5 or 10 years?
To conclude this post, instead of creating such expensive and likely not much needed programs (even if they sound politically correct), why not focus our energy and public funds on solving the concrete social and health problems of our fellow Indigenous citizens, especially on some reserves? For instance, there is a crying need for an improved access to water, to mental health and other health-related services, and… perhaps even to a form of compensation for the families of the victims (or survivors?) of residential schools? Or maybe even to trauma-related healing programs, etc.?
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Bambi’s earlier post on this same topic:
I do not, with respect, think you are correct about this. First of all, you are neither an historian nor a sociologist, nor have you done research into this topic. I am not suggesting that you are wrong to raise the question on your blog – this is what blogs are for – but I do wish you would grace this topic with as much thought and care as you have paid to other subjects. The simple, and complex, fact is that there is an awful lot of racism and discrimination in Canada, and not just in Canada, against people with dark skin, particularly those who now identify as Black. I have personally witnessed a lot of it, in my 50+ years as a white man. I appreciate you are allergic to identity politics, and I’m more than a little sympathic to this. But the fact remains that there ARE different cultures and what we call ethnic groups in Canada, and there is a lot of help within those communities for their members. Each culture has its traditions when it comes to matters such as education, business and politics, and some of us benefit from an additional leg up from such ties and customs. It is awkward, of course, to say you will set aside money for people because of their background, skin colour, or sex, and so on. But what is the alternative, to give no help at all to people you know probably could use it? Should the citizens of a country, all very capable, be ashamed because of getting a loan from the IMF, or because Oxfam digs a well or sets up some solar power? No one succeeds without help along the way, not even Elon Musk. I strongly believe that if you think Black people do not have more trouble getting work, or an apartment, or a loan, you are naive. Do you not know that people in Montreal (which I love and where I live) from Arabic speaking countries with university degrees have twice the unemployment rate as the average? Do you think this is an accident? I am not suggesting the solution is to go around blaming people. I am just suggesting we recognize the situation for what it is, and collectively, and individually, take some steps to make things better. Did you know that British Columbia had a law until 1947 (or was it 49?) that Sikhs couldn’t be lawyers? Do you know about the terrible working conditions for black porters on Canadian trains? The chronic betrayal of Indigenous people by our governments? That Jews, Blacks and French Canadians were expressly not allowed to ski at Mont Tremblant with regular clients (let’s not even get into private golf clubs)? That French schools were forbidden in entire provinces until the passage of our new constitution in 1982? None of this is ancient history, and it is still very much relevant. So let’s get a grip, and yes, provide a few loans to Black entrepreneurs: if they’re embarrassed by this « treatment » they can say so, or just not apply. But I DO agree with you: promoting economic and social policies, guaranteed to help everyone, especially children, are going to be more effective at creating wealth and equity and better accepted in the long run.
Thank you David (Roseman) for your comment. Bambi will try to reply, at least to parts of it, at a later time. She may not be able to do so soon due to lack of time, but she will try to do her best. Thanks for taking the time to post on her blog.
Thank you Rima. I was going to add this link from the Statscan website and forgot: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210224/dq210224b-eng.htm. I think prejudice, especially racial prejudice cripples our democracy, and creates handicaps where there normally would not be any. So just as I think handicapped people, e.g. those in a wheelchair should be helped directly, with loans and laws making it easier for them to be mobile, I think we need to acknowledge that as a society we have handicapped certain groups and need to counter that prejudice we have caused them with direct measures, just to achieve an even playing field. I don’t know if you are familiar with the philosopher Hannah Arendt. She was also extremely allergic to mixing the personal with politics and thought that above all the liberal democratic state had to be defended at all costs. But she had to acknowledge that the struggle of black people in the US was a collective and unique one. And as she wrote about “good” liberals in Europe during the 2nd world war, “if someone is attacking you as a Jew, you must fight as a Jew; there is no point saying ‘I am not a Jew, I am a human being.'” In other words, this type of “identity politics” is frequently not chosen, but rather imposed by a majority or virulent minority. Which is why I am in agreement with the basic liberal principle, as so well articulated by Jordan Petersen, among others, that we always need to make the individual our focus, their rights, their self-expression, their ability to contribute to society.
Your text today (“Does Mr. Trudeau think that Canada is an extension of the United States?”) Perfectly illustrates the comedic tastelessness of the handsome Justin.
Canadian culture has been made up in some part by copying the Americans, especially since the end of World War II. This is especially true when it comes to Black Canadians, who are highly influenced by African-American culture. Now, there is some kind of Americanization of Canadian culture when it comes to Black people as well, especially in sports and in the choice of our national symbols. I see it in the choice of Viola Desmond whom I never heard of my whole life but whose image has suddenly been thrust onto the $10 bill and who is supposed to be the Canadian equivalent of Rosa Parks. I see it also in Willie O’Ree who is supposed to be the Canadian equivalent in hockey of what Jackie Robinson was to baseball. Missing from Canada, however, are the large scale systematic injustices like slavery, economic slavery and institutional discrimination perpetrated on African-Americans through employment, insurance and a zip code system that identifies black neighbourhoods.
Jackie Robinson was followed by many more talented black ball players who eventually filled both leagues with athletes, managers and Hall of Famers. Rosa Parks, for her part, was surrounded by Southern US states filled with large black communities, to say nothing of New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, etc. Canada has none of that yet how quickly are our critics to forget that Jackie Robinson debuted first in Montreal in 1946 before breaking the colour barrier in Brooklyn a year later.