Racism In Canada

Racism in Canada traces both historical and contemporary racist community attitudes, as well as governmental negligence and political non-compliance with United Nations human rights standards and incidents in Canada. Contemporary Canada is the product of indigenous First Nations combined with multiple waves of immigration, predominantly from Europe and in modern times, from Asia.

Statistics

In 2021, the Social Progress Index ranked Canada 6th in the world for overall tolerance and inclusion.

In 2016, a quarter of the discrimination grievances submitted to the Canadian Human Rights Commission were related to race, color, national or ethnic background, and/or religion. By 2017, 43% of hate crimes were found to be driven by racial or ethnic animosity, with 16% specifically aimed at Black individuals. Hate crimes targeting Muslims constituted 17%, while those directed at the Jewish community represented 18% of all hate-related offenses in Canada for that year. The number of police-reported hate crimes in Canada increased by 32% in 2023, marking the third significant rise in four years. Since 2019, these crimes have more than doubled, rising by 145%.

Crimes motivated by race or ethnicity grew by 6% for the fifth consecutive year, totaling 2,128 cases. Specific groups showed varying trends, with incidents against South Asians increasing by 35%, Arabs and West Asians by 52%, and Indigenous peoples by 6%. However, incidents against Black and East/Southeast Asian communities saw decreases of 7% and 10%, respectively. Hate crimes motivated by religion rose by 67% in 2023, primarily affecting Jewish and Muslim communities. The Jewish population experienced a 71% increase in reported incidents, while crimes against Muslims surged by 94%. Other religious groups saw smaller changes, with Catholic incidents decreasing by 6%. Overall, hate crimes based on religion totaled 1,284 in 2023.

Hate crimes tied to sexual orientation soared by 69% in 2023, reaching 860 reported cases. Incidents based on sex or gender increased by 37%, while other motivations rose by 9%.

Every province and Nunavut recorded increases in hate crimes in 2023. For example, Ontario reported 2,426 incidents, up by 476 from the previous year. Quebec and British Columbia also saw significant rises, with 739 and 669 hate crimes reported, respectively. Most police-reported hate crimes were non-violent, making up 55% of total incidents in 2023. Non-violent hate crimes grew by 36%, while violent hate crimes increased by 28%.
In a 2013 survey of 80 countries by the World Values Survey, Canada was ranked among the most racially tolerant societies in the world.

Racialized individuals in Canada receive 81 cents for every dollar earned by their non-racialized counterparts. In Toronto, Black men are three times more likely to be requested to provide identification by law enforcement. Employers display a 40% higher likelihood of interviewing candidates with names that appear English, despite having identical qualifications. In 2017, Indigenous peoples comprised 27% of the federal correctional population, although they represented merely 4. 1% of the total Canadian demographic. In Quebec, candidates with names that sound Francophone are 60% more prone to being interviewed compared to those with comparable profiles.

Overview

Canadian author and journalist Terry Glavin claims that white Canadians consider themselves to be mostly free of racial prejudice, perceiving the country to be a "more inclusive society" than its direct neighbor the United States, a notion that has come under criticism. For instance, Galvin cites the treatment of the Aboriginal population in Canada as evidence of Canada's own racist tendencies. These perceptions of inclusion and " colour-blindness" have also been challenged in recent years by scholars such as Constance Backhouse stating that white supremacy is still prevalent in the country's legal system, with blatant racism created and enforced through the law. According to one commentator, Canadian "racism contributes to a self-perpetuating cycle of criminalization and imprisonment". In addition, throughout Canada's history there have been laws and regulations that have negatively affected a wide variety of races, religions, and groups of persons.''Statutes of Canada. An Act of Respecting and Regulating Chinese Immigration into Canada, 1885. Ottawa: SC 48–49 Victoria, Chapter 71''

Canadian law uses the term "visible minority" to refer to people of colour (but not aboriginal Canadians), introduced by the ''Employment Equity Act'' of 1995. However, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated this term may be considered objectionable by certain minorities and recommended an evaluation of this term.

In 2019, the English and Art departments at Kwantlen Polytechnic University collaborated to put on an exhibition called ''Maple-Washing: A Disruption'', which featured various works examining Canadian history from diverse perspectives. With "Maple-Washing" (portmanteau of maple and "whitewash") referring to the alleged tendency of Canadian institutions to sanitize Canadian history. Historical topics and events covered in the exhibition included Canadian participation in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the ''Komagata Maru'' incident, the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War Two, and the Chinese head tax, frequently "maple-washed" incidents.

Indigenous peoples

Slavery of Aboriginals and Black Canadians

There are records of slavery in some areas of British North America, which later became Canada, dating from the 17th century. The majority of these slaves were Aboriginal, and United Empire Loyalists brought slaves with them after leaving the United States.

Segregation and Ku Klux Klan

Canada had also practiced segregation, and a Canadian Ku Klux Klan exists. Racial profiling occurs in cities such as Halifax, Toronto and Montreal. Black people made up 3% of the Canadian population in 2016, and 9% of the population of Toronto (which has the largest communities of Caribbean and African immigrants). They lived disproportionately in poverty, were three times as likely to be carded in Toronto than Whites, and incarceration rates for Blacks were climbing faster than for any other demographic. A Black Lives Matter protest was staged at Toronto Police Headquarters in March 2016.

Order-in-Council P.C. 1911-1324

On August 12, 1911, the Governor General in Council approved a one-year prohibition of black immigration to Canada because, according to the Order-in-Council, "the Negro race" was "unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada." It was tabled on June 2, 1911, by the Minister of the Interior, Frank Oliver, following mounting pressure from white prairie farmers who were discontented with an influx in the immigration of black farmers from the United States. It was never officially enforced or added to the ''Immigration Act'', likely because the government—led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier—was hesitant to alienate black voters ahead of the 1911 federal election. It was repealed later that year.

Africville

In Nova Scotia, a community which mainly consisted of Black Canadians were forcibly removed and eventually razed between 1964 and 1967 after years of intentional neglect by the government in Halifax.

Greek-Canadians

The 1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot was a three-day race riot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, targeting Greek immigrants during August 2–4, 1918. It was the largest riot in the city's history and one of the largest anti-Greek riots in the world.

Jews

Black people

Black Canadians are discriminated against in Canada.

Romani people

Asian Canadians

Indo-Canadians

In 1914, Indians arriving in Canada were not allowed to enter despite being British subjects, leading to the deaths of dozens of immigrants in the ''Komagata Maru'' incident.

South Asian Canadians

In recent years, South Asian Canadians--particularly those of Indian descent--have faced increasing levels of racial discrimination both online and in public spaces. Verbal attacks often invoke stereotypes about hygiene, language, food or accusations of "overpopulating" Canada. These forms of racism have intensified amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are often linked to public debates about international students, labour competition, and housing. South Asians have reported being told to "go back to your country," and have experienced cultural shaming of their food, clothing and accents. These forms of exclusion echo earlier instances of anti-South Asian racism in Canadian history, such as the rejection of Sikh passengers abroad the Komagata Maru in 1914, which reflected a broader effort to prevent Indian immigration to Canada.

In addition to external discrimination, some scholars have identified the persistence of colourism--a preference for lighter skin tones--as a form of internalized colonialism within South Asian communities. These beauty standards, shaped by global media and colonial histories, continue to affect how class, caste, and gender operate within diasporic experiences. These patterns are not only local, but part of broader global systems of racial capitalism, postcolonial migration, and transnational identity politics, which structure the lives of racialized communities across borders.

Chinese Canadians

Starting in 1858, Chinese "coolies" were brought to Canada to work in British Columbia in the mines and on the Canadian Pacific Railway. After anti-Chinese riots broke out in 1886, a " Chinese head tax" was implemented to curtail immigration from China. In 1907, the Anti-Oriental Riots in Vancouver targeted Chinese and Japanese-owned businesses, and the Asiatic Exclusion League was formed to drive Asians out of the province. League members attacked Asians, resulting in numerous riots. In 1923, the federal government passed the '' Chinese Immigration Act'', commonly known as the ''Exclusion Act'', prohibiting most Chinese immigration. The Act was repealed in 1947, but discrimination limiting non-European immigrants continued until 1967 when a points-based system was introduced to assess immigrants regardless of origin.

Japanese Canadians

Although a British–Japanese treaty guaranteed Japanese citizens freedom of travel, they were nevertheless subject to anti-Asian racism in Canada, though a slightly lesser degree at the time than the Chinese before World War II, as an informal agreement between the Japanese and Canadian governments limited Japanese immigration in the wake of the Vancouver anti-Asian riots.

In 1942, during World War II, many Canadians of Japanese heritage—even those born in Canada— were forcibly moved to internment camps under the authority of the ''War Measures Act''. At first, many men were separated from their families and sent to road camps in Ontario and on the British Columbia–Alberta border. Small towns in the BC interior such as Greenwood, Sandon, New Denver and Slocan became internment camps for women, children and the aged. To stay together, Japanese–Canadian families chose to work in farms in Alberta and Manitoba. Those who resisted and challenged the orders of the Canadian government were rounded up by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and incarcerated in a barbed-wire prisoner-of-war camp in Angler, Ontario. Japanese–Canadians fishing boats were also seized, with plans to drastically reduce fishing licenses from them and forcibly redistribute them for white Canadians.Establishing Recognition of Past Injustices: Uses of Archival Records in Documenting the Experience of Japanese Canadians During the Second World War
Roberts-Moore, Judith. Archivaria: The Journal of the Association of Canadian Archivists, 53 (2002). With government promises to return the land and properties seized during that time period, Japanese Canadians left their homes. This turned out to be untrue, as the seized possessions were resold and never returned to the Japanese Canadians. Unlike prisoners of war, who were protected by the Geneva Convention, Japanese–Canadians were forced to pay for their own internment.

COVID-19 pandemic

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Canadians reported increased incidents of violent assaults, especially against women of Asian descent. According to an Angus Reid survey from 22 June 2020, up to 50% of Chinese-Canadians had experienced verbal abuse, and 29% had been made to feel feared, as if they posed a threat to public safety. Another survey of 1,600 adults conducted by ResearchCo and obtained by the Agence France-Presse revealed one in four Canadians of Asian descent (70% of whom were of Chinese descent) who lived in British Columbia knew someone within their household who had faced discrimination. The survey also revealed 24 percent of Canadians of South Asian descent reported racist insults. Canadians of Indigenous origin had also reported discrimination.

Sikhs

Anti-Sikh sentiment in Canada has a historical and contemporary presence marked by several key events and ongoing issues. Early instances include the 1907 Bellingham Race Riot, where South East Asian and South Asian immigrants, mostly Sikhs, were violently targeted by white mobs in Washington (state), spilling over into Canadian anti-immigrant sentiments and the Pacific Northwest.

The 1914 Komagata Maru incident incident further highlighted institutional racism when 376 Indian passengers, mostly Sikhs, were denied entry into Canada and forced to return to India, where many faced persecution.

Post September 11 attacks, Sikhs in Canada experienced increased xenophobia and hate crimes, often being mistaken for Muslims due to their turbans and beards.

Missing and murdered Indigenous women

The representation of murdered Indigenous women in crime statistics is not proportionate to the general population. In 2006, Amnesty International researched racism specific to Indigenous women in Canada. They reported on the lack of basic human rights, discrimination, and violence against Indigenous women. The Amnesty report found that First Nations women (age 25–44) with status under the ''Indian Act'' were five times more likely than other women of the same age to die as a result of violence. In 2006, the documentary film '' Finding Dawn'' looked into the many missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada over the past three decades.
In September 2016, in response to repeated calls from Indigenous groups, activists, and non-governmental organizations, the Government of Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, jointly with all provincial and territorial governments, established a national public inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Indigenous people still have to deal with racism within Canada and the challenges that the communities face are often ignored. There are still negative stereotypes associated with Indigenous people such as being freeloaders, drug addicts or dumb. Indigenous people are more likely to feel depression due to several factors such as poverty, loss of cultural identity, inadequate health care and more.

In 2020, the staff at a hospital in the Quebec city of Joliette were shown on video mocking and making racist remarks at an Atikamekw woman who eventually died. Indigenous leaders say the video exposes the grim realities of systemic racism that have long gone ignored or suppressed throughout Canada.

See also

*Racism in Quebec
* Neo-Nazism in Canada
* Fascism in Canada
* Ku Klux Klan in Canada
*Anti-Quebec sentiment
*Anti-Sikh sentiment in Canada
*Compulsory sterilization in Canada
*Continuous journey regulation
* COVID-19 racism
*Fascism in Canada
*High Arctic relocation
*Highway of Tears murders
*Indian Health Transfer Policy (Canada)
* Indigenous food security in Canada
*Indigenous land claims in Canada
*Indigenous peoples and the Canadian criminal justice system
*Indigenous specific land claims in Canada
*Montreal experiments
* MV ''Sun Sea'' incident
* Nativism (politics)#Canada
*Numbered Treaties

Further reading

* Brym, Robert. (2024). “Jews and Israel 2024: A Survey of Canadian Attitudes and Jewish Perceptions”. ''Canadian Jewish Studies Études Juives Canadiennes'', 37 (April). https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-0925.40368.
* D. Macfadyen, J. (2004). "“Nip the Noxious Growth in the Bud”: Ortenberg v. Plamondon and the Roots of Canadian Anti-Hate Activism." ''Canadian Jewish Studies Études Juives Canadiennes'', 12. https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-0925.22627
* Grad, Kenneth. (2022). “Civil Law Alternatives in the Fight Against Hate Speech: The Case Study of the Marcus Hyman Act”. ''Canadian Jewish Studies Études Juives Canadiennes'' 33 (May):13-50. https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-0925.40263

References

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Human rights in Canada
Human rights abuses in Canada
Violence against Indigenous people in Canada
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Canada