Winnipeg Most Racist City in Canada - Maclean's

[rubecube]

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/w...-at-its-worst/

“Oh Goddd how long are aboriginal people going to use what happened as a crutch to suck more money out of Canadians?” Winnipeg teacher Brad Badiuk wrote on Facebook last month. “They have contributed NOTHING to the development of Canada. Just standing with their hand out. Get to work, tear the treaties and shut the FK up already. Why am I on the hook for their cultural support?”

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It is difficult to isolate Winnipeg or even Manitoba in opinion polling, which tends to group the Prairie provinces (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) together. But from them, a deeply troubling portrait of the region emerges. In poll after poll, Manitoba and Saskatchewan report the highest levels of racism in the country, often by a wide margin.

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One in three Prairie residents believe that “many racial stereotypes are accurate,” for example, higher than anywhere else in Canada. In Alberta, just 23 per cent do, according to polling by the Canadian Institute for Identities and Migration (CIIM). And 52 per cent of Prairie residents agree that Aboriginals’ economic problems are “mainly their fault.” Nationally, the figure drops to 36 per cent.

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Manitoba and Saskatchewan also report the highest number of racist incidents, according to polling conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. In the last year, nine in 10 Manitobans reported hearing a negative comment about an indigenous person. [tweet this] That’s compared with six in 10 in New Brunswick, according to that poll.

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Generally, when groups interact, there is a correlating drop in prejudice as understanding grows, says Jack Jedwab, executive vice-president of the Association for Canadian Studies. But in Manitoba, where 17 per cent of the population is Aboriginal—the highest proportion among provinces, and four times the national average—and where 62 per cent reported “some contact” with indigenous people in the last year, the opposite appears to be true. Just six per cent of people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan consider Aboriginal people “very trustworthy.” In Atlantic Canada, 28 per cent do.

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Just 61 per cent of Prairie residents said they would be comfortable having an Aboriginal neighbour, compared with 80 per cent in Ontario, according to a recent CBC/Environics poll; and just 50 per cent would be comfortable being in a romantic relationship with an indigenous person, compared to 66 per cent in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

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This was a particularly bizarre result, says Niigaan Sinclair, who teaches Native studies at the University of Manitoba; after all, he adds with a chuckle, one in two Manitobans has indigenous blood. In the end, we are who we think we are. Culture defines identity.

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In Manitoba, the problem appears to be getting worse, not better, at a time when the Aboriginal population is the fastest-growing in the province. The province registered a significant decline in its opinion of Aboriginal people in the last five years. Just 13 per cent of Manitobans have “very favourable” views of Aboriginal citizens, the lowest share in the country, and down from 32 per cent in 2007, according to CIIM data.

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It was an ugly entry into politics. “I know you,” a shopper told Falcon-Ouellette, approaching him shortly after he arrived at the mall. “You’re that guy running for mayor. You’re an Indian,” he said, pointing a finger at Falcon-Ouellette. “I don’t want to shake your hand. You Indians are the problem with the city. You’re all lazy. You’re drunks. The social problems we have in the city are all related to you.”

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Rosanna Deerchild, a local indigenous writer and broadcaster, says that every few weeks she is harassed. “Someone honks at me, or yells out ‘How much’ from a car window, or calls me a stupid squaw, or tells me to go back to the rez. Every time, it still feels like getting punched in the face.”

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That’s just a reality of having brown skin in Winnipeg, says Jacinta Bear, who manages the North End Hockey Program. The youth program subsidizes registration fees for indigenous youth and gathers used equipment loaned to players for the season. “Our team has heard it all,” says Bear, whose husband, Dale, has coached the midget team for seven years. “Even opposing coaches and refs call our kids ‘dirty little Indians.’”

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The problem is far more insidious than childish taunts. A few years ago, the federal government investigated claims that indigenous Winnipeggers were being denied housing due to discrimination. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation pulled together a random survey of Aboriginal renters. The results were damning. One in three told the CMHC that after showing up to visit an available suite they were told it had “just been rented.” More than 30 per cent felt they had been driven to neighbourhoods in the core, where the poverty rate and the incidence of crime more than doubles the wider city and jobs are scarce.

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Other Western cities celebrate their First Nations heritage. Salish art covers the hoods of Vancouver’s police cars, strip malls, even its pothole covers. The Vancouver Canucks wear a Haida whale on their jerseys. Fin, their mascot, beats a Haida drum; and the team’s player of the game dons a Haida hat. Major indigenous art installations dot the city (the inukshuk at English Bay became the symbol for the Vancouver Olympics). The city’s airport houses the country’s most impressive collection of indigenous art, including Bill Reid’s Jade Canoe, once depicted on the $20 bill. In downtown Vancouver, a new public museum devoted to northwest coastal art recently opened. All of this is strikingly absent from Winnipeg, the indigenous heart of the continent, despite a flurry of new public buildings.

Obviously the title is meant to be a bit inflammatory, but the author does a pretty good job of backing up her arguments.

[FlamesAddiction]

I saw this yesterday. Winnipeg's Metis mayor was in tears over it apparently.

[Burke Salad]

That's regional profiling - how dare they?

[Erick Estrada]

I lived in close proximity to a reserve. We traveled to a reserve school for basketball, volleyball, hockey, etc. and over the years from growing up I have seen a lot of things. People don't like to hear the truth but I have seen first hand the stereotypes. Now I fully realize that they don't make up the entire populace but the stuff you hear and read about does and has gone on. Does claiming you have seen some messed up stuff make you racist?

[burn_baby_burn]

The Vancouver Canucks wear a Haida whale on their jerseys. Fin, their mascot, beats a Haida drum; and the team’s player of the game dons a Haida hat.

Other sports teams do similiar things and some call it racism. This author is claiming that the Canucks use of native images is celebrating native culture. I'm confused.

[Drummer]

I'm not a fan of Maclean's.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I lived in close proximity to a reserve. We traveled to a reserve school for basketball, volleyball, hockey, etc. and over the years from growing up I have seen a lot of things. People don't like to hear the truth but I have seen first hand the stereotypes. Now I fully realize that they don't make up the entire populace but the stuff you hear and read about does and has gone on. Does claiming you have seen some messed up stuff make you racist?

Oh you've done it now.

Don't you know that anything but full unadulterated dismissal of all stereotypes on CP is not allowed? No one on here rolls their eyes or gets uncomfortable when a group of drunk natives get on the train. We're all perfect, pure, humans.

The thing is, the stereotypes are true. Just look at the substance abuse, literacy, crime, STD, and other health and race-relation statistics for Aboriginals. Denying these stereotypes is just trying to be PC. The problems are real. The thing is the root cause for all of these problems is what Canada has done to the the first nations people by sticking them in segregated reserves.

It won't get better and the race-relations won't improve until the reserve system is abolished and the first nations people assimilate with the ROC. Plain and simple.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I lived in close proximity to a reserve. We traveled to a reserve school for basketball, volleyball, hockey, etc. and over the years from growing up I have seen a lot of things. People don't like to hear the truth but I have seen first hand the stereotypes. Now I fully realize that they don't make up the entire populace but the stuff you hear and read about does and has gone on. Does claiming you have seen some messed up stuff make you racist?

Same boat as you - I grew up around reserves in Northern Saskatchewan. They're third world countries and saying what needs to be fixed can indeed make you look racist. It's a broken system and the people are suffering for it.

[fulham]

The fact they have the largest aboriginal population of all the major city's, and have a massive aboriginal crime, and gang issue would make this not surprising.

My roommate lived in north Winnipeg during university, he was mugged 3 times by native youths, and had his home broken into constantly by what he said, or maybe wrongly assumed were predominiatly natives. Is he Racist for holding negative views of the native community?

[polak]

Originally Posted by fulham

The fact they have the largest aboriginal population of all the major city's, and have a massive aboriginal crime, and gang issue would make this not surprising.

My roommate lived in north Winnipeg during university, he was mugged 3 times by native youths, and had his home broken into constantly by what he said, or maybe wrongly assumed were predominiatly natives. Is he Racist for holding negative views of the native community?

I would say no. Human instincts and evolution has made us weary of certian things when they become a threat. It's not racist for him to be hesitant or fearful when walking by a group of natives due to his past experience.

[GGG]

That would exude the subtle racism but not the overt racism you here.

You had cop dropping off drunk natives outside of town in the winter and letting them die in Saskatoon. The racism regardless of any issues with the reserve system is disgusting and as bad as any racism against blacks or gays we like to make fun of.the southern US for

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by polak

Oh you've done it now.

Don't you know that anything but full unadulterated dismissal of all stereotypes on CP is not allowed? No one on here rolls their eyes or gets uncomfortable when a group of drunk natives get on the train. We're all perfect, pure, humans.

The thing is, the stereotypes are true. Just look at the substance abuse, literacy, crime, STD, and other health and race-relation statistics for Aboriginals. Denying these stereotypes is just trying to be PC. The problems are real. The thing is the root cause for all of these problems is what Canada has done to the the first nations people by sticking them in segregated reserves.

It won't get better and the race-relations won't improve until the reserve system is abolished and the first nations people assimilate with the ROC. Plain and simple.

So you didn't actually read the article, eh?

[Northendzone]

i am originally from winnipeg, and i am not racist, but.......

[fatso]

less than 10 posts in before we get the expected "I'm not racist if my anecdotes are correct". Pretty efficient. The odd thing is I don't think I've ever seen anyone on here deny a stereotype exists in this context. I have seen people correctly question whether such stereotypes are valid or why they're even being used, but I suppose that's just PC liberal namby pamby hogwash to the inspired, unafraid voices of some on here. Dollars to donuts those truth-tellers didn't even read the article.

Anyway, I can't see how someone can read the article and not see a problem with the systemic treatment of First Nations people. The article emphasizes the (lack of) access to justice issues facing those groups. Is the article lying? Or do First Nations not deserve the same as the rest of us because they're mired in addiction and other stereotype social problems?

[polak]

Originally Posted by rubecube

So you didn't actually read the article, eh?

I didn't quote the OP. I quoted someone elses post that was asking if something was an incorrect stereotype...

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by polak

Oh you've done it now.

Don't you know that anything but full unadulterated dismissal of all stereotypes on CP is not allowed? No one on here rolls their eyes or gets uncomfortable when a group of drunk natives get on the train. We're all perfect, pure, humans.

The thing is, the stereotypes are true. Just look at the substance abuse, literacy, crime, STD, and other health and race-relation statistics for Aboriginals. Denying these stereotypes is just trying to be PC. The problems are real. The thing is the root cause for all of these problems is what Canada has done to the the first nations people by sticking them in segregated reserves.

It won't get better and the race-relations won't improve until the reserve system is abolished and the first nations people assimilate with the ROC. Plain and simple.

This is the truth that no politician wants to accept. History is full of smaller cultures being integrated and absorbed into larger ones with good success, all segregation has ever done is create ghettos. If natives want to keep their heritage then no one's stopping them, there are countless ethnic minorities in Canada who honor and celebrate their traditions while still being part of the larger community. There's nothing stopping natives from doing the same, but they need to be brought into the fold as true Canadians

[Neeper]

I think reserves are the problem. It's segregation at it's finest. That probably causes animosity and makes it difficult for kids to assimilate into Canadian society. I mean I can't imagine if us "Asians" were separated like that. I certainly would be pissed and feel like the "outside" world didn't want anything to do with me and feel oppressed. Either I try to deal with it or rise up.

[polak]

Originally Posted by fatso

Anyway, I can't see how someone can read the article and not see a problem with the systemic treatment of First Nations people. The article emphasizes the (lack of) access to justice issues facing those groups. Is the article lying? Or do First Nations not deserve the same as the rest of us because they're mired in addiction and other stereotype social problems?

They certianly deserve the same treatment as everyone else, but how do you stop a population from fearing and therefore hating a certian group that is responsible for a staggeringly disproportinate amount of crime in their province? It's all well and good to say "treat everyone the same", until you consistently see the same easily identifiable group (race is the first thing you see when you look at someone) repeatedly fulfilling these violent, disorderly and unfavorable stereotypes. Multiply that by all the anecdotes people hear in the news and from friends of friends and that's how you get your hate and all of this racism.

This isn't a matter of racism simply cause they're different, like the 1800's. This is racism built on fear and repeated validations of stereotypes. Both are wrong, but they're not the same.

You dismiss anecdotal evidence like it doesn't mean anything but guess what, when it's YOUR anecdote, it means everything. If you get mugged by a group of natives and your walking down the street and see another group of natives, are you going to think "Ahhh, I shouldn't treat them any differently" or are you going to think "#### that, I'm going to walk another way". Even if it's just someone you know that got mugged, you will probably think twice.

You know what would fix the racism and unfair treatment of native people? Going after the root cause that creates these stereotypes instead of trying to get people to ignore their deep rooted and statistically substantied fears.

Fix the the stereotype.

[Northendzone]

this thread is clearly a powderkeg waiting to explode.

the part about reserves that has always bothered me is how some of the chiefs will take large salaries for themselves, and members of their families - while otehr members live in squalor. although i guess in some ways that is not very different than the CEO of a mjor O&G company making millions - or is it?

Seems to me that winnipeg and regina/saskatoon have a large aboriginal population, and unfortunatley some of them congregate groups in certain areas of town, and in these public areas they are visibly under the influence of "stuff" - after seeing this scenario played out enough times, it can really skew your opinion of aboriginals as a whole.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

this thread is clearly a powderkeg waiting to explode.

the part about reserves that has always bothered me is how some of the chiefs will take large salaries for themselves, and members of their families - while otehr members live in squalor. although i guess in some ways that is not very different than the CEO of a mjor O&G company making millions - or is it?

Seems to me that winnipeg and regina/saskatoon have a large aboriginal population, and unfortunatley some of them congregate groups in certain areas of town, and in these public areas they are visibly under the influence of "stuff" - after seeing this scenario played out enough times, it can really skew your opinion of aboriginals as a whole.

haha really?