Whether it was pressure to conform or fear of having their experiences validated, some Chinese Canadians say they faced certain barriers when it came to speaking up about anti-Asian racism, a new report finds.
The joint effort between the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter sought to highlight the first-hand experiences of members of Toronto’s Asian communities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results are similar to those from other studies conducted elsewhere in Canada in the last three years.
Called “2020 in Hindsight: Intergenerational conversations on Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report was released earlier this week and focuses on the experiences of more than 30 people of different ages, including new immigrants and those born in Canada.
Participants described cases where they were physically attacked or insulted, such as being told to go back to China, difficulties talking about racism with family, as well as feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, described in the report as “Wu Nai” in Chinese.
“Even if people didn’t encounter obvious blatant racist acts people were — every single one of them was —affected by anti-Asian racism in many different ways,” Izumi Sakamoto, an associate professor at the University of Toronto and a co-author of the report, told CTV’s Your Morning on Thursday.
Pressure to conform as a “model minority,” uncertainty around whether their experiences counted as racism or a lack of proficiency in English also factored into whether participants chose to share their experiences or not.
“It hurts, but it’s not enough to show to (the) emergency room,” Sakamoto said.
Reports of anti-Asian hate have increased in Canada and the United States since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting some of Canada’s major cities.
“The U.S. population is about 10 times that of Canada, (but) we have a higher ratio of attacks,” Amy Go of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice told CTV News in 2021.
“We were blamed for bringing SARS to Canada, just like we are blamed for bringing COVID to Canada. We are definitely seen as foreigners, that’s why we are told to go back to China.”
Significant increases in hate crimes were noted in Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, among other cities.
The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter released a joint report last year with the organization project 1907 that found similar increases in cases of anti-Asian racism in 2021.
Among the report’s calls to action are for increased awareness and education around anti-Asian racism, funding for grassroots communities and greater representation in senior management and at board levels.
The researchers acknowledge that the report may not reflect all opinions or experiences within Chinese Canadian communities or those from other Asian Canadian populations.
Watch the full interview with Izumi Sakamoto at the top of the article. With files from CTV National News Washington Bureau Chief Joy Malbon, former CTV National News Associate Producer Christy Somos and CTV News Barrie Reporter/Videographer Mike Walker.
KITCHENER, Ont. – Prosecutors are arguing a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year should face a lengthy sentence because of the attack’s lasting impact on campus safety and security.
Federal prosecutor Althea Francis says a sentence in the upper range is appropriate not only because Geovanny Villalba-Aleman wanted to send a message about his views but also because he sought to make those with different beliefs feel unsafe.
The Crown has said it is seeking a sentence of 16 years for Villalba-Aleman, who pleaded guilty to four charges in the June 2023 campus attack.
The sentencing hearing for Villalba-Aleman began Monday and is expected to continue all week.
Federal prosecutors argued Tuesday that Villalba-Aleman’s statement to police, and a manifesto that was found on his phone, show his actions were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate a segment of the population.
Villalba-Aleman pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm.
A video of his statement to police was shown in court earlier in the sentencing hearing.
In the video, Villalba-Aleman told police he felt colleges and universities were imposing ideology and restricting academic freedom, and he wanted the attack to serve as a “wake-up call.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada cut its key policy interest rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday to bring it to 3.75 per cent. Here’s what people are saying about the decision:
“High inflation and interest rates have been a heavy burden for Canadians. With inflation now back to target and interest rates continuing to come down, families, businesses and communities should feel some relief.” — Tiff Macklem, Bank of Canada governor.
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“Activity in Canada’s housing market has been sluggish in many regions due to higher borrowing costs, but today’s more aggressive cut to lending rates could cause the tide to turn quickly. For those with variable rate mortgages – who will benefit from the rate drop immediately – or those with fast-approaching loan renewals, today’s announcement is welcome news indeed.” — Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage.
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“This won’t be the end of rate cuts. Even with the succession of policy cuts since June, rates are still way too high given the state of the economy. To bring rates into better balance, we have another 150 bps in cuts pencilled in through 2025. So while the pace of cuts going forward is now highly uncertain, the direction for rates is firmly downwards.” — James Orlando, director and senior economist at TD Bank.
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“The size of the December rate cut will depend on upcoming job and inflation data, but a 25 basis point cut remains our baseline.” — Tu Nguyen, economist with assurance, tax and consultancy firm RSM Canada.
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“Today’s outsized rate cut is mostly a response to the heavy-duty decline in headline inflation in the past few months. However, the underlying forecast and the Bank’s mild tone suggest that the future default moves will be 25 bp steps, unless growth and/or inflation surprise again to the downside.” — Douglas Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
