E. Cultural Diversity

Both the youth and the adult refugees were questioned about their own openness to cultural diversity and immigration. When we examined their responses by city, we found that in most instances, the youth and their parents reacted in similar ways (see Tables 7-4 and 7-5). On the whole, both groups felt that it was worthwhile for ethnic groups to keep their first (heritage) languages and to maintain cultural traditions. As one refugee put it, in giving advice to other newcomers, "I would tell them to keep their own culture and not let their kids lose it" (1261). One somewhat noticeable difference appeared between the youth in Edmonton and their parents; 23% of the former thought that people should change their ways to be more like average Canadians, while 47% of their parents agreed with this statement. The youth in Calgary, Edmonton, and the smaller cities did not differ much on most of their responses to questions about cultural diversity, with the exception of Calgarians’ lower agreement to the statement "I would like to keep cultural traditions from my home country." The youth in Calgary were also more likely than the rest of the sample to agree that having different cultural groups in Canada makes it difficult to develop a sense of unity among Canadians. It is not surprising then that when the youth were asked how concerned they were about "fitting in" in Canadian society (see Table 7-6, below), Calgarians (56%) were more concerned than were Edmontonians (46%). Even more respondents from the smaller cities were concerned about fitting in (62%). This may reflect the fact that they have fewer alternatives than do the youth in larger cities to interact with people from the same background.

Table 7-6
Youth Refugees’ Assessments of "Fitting In" in Canadian Society by Current City of Residence

# Respondents answered on a 5-point scale with ‘1’ representing "not at all concerned" and ‘5’ representing "very concerned". Values of 1 to 3 have been combined into the "not concerned" category.

^ Other category includes all other city of residence.

Amongst the adult refugees, there were some significant city differences: for example, the respondents in Medicine Hat were the least enthusiastic with regard to first language retention, while those in Red Deer were most in favour of it (Table 7-5). The residents of Fort McMurray and Red Deer appeared to be most distinct from one another across the board. When asked whether they felt like real Canadians, 75% of the people in Fort McMurray agreed that they did, and they were significantly less convinced than were other respondents that having many different cultural groups is good for Canada. They were also most supportive of people changing their ways on arrival to Canada in order to be more like Canadians. Their endorsement of this point of view was much higher than that of the general public living in Fort McMurray (50% versus 32%). Adult refugees in Fort McMurray agreed significantly more often than did those in other cities that having many different cultural groups in Canada makes it difficult to develop a sense of unity. The adult refugees in Red Deer were at the other end of the continuum in that they most strongly supported the maintenance of cultural traditions; they were also least likely to feel like "real Canadians."

When asked to comment on the statement "I feel that there are too many immigrants coming to Canada," between a quarter and a third of youth agreed. Roughly a quarter of adult refugees agreed (no significant differences across cities), but there was a split in the reactions of the general public. People in Calgary (31%) and Edmonton (28%) were more likely to agree or strongly agree than people in the smaller cities, where the mean percentage of individuals who agreed was 15%. This is no doubt a reflection of the fact that Calgary and Edmonton receive the largest numbers of newcomers, refugees and immigrants alike.

The reactions of the youth and the adult refugees to cultural diversity were also tabulated according to region of origin (see Tables 7-7 and 7-8). Parents and youth generally respond similarly. Former Yugoslavian adults differ from the adult refugees from other regions in their assessment of the effect different cultural groups have on unity in Canada. Seventy-one percent agree or strongly agree that a variety of groups interferes with unity, whereas 88% of the other respondents feel that way. Interestingly, the same people (former Yugoslavians) are the less likely to enjoy living in a multicultural society by a significant margin. Fully half of the Africans believe that people should change to be more like average Canadians, and 53% of them state that they themselves feel like real Canadians. Nearly half (49%) of the refugees from the Middle East also report feeling like real Canadians, in contrast to the Central/South Americans (38%), former Yugoslavians (29%) and East Asians (26%). Overall a majority of all adult refugees think that having many different cultural groups is good for Canada.

Although worded differently, two questions that elicited relevant comparisons were put to members of the general public. First, they were asked if a mixture of different lifestyles and cultures makes their own city a more attractive place to live (see Table 4-22, Chapter 4). The majority of respondents in the public opinion survey agreed that diversity is good. Second, they were asked if a good balance of people and backgrounds are coming to Canada or if too many people of different races and cultures are allowed to enter (see Table 4-23, Chapter 4). A two-thirds majority agreed that there is a good balance. It appears as though one’s personal experience of cultural diversity, as a member of the majority, or as a relatively recent refugee, has a definite influence on how it is perceived.

F. Discrimination/Racism

We asked the refugees whether or not they had experienced discrimination or racism since arriving in Canada. It should be noted that we left the interpretation of these terms to the respondents. It may be the case that they restricted their answers to instances of blatant discrimination rather than more subtle forms. One quarter of the adult interviewees stated that they had experienced discrimination (Table 7-9); of those, 41% reported that it had happened ‘once or twice,’ 38% said it had happened ‘several times,’ and 17% thought they had been discriminated against ‘very often’(results not shown in a table). These same individuals were then asked if they had encountered discrimination in seeking employment, housing, or in some other sphere. Fourteen percent of all respondents reported employment discrimination. The most commonly cited manifestation was being avoided or ostracized. Very few people (only 4%) thought they had faced housing discrimination. Seventeen percent reported having faced discrimination in other areas; of those, 32% said that the attitudes of service providers (agency staff, public service, and ESL teachers) were negative. The majority of adult respondents in Medicine Hat (53%) reported general discrimination. As one Medicine Hat respondent said, "No one cares about what happens or wants to be friends with us" (0050). They also perceived significantly higher rates of discrimination related to employment than refugees in any other city. This is in sharp contrast to the perceptions of the general public in Medicine Hat, where 79% felt that refugees are treated fairly when they look for jobs (see Table 4-24, Chapter 4). The adult refugees who reported the least discrimination were living in Fort McMurray, followed by those in Edmonton and Calgary (see Table 7-9). Because of the limited number of youth in the sample, it was not possible to isolate those living in smaller cities; however, there are some significant differences by city. None of the youth in Edmonton perceived discrimination, compared to 38% in Calgary and 43% in the smaller cities (see Table 7-10).

Table 7-10
Youth Refugees’ Experiences of Racism or Discrimination Since Arrival by Current City of Residence

^ Other category includes all other cities.

* Community differences are statistically significant (p<.05).

When the responses regarding discrimination are considered in terms of region of origin and location, some interesting significant differences emerge (Table 7-9). Central/South Americans report considerably more discrimination than people from any other region, followed by people from the Middle East, East Asians, and Africans. Yugoslavians experience the least discrimination; this finding is mirrored in the youth findings (see Table 7-11). It appears from these figures that visible minority status plays a role in the degree of discrimination perceived by the refugees.

Table 7-11
Youth Refugees’ Experiences of Racism or Discrimination Since Arrival by Region of Origin

^ Other category includes all other world regions.

* Region differences are statistically significant (p<.05).

Although respondents were questioned directly regarding discrimination, the issue was also raised by a small number of people in two other open-ended questions: "What is the worst thing about living in Canada?", and the question at the end of the interview which invited refugees to comment on anything else that they felt was important. One of the five most frequently cited "worst things" was discrimination (reported by to 11% of the adult refugees, see Table 7-12). One of the respondents described the experience of discrimination as follows: "There should be more human rights because discrimination is the same thing as making someone die a slow death" (0191).

As was pointed out in Chapter 5, most refugees do not leave a community because of discrimination, and in most locations, the level of discrimination experienced is relatively low. Medicine Hat stands out from the other cities in that a majority of refugees interviewed there reported experiences of discrimination. The service providers there also indicated more concern around issues of discrimination than did those in any other city. They noted that Medicine Hat would be unable to support concentrations of newcomers from a single background, and that they would prefer families over single men. There seems to be a reaction to the influx of single men to the city, particularly Iraqis, because of its proximity to Brooks, where the Lakeside Meat Processing Plant offers relatively high paying jobs to refugees.