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A survey done by EKOS Research
Associates states that 10% of Canadians
are opposed to having more Arab
immigrants in Canada than any other
race. 38% of Canadians feel that there
are too many Arab Immigrants while over
68% of people who support the
Conservative party believe that there are
too many Arab immigrants.
- When Canadians were asked why
Arab-Canadians face a 50% or higher unemployment rate than average:
- 92% believe that language barriers could be the reason
- 84% believe that lack of Canadian job experience may be a factor
- 81% believe that lack of Canadian education could serve as a barrier
- 73% believe that having a strong accent could be a reason
- 78% believe that ‘not fitting in’ is a reason
- 64% think that having an ‘Arab sounding name’ could also result in lower hiring
rates
Canadian Border Statistics:
- “OTTAWA - One-quarter of front-line employees surveyed at Canada's border agency
said they had directly witnessed a colleague discriminate against a traveler in the
previous two years…Of these respondents, 71 percent suggested the discrimination was
based, in full or in part, on the travelers' race”
Issues: Arab youth in Canada feel that they need to change their appearance to hide their Arab
identity in order to feel safe when they travel through different borders. Due to this, they
struggle with finding and expressing their own identity.
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Arab Canadians feel that they need to be overly kind while answering questions
regarding their travels/security in order to minimize any unwanted attention
Additionally, there is not a lot of media coverage about middles eastern immigrants and
if there is any it is often about terrorism which gives the Middle Eastern community a
negative portrayal, causing other Canadians to change the way they interact with the
Middle Eastern community
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Some Arab men stated that they felt the need to shave their beards before beginning
their travels
They also felt the need to dress in sporty clothing in order to fit in
Individuals avoid speaking arabic in order to avoid unwanted attention
After being questioned because of their unique accents, they feel the need to assimilate
to Canadian culture even though Canada is a multicultural and very diverse country
“When I was in Iran, I never thought I had to fit in a mold or identify as something
specific,” she says. But when she came to Canada, Hosseini was forced to identify where
she fit in.
Within the struggle to express their own identity and feel welcomed some feel they have
to go as far as removing religious symbols and beliefs in order to “fit in”
Arab- Canadians have about a 50% higher jobless rate than average, this stems from
stereotypes and discrimination.
“However, it is not easy to find a job as an immigrant due to cultural and language
barriers. Therefore, immigrants are forced to look and act like a “Canadian” to break
down those barriers.” Many Canadian citizens are privileged in the sense that they don’t
have to worry about how they look or act when doing something like applying for a job
or attending a job interview. Many do not realize this privilege and therefore take it for
granted.
Afghans also face racism when trying to get across the border. Many people have applied
to come to Canada as refugees but have not heard any response from the Canadian
bureaucracy. An example of this is that the Canadian government promised 25000 Syrian
refugees after the Syrian crisis and 40000 Afghans after the fall of Kabul, however, there
is no limit to the Ukrainian refugees.
https://www.cjpme.org/pr_2021_10_28
https://tdotcommunity.ca/project/its-not-easy-to-be-a-middle-eastern-immigrant-in-canada/
https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/canadian-arab-youth-feel-forced-alter-appearance-and
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/one-in-four-border-officers-witnessed-discrimination-by-collea
gues-internal-report-1.6028724
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/16/racism-to-the-core-differential-politics-of-c
anadas-refugee-programs.html