Marginalization of non-whites does exist

Randall Denley describes white privilege as advantages affecting whites only — neglecting that the impact of them is not universally felt by all minority races equally. The racism experienced by black people is not the same as that affecting First Nations or Asian people. He is using white as the default comparison, which is in itself a privilege available to a person who is from a white-biased society.

He asks two easily answered questions. The first: If the big priority for white people was maintaining their supposed white privilege, why would Canada be admitting so many non-white immigrants? Denley answers the question himself: The majority of the world isn’t white. It stands to reason that the majority of immigrants would also be nonwhite. Denley then asks: “Why do so many non-white people keep choosing it as their home?” The driving factors that bring them here are twofold: either a “push” or a “pull.”

“Pushes” are domestic issues in other nations: war, famine, human rights abuses, unfavourable economics. My own story (I’m from New Zealand) is one of economics; my post-doctoral research opportunity was in Canada. “Pulls” are Canadian appeals: It’s a stable nation with a decent economy, connectedness to the rest of the world, and externally has the image of a friendly place to the north, a “more reasonable” United States, free from Donald Trump and the perception that police will shoot on sight those who aren’t white.

None of that has anything to do with the issue of white privilege or racism in Canada. The simple fact is that if the 80 per cent white majority actually listened to the sufferings of those who are non-white, they would quickly realize that the Canadian story of marginalization is real.

Racism in Canada is alive and well. It seems particularly appropriate for a white former Progressive Conservative candidate to inform us that he disagrees.

Martin Lee, Ottawa