Don’t take advantage of Canada’s inclusiveness
This is a comment with regards to your story “Mandarin-only edict splits Richmond strata council” published in the Province on Dec. 23, 2015.
After reading this story, I decided to send the letter below to Mr. Mao, the President of the Strata Council, urging him to adopt English at his strata meetings and to provide on-site translators for non-English speakers. The letter to Mr. Mao was written in Chinese, I have provided the English translation here: Dear Mr. Mao, My name is Tom Zheng. I am a Canadian of Chinese descent and I have been living in Canada since 2002. I completed my bachelor’s at McGill University and I am currently pursuing a degree in law at King’s College London. As you can see, Chinese is my first language. Just like you, I am proud of our heritage and proud of how our collective culture and traditions have contributed to the Canadian identity.
A few days ago, I read in the papers that not everyone is happy with your decision to only use Mandarin Chinese in your strata meetings.
While at first glance this seems to be just an innocent decision, as the vast majority of the participants could speak Chinese, however, I believe that how this issue will be resolved will have a lasting impact on the relationships among the various ethnic groups living in Richmond, and in Canada as a whole.
Chinese-Canadians have come a long way from the days of railroads and head taxes. Today, almost 1.5 million of us call this beautiful country our home.
Whenever I visit China, my relatives and friends are envious of the fact that I have the privilege to live in a country that is prosperous, democratic and tolerant.
Around the world, Canadians are known as the “nice” guys partly because we are sensitive and respectful of each other’s cultural backgrounds and we are one of the few remaining countries in the world that understands that multiculturalism, when adopted properly, is a powerful catalyst to a peaceful and vibrant society.
Philosopher Zhuang Zi has once said: “When one enters a foreign land: Respect its customs, and observe its values.”
English and French are the official languages of this country; they are the languages that bind all of us together, regardless of our skin colour or our accents.
Let us suppose that what happened here happened in China, and you, a local resident who only speaks Mandarin, is unable to attend the strata meetings because the organizers have decided to conduct the language in English and English only. How would you feel? How would you feel if you are not able to participate in these meetings in your own country where you were born and raised?
English and French are the official languages of this country; they are the languages that bind all of us together, regardless of our skin colour or our accents. Speaking at least one of the official languages makes it significantly easier for anyone to take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities that this country has to offer, not to mention that I personally believe it is in fact our civil responsibility, as immigrants, to speak an adequate level of English or French.
Canada is a tolerant country, but we should not take advantage of this tolerance to deprive others of rights they rightfully deserve. It is neither Canadian (or Chinese) to alienate others just for matters of convenience. Consequently, I strongly urge you to start adopting English at your strata meetings and to provide on-site translators for non-English speakers. It is the right thing to do.
Thank you very much and I wish you a wondering holiday season and a happy new year.
Thank you very much.