First step to change is removing denial

of Canada. Opportunity. Diversity. Good people. Those were people’s — white or not — topof-mind impressions of Canada. Years ago, I surveyed Canadians on what they considered essential to the Canadian identity. Equality of opportunity and compassion were in the very top tier of desired Canadian attributes.

So how does that square with the racism and discrimination that is tiered and woven throughout Canadian society? Perhaps it gets put in the same mental place we had put the conditions in long-term-care homes prior to the pandemic — too uncomfortable, too likely to provoke cognitive dissonance, too systemic to really think about addressing. When bad things hide in those places, exposure is the key to eradication.

The video of George Floyd’s murder horrified and galvanized people all over the world. Few Canadians watching “Through the Looking Glass” could fail to be moved and angered as their fellow Canadians describe: regular and random police stops, sometimes accompanied by violence or intimidation; obvious discrimination, systemic and personal, in career opportunities; negative stereotypes that follow one around from school to work to the grocery store; and the erasure of people’s history and narrative.

So, the first conclusion from this research is that the higher the profile examples of overt racism have, the more accepting we are that it is real and systemic.

The first step to change is to remove the gauzy denial that envelops racism in Canada and confront it openly and directly. That is a role for media and political leadership.

Also, school curriculums need to teach the whole story of Canada and all its peoples, including the bad parts. I should not have graduated from school knowing more about the fur trade than residential schools. I am sure curriculums have progressed, but from what I heard, not enough.

And people of good will have to act. When I asked participants what it said about me if I

School curriculums need to teach the whole story of Canada. I should not have graduated knowing more about the fur trade than residential schools

wore a “diversity is our strength” T-shirt, one asked me, “What are you going to do? Are you going to push the police officer off George Floyd?” If I am true to the ideal of Canada, I will be that person.

Black Lives Matter and Indigenous protests are seen by participants in these focus groups as necessary movements to have Canada live up to its professed ideals. The Canada that proudly called itself a mosaic, compared with the American melting pot.

We can make progress. We acknowledge the residential schools now and their lingering impact. We acknowledge Viola Desmond and the Black community in Canada. We used to proudly talk about tolerance (like it was a good thing!) but now we talk about diversity. We need to take the next step to inclusion. A diverse population does not make Canada remarkable. A diverse, cohesive and inclusive population — that would make us remarkable and that is the aspiration of Canada. Pollster and public opinion researcher for over 25 years as principal partner of the Gandalf Group, David Herle is a campaign veteran and host of the popular political affairs podcast “The Herle Burly” and this brand-new video-first podcast “Through the Looking Glass.”