Canada is the least xenophobic country in the Western world

[Tennis]

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/8/11879482...trudeau-canada

While American politics is currently embroiled in a controversy over a major party's blatantly racist remarks, Canadian politics has been moving in a somewhat … different direction. Take, for example, this video released by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday afternoon, which shows him breaking the first Ramadan fast with Muslim parliamentarians from his Liberal Party:

This is just normal politics for Trudeau. A little over 1 million Muslims live in Canada, about 3.2 percent of the population. It's both good politics and a matter of basic respect to celebrate a major holiday for your country's largest religious minority. (Though the Muslim population is smaller in the US, percentage-wise, American presidents also generally issue official statements on Ramadan.)

On the other hand, the kind of inclusiveness Trudeau's video represents increasingly feels anomalous — and not just because of Donald Trump. In countries around Europe, anti-Muslim prejudice has swelled since the 2015 refugee crisis. There, far-right parties, united mostly by their strong appeal to anti-Muslim sentiment, have surged in popularity.

What this points to, then, is something that some scholars have termed "Canadian exceptionalism": The country is just a lot more welcoming to immigrants and minorities than virtually every country in the Western world.
In Canada, welcoming immigrants is good politics

The final stages of the Canadian election in October 2015 were suffused with a sort anti-Islam rhetoric. Incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, of the Conservative Party, spent months decrying the wearing of the niqab, a face-covering garment for Muslim women, particularly by immigrants during citizenship ceremonies. The niqab is "rooted in a culture that is anti-women," Harper said. Wearing it when "committing to joining the Canadian family," according to the prime minister, "is not the way we do things."

The comments were widely understood to be a dog whistle for anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment: Harper was appealing to Canadians who thought Muslim immigration threatened their culture and values.

Why Canada is different

"The only real outlier [to the nativist trend] is Canada," Cas Mudde, a professor at the University of Georgia who studies nativism and far-right politics in Europe, tells me. He continues:

[Trudeau] has handled, so far, the Syrian refugee crisis incredibly well, having taken in 25,000 Syrian refugees against the majority will. Initially, he wasn't supported by the majority — but when they finally arrived, a majority of Canadians did support it. That's one of the few encouraging lessons that we have seen over the last several years: that if you have a positive campaign, which is supported by a large portion of the media, that you can actually swing public opinion in a positive direction.

Why? It's because Canada is genuinely different from other Western countries in terms of its attitude toward immigrants. It's far more welcoming than basically everywhere else.

Really good read.
I think a lot of Canadians really love this aspect about Canada.
With xenophobia on the rise, I hope politicians from all over the world can look at the Canadian example as how to make a multicultural community work!

[spinner981]

At what point did people start equating borders that aren't open to everyone and their brother to xenophobia?

There is also a difference between being xenophobic and not wanting to take in tens of thousands of refugees.

[Calfredd]

Really good read.
I think a lot of Canadians really love this aspect about Canada.
With xenophobia on the rise, I hope politicians from all over the world can look at the Canadian example as how to make a multicultural community work!

I prefer the melting pot approach myself.

[Bartumus22]

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/8/11879482...trudeau-canada

[/B]

Really good read.
I think a lot of Canadians really love this aspect about Canada.
With xenophobia on the rise, I hope politicians from all over the world can look at the Canadian example as how to make a multicultural community work!

News at 11: Canada suffers an unprecedented outbreak of crime, assault and hate crimes. The country's leaders are dumbfounded.

[Tennis]

I prefer the melting pot approach myself.

Yet the multiculturalism version which Canada has is proven to be the better approach. Just read the article.

[spinner981]

Yet the multiculturalism version which Canada has is proven to be the better approach. Just read the article.

Proven to be the 'better approach' in terms of what? Letting as many people into your borders as possible? Being called the 'least xenophobic' country by the author of this article?

[PC2]

I'm glad you are happy and proud of Canada, Tennis. That is much better than being self-loathing.

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Proven to be the 'better approach' in terms of what? Letting as many people into your borders as possible? Being called the 'lest xenophobic' country by the author of this article?

Canada doesn't have 10 mil illegals and millions of MENA refugees like Europe. They're better off.

[DrMcNinja]

There is also a difference between being xenophobic and not wanting to take in tens of thousands of refugees.

There are a lot of other reasons as to why people are upset. For example: In some of the larger cities here, there is a 10+ year waitlist to rent a house. Then they suddenly decide to give priority to refugees. Or several municipalities deciding to give refugees thousands of euros to spend on furniture. Those are the things that will upset people, by giving them the idea that the government puts their own people on second place.

It's not so much xenophobia that's going on here, but moreso people being upset that foreign people come here and are treated better than some of the people that barely get by.

[Maoli]

Canada doesn't really border countries where you get an influx of illegal immigrants. US has mexico, Europe has middle eastern refugees. It's easy to sit back and be multicultural and accepting when you don't have to deal with the problems created by immigration.

[Cthulhu 2020]

At what point did people start equating borders that aren't open to everyone and their brother to xenophobia?

There is also a difference between being xenophobic and not wanting to take in tens of thousands of refugees.

There is also a difference between letting in some refugees and being like "omg we can't let any in they'll kill us all, secure our borders, and tell anyone who disagrees with that that they don't want us to be a country and hate themselves!"

[Raamm]

Just saying I can't recall any headlines with the words "Islamic Extremists Bomb Canada". I'm sure if they invite a bunch of Muslims they will get Allahuakbar'd soon enough to change some opinions on that.

I'm also sure if Muslims keep shooting up American people in horrific attacks Trump will be President.


[Infracted]

[Tennis]

I'm glad you are happy and proud of Canada, Tennis. That is much better than being self-loathing.

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Canada doesn't have 10 mil illegals and millions of MENA refugees like Europe. They're better off.

I don't think I know any fellow Canadians who partake in self loathing. Why would anyone do that?

[Zoldam]

Canada doesn't really border countries where you get an influx of illegal immigrants. US has mexico, Europe has middle eastern refugees. It's easy to sit back and be multicultural and accepting when you don't have to deal with the problems created by immigration.

^Sums up my thoughts.

[Foosha]

When I ignore someone, it should hide/delete the threads they make as well

[ati87]

Proven to be the 'better approach' in terms of what? Letting as many people into your borders as possible? Being called the 'least xenophobic' country by the author of this article?

Yea thats not the argument usually used now is it.

Argument usually involves

''muslim takeover''
''Muslims raping our women/stealing''

Kind of racist arguments no? Because calling minorities rapist has been go to argument to justify slavery and oppression for a few centuries now.

[Zoldam]

Yea thats not the argument usually used now is it.

Argument usually involves

''muslim takeover''
''Muslims raping our women/stealing''

Kind of racist arguments no? Because calling minorities rapist has been go to argument to justify slavery and oppression for a few centuries now.

It's also foolish to ignore threats out of fear of being called a racist/bigot.

[Deleted]

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/8/11879482...trudeau-canada

[/B]

Really good read.
I think a lot of Canadians really love this aspect about Canada.
With xenophobia on the rise, I hope politicians from all over the world can look at the Canadian example as how to make a multicultural community work!

Grats. 25 000? Come back when you have to deal with more than a million of them. And counting. We'll see how little ''xenophobism'' your country will exhibit then. In the mean time, feel free to act superior whilst offering little actual help. And no, accepting 1,5% of immigrants isn't meaningful help. It's like giving a homeless guy in a busy shopping street a euro. It mostly just helps yourself by making you feel better.

[ati87]

It's also foolish to ignore threats out of fear of being called a racist/bigot.

Seriously? Did you even bother reading what I wrote?

You can have a honest discussion about immigration and possible strain on society short term. Thats why usually refugees and aren't allowed to work and are put in camps because countries don't have enough housing to handle to many people at once.

But then again

You aren't saying stuff like this. The go to argument has always been, the other side are rapist, weak, traitors, terrorist, criminals and every other horrible gut feeling argument you can think of.

yes, first way isn't racist and that's how a honest discussion goes with people you disagree with on certain things.

Second way is are actual tactics the nazi's invented (Goebel was brilliant in that regard) and it's to play on the fears of people instead.

[Ave07]

But why is Canada's goose an asshole?!

[nonameelf]

I thought the English Canadians and the French Canadians hated each other.