I plan on traveling to Canada, but I do have this worry.
To be more specific, I’m not kinda black, my skin’s somehow white, but I have black relatives, which means I got wavy hair and some other things.
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Like everywhere except maybe an uncontacted island we have racism, but I’m not sure what country would have less. Multiculturalism is part of our national ethos.
Canada is not a progressive shangri-la that media portrays. Cities are very multicultural, but those groups hate each other. Rural Canada is all white and full of hate. Quebec is fine in Montreal and Quebec city, but the rest of the province hates immigrants.
However, you will not encounter open hate and violence like the USA shithole.
Thanks, gonna keep an eye open.
Nice blanket generalization of a whole population.
Also, the most racist anti immigrant shit I see is from Ontarians and Albertans and about Indian-Canadians.
So, in other words; fuck off, asshole.
Rural Canada is all white and full of hate.
Yeah, I’m here. We have minorities (for some reason - you crossed an ocean, why Buttfuck, AB?) and everyone seems to get along at least in public. Not sure how much worse it is than the city on race issues, honestly, although I’m white and it makes it hard to tell. You’ll have a lot more trouble if you’re gay, and I try very hard to hide my politics.
Interestingly, Evangelicalism has been hit especially hard with a demographic shift as their missionary converts come back, and their white members leave.
I would say that Canadians are friendly especially from other countries. But it depends, and it’s a massive asterisks on It Depends*.
In general Canadians keep to themselves and don’t like starting things. So we are either very friendly or at a bare minimum indifferent. Depending on the individual they may say things behind your back. (I’ve found some people here to be passive aggressive).
However the further away from cities you get, the more people who you’ll find that are not so friendly. They won’t be actively hostile towards you but you may feel unwelcomed. The company I work with has a multinational workforce that assist older people in rural communities. And while most will not say it to their face (I hope). The racist/sexists/homophobic phrases I’ve heard come out from their mouths was surprising to me and is disgusting. This is sadly true for both rural Southern Ontario and the Maritime Provence’s.
I can’t say much about the larger urban areas. From what I’ve heard, and seen blasted on social media, some people bring their baggage with them when they come to Canada. But outside of the rare aggressive/dangerous drivers in the cities, I haven’t witnessed it myself.
In general be respectful, be kind, and don’t go too far off the beaten tourist trail and you’ll be fine.
Thanks, buddy.
Nobody will know you’re a traveller unless you tell them. And most likely they will welcome you if you do tell them.
Canada is very welcoming and people are friendly. After living abroad for a decade I can say it pretty confidently. Nowhere is perfect but the level of racism in Canada is very low compared to the things I’ve seen in Europe and Asia.
Not sure how it is where you’re from but don’t get caught thinking because Canada is safe that you can be careless with your stuff, don’t let your guard down with personal belongings. Don’t leave your things unattended in cafes or shops, don’t leave your mobile phone on the table, and especially don’t leave anything in your car if rent a car. Canada is safe but there is still a lot of petty theft… you won’t get mugged but someone might try to swipe your backpack at a cafe when you aren’t looking.
Racism seems to be getting worse in Canada, but right now it’s mostly directed at Indians (or south Asians in general).
I’ll add that over the past few years the homeless situation has gotten out of hand. For my small town (pop 46k) this is the source of our rise in crime. Garbage, abandoned tent encampments, vandalism, B&E, etc.
We get tourists to the beach near us but very few international tourists.
Don’t be American or Indian and you’re fine.
I’m brazillian, so…
People shouldn’t give you problems.
Well, they do.
Yes. If you are from the United States, you might not get welcomed as warmly as you once were. There is an occasional racist, but overall, Canadians are very welcoming.
Remember… “planning on traveling to Canada” is like saying you’re planning on traveling to Europe… it’s a BIG place that spans four time zones and has all sorts of people.
So you’re likely to spot some bigots, but there’s also plenty of welcoming people. Part of it depends on where you go. In general, cities are more multicultural and a little of more rural areas used to be very white, with indigenous reservations in the most unexpected places.
Beside that, Alberta is “Little Texas” and BC isn’t that different from Washington and Oregon states. Manitoba is really friendly, Quebec tends to be welcoming in the cities and culturally insular in many of the rural areas. All the east coast provinces tend to be really friendly. The territories are very sparsely populated, so other people are treated like a gift OR like something the person is trying to avoid — race doesn’t tend to come into it.
6 time zones
Call it 5.5
I was debating on calling it 5.5 but just because Newfoundland.
Can you give me more opinions on more states/regions racism chances?
Generally, in cities you won’t have really any problems. My fiancee is Turkish and we live in the prairies and she’s never had anything happen. Folks stumble on her name sometimes but it’s not really racism.
If you go rural, you always up your chances of encountering more racism. Rural PEI/NB will be accidentally racist, rural AB/SK will not care if they’re racist. Generally this is true unless you’re camping/hiking, when you wrap back around to people who are generally just happy to see fellow outdoorsmen.
Much of North American racism isn’t from individual people but in systems. My fiancee’s experience is that European systems are more likely to be equitable but the people will be racist. In general, if you visit Canadian cities from Vancouver to Montreal, I wouldn’t expect you to have any racist encounters.
We have provinces, not states, and it really depends on what you are wanting to see.
Not really; racism in general isn’t the issue. Canada’s been multicultural from the beginning. Bigger issues are things like cultural sovereignty— indigenous and French mostly. Skin colour really doesn’t come i to it.
Might help to know what you’re comparing it to though.
Also, it might help to watch “Race Across The World Series 3” if you’re from the UK — and a good interview is here: https://www.canadianaffair.com/blog/canada-advocate-q-and-a-trish-and-cathies-race-across-the-world-adventure
That show did a pretty good job of capturing the highs and lows of interpersonal relations in Canada.
Canadians are generally more passive in their racism.
it’s fine. The only difference I’ve seen is how some other Canadians are treating Americans now. just a bit more cold towards them. Other than that specific thing it’s not an issue.
If they’re not, you let me know. I’ll thump 'em a good one for you.
I would say Canadians are more polite than friendly. Too polite to be really friendly a lot of the time.
I hear this all the time. What does friendly mean in this context? When you’re meeting complete strangers for a very brief time (like in an elevator or a coffee shop) do you want them to be close and intimate like a friend? I would think the best you can and should be is polite.
I only speak for most Canadians, but we’re the greatest fucking country in the world, and we love all colours, sizes, types…
ymmv, eh!
Seriously, though, there are assholes everywhere but you’re unlikey to encounter them. We’re an extremely polite, helpful, accomodating and accepting society, so carry on!
Lol as a minority that’s born here and lived in cities across the countr: Canada definitely has racism still. We are very diverse; especially in the bigger cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
I recently travelled to NB and witnessed some racism. Wasn’t anything too bad. I’ve had worse. But you’ll find more ignorance than hate. Hate looms it’s ugly head depending on where you go and what minority you are. I think for the most part, you’ll be okay, you might get weird comments here and there, but most people will be nice as a general rule of thumb.
Yes. If you’re out east, there’s a ton of black people. Out west, less so. Either way people will be friendly.
