Canadian Salad

On Sunday, July 21st, Vice President Kamala Harris was endorsed by the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to run as the Democratic Party candidate for president. If nominated, Kamala would become the first person ever of South Asian descent and one of the few Black women in US history to headline a major US political party's ticket. Yes, she is a political leader in the US but what does it mean for Canada?

Canada has yet to have a woman of colour elected as a federal leader. The representation of women in Canada is minuscule compared to women in leadership globally - lower than the UAE, Rwanda, Cuba, New Zealand and more. What is it about having a woman and more specifically, a woman of colour at the helm of the western world?

Hostion and Andrea unpack the limitless ways in which the collective mindset and cultural perspectives from women of colour's leadership are essential to reflecting the people of Canada, the global majority found in Indigenous People and in the majority of immigrants who settle here. White systems and white leaders fail to understand what equality is, what justice embodies and what equity means. Women heal and restore, and with their feminine resistance, need to be our future leaders. Women of colour and the intersectionalities of their identity amplify cultural perspectives and collective healing. The future is female.

Episode Show Notes:

• Ottawa Prepares for a New US President as Canada Reflects on Biden's Legacy - CBC News
• Gaza, Abortion, Immigration: Where Kamala Harris Stands on Key Issues - The Guardian
• 2024 Annual Report Card on Gender Equity and Leadership - The Prosperity Project
• Do MPs Represent Canada's Diversity? - Policy Options, IRPP
• The Business Case for Diversity in the Workplace is Now Overwhelming - World Economic Forum
• COVID-19 and Gender Equality: Countering the Regressive Effects - McKinsey & Company
• Black Voting Rights in Canada - The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Facts & Figures: Women's Leadership and Political Part

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Mr. Marc Miller has done it again. At a recent citizenship event in Calgary, Mr. Miller stated that Canada needs "more diversity, more qualified, more talented bunch of people". Putting immigrants into camps of "quality" doesn't sound like a very quality statement. We provide immigration pathways for immigrants but deny them jobs after university, deny their skills they came with and pay them unliveable wages. Seems to us the quality assurance Mr. Miller is looking for isn't on the immigrant. 

Join Hostion and Andrea on this episode as they humanely and with humour unpack the unfairness of this statement and the polarization it creates. From the plumber down the street to the elected official, a person's quality isn't defined by their contribution to the GDP, it's defined by their inherent worth.

Mr. Miller, we think you should agree.

Link to news story for this episiode:
'Not a back-door entry to citizenship' Marc Miller stresses importance of caps on international students - Calgary Herald

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"Horrific act."
"Political violence is never acceptable."
"I am sickened by the shooting at former president Trump."
"I condemn in strongest terms the attempted murder of former president Trump today."

From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Canada's Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae, most all of Canada's political leaders had something to say of the assassination attempt of former U.S. president, Mr. Donald Trump.

Canada reacted. With heightened calls for non-violence, strengthening security and calls for humanitarian urgency, one thing is for sure - the powers of this nation will act this way when privilege, power and preferred skin tones matter.

Hostion and Andrea unpack the hypocrisy of leaders condemning violence against privileged people in power while remaining silent regarding the violence committed against Indigenous People, immigrants of colour in detention centres and refugee youth. We call on Canada to take its words seriously, to be as loud and as condemning to its own residents as it is with those with privilege and power.

"It seems the cry for peace is only raised when the afflicted bear a certain complexion, a certain status. When violence strikes the powerful, the privileged, the outcry is resounding, the calls for civility unending. But when it is the oppressed, the marginalized, the Brown child in Rafah, the Black family in Mississippi, the silence is as profound as it is damning." Fredrick Joseph

Episode Sources:

• Manitoba man who rammed truck into Rideau Hall gate in 2020 granted day parole - The National Post
• Justin Trudeau spoke to Donald Trump after shooting - CTV News
• If Canada defends human rights, what about Palestine? - LSE Human Rights
• 'Horrific Act': Shooting at Trump Rally Condemned by Trudeau, Poilievre - CTV News
• "I didn't feel like a human in there": Immigration Detention in Canada and It's Impact on Mental Health - Human Rights Watch
• Violence Against Immigrant Youth in Canada - National Library of Medicine
• Violent Victimization and Perceptions of Safety: Experiences of First Nations,

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"The new immigrants are entitled!" People have their opinions barring when it comes to immigrants speaking up for themselves. Recently, a consumer of the internets, a browser of the socials, stated that the immigrants coming to Canada are entitled. 

Hostion and Andrea? Well, we're speaking up for ourselves and for the immigrants who are used to keeping their head down, their mouths shut and their rights abused. No more. Everyone deserves human rights, no matter their immigration status.

In the words of the famous poet Taylor Swift, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, 
Baby I'm gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake,
We shake it off!"

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In a recent report conducted by Leger and the National Post, 70% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents agreed that immigrants coming to Canada should be screened for "sharing common Canadian values". What is even more interesting is that Statistics Canada also wrote a report showcasing the difference between Canadian-born and immigrants, and how they perceive these Canadian values. 

Hostion and Andrea unpack why this question is up for debate and examine the reality of most immigrants who come to Canada. Human rights, gender equality and Indigenous respect are all core tenants that immigrants hold. And according to the data, they hold these values the highest among other surveyed groups. 

We hold these values very close, because we know that they are not guaranteed. We don't need to screen immigrants. What we do need to do is to cease separating ourselves, come together and realize that we actually honestly share the same values - that is what it is to be Canadian.

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On Canada Day this year, a large anti-immigrant protest was led by a group called 'Take Back Canada'. Their sentiment is that immigration is way out of control and that immigrants are to blame for the housing crisis and the lack of opportunities for Canadian-born people. While this group does not advocate for Indigenous rights or cultural equity, they do feel it necessary to blame immigrants for policies immigrants have nothing to do with. Hostion and Andrea unpack this word-trope salad and expose the false narratives and unjust sentiments against immigrants that are growing in North America.

For the full interview on 'Take Back Canada' and the anti-immigrant protest, proceed with caution. It's unfair and unkind and honestly, immigrants are not to blame.

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July 1st in Canada - a.k.a creation of the Constitution, a.k.a. The Chinese Exclusion Act, a.k.a. Dominion Day, or as we presently know it, Canada Day. So much painful history in this country. And so much joy at the same time. How do we make sense of this colonial holiday while making space for those who truly value the rights and freedoms they have found here? 

Andrea and Hostion will unpack the complex feelings, the ones that seem to oppose each other but actually inform us fully to posture our humanity with collective equity and justice. As immigrants to Canada, we recognize the many privileges that we have. We recognize that there are certain rights and freedoms we have that other countries, even the ones we originated from, don’t offer. 

We also recognize that the history of Canada, the oppression, and racism and lack of equity still exists among Indigenous communities, among people and immigrants of colour. 

Holding the duality of emotions and reflections isn’t unique - it’s being human. It’s having gratitude and advocacy, thankfulness and resistance, celebration and sorrow. It's making space for those who are grieving and angry while at the same time holding space for those who've sought refuge and safety here.

May we continue to work hard for future generations and remember those who went before us to create the future we have now. 

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One of our most recent TikTok posts received over 8,000 views (don't laugh, that's a lot for us). What was it about? It was about how often people will lazily call an immigrant another name because their name is just "too difficult" to say. While there were many supportive people, there were some haters, naysayers and even scientists!! Who knew! We're dishing out. A person's name shouldn't make you defensive - if it does, well then I guess I'll just call them 'Joe'.

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Music is powerful. It draws us into places that we know and sometimes into places we have yet to be. As immigrants, sometimes music is the traveller with us, the solace when we're lonely and the means to connect in a new culture.

Join Andrea and her friend Álvaro Moreno as they discuss the immigrant we rarely talk about: music. Álvaro landed as a refugee to Canada over 30 years ago. His love of home and love of music did not wane, and in fact, became a part of his integration into a new world of music he had yet to experience. Hear how music brought him new neighbours, how music was a part of his childhood in El Salvador and how music provided him warmth and comfort even when things were really difficult. Music integrates and adjusts, mourns and celebrates, remembers and looks ahead - just like we do.

And it never leaves us - no matter where we go.

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We recently were told that since we are being critical of things in Canada, then we must hate it here. Unfortunately, that kind of logic only allows for one feeling or one expression at a time. We're human! 

We don't hate our partner because we criticized them for never doing their share of the housework. We can hold appreciation and criticism at the same time. It's not about one side or the other. Being critical isn't necessarily out of hate, more often, it's out of love. Join us dishing it out!

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