Xenophobia
About racism, intolerance and the fear of everything that is different
Racism, unfortunately, still exists everywhere. There are people who believe that they should have more rights and fewer duties because they are of a certain race.
That's not what you would expect in Canada, a country that is almost by definition multicultural. And yet you will have to deal with it in one form or another.
When you first encounter Canada, you are given to understand that you are only a recent immigrant. You should be very grateful that you have been admitted to the land of milk and honey - the best country in the world. You should be very grateful for this, because many people do not even get in.
As a recent immigrant, you are not automatically treated with all the respect. On the contrary, you are a bit ignorant and stupid because you have yet to learn how to do things in Canada. Some people feel, more or less, like second-class citizens.
Canadians also often treat each other with contempt, based on someone's ethnicity.
A textbook example of contemptuous racism in Canada is the situation with the native inhabitants. On both sides, it is often very difficult to have any respect for each other.
If that does happen, for example in public, it is sometimes so exaggerated that you find it strange.
The idea that people can simply get along well with each other and learn from each other's customs and cultures is nonsense to most Canadians.
There are two official languages in Canada: French and English. These two groups are constantly at each other's throats.
People don't want to know anything about that strange other group, many refuse to learn that language as well. There are cities where there are neighborhoods for people with that one mother tongue and neighborhoods for the other.
Time and again there is talk of dividing the country to further shape the language problem.
Dealing with xenophobia
You may not be used to people treating each other in such a dismissive, racist or even hateful way.
This black and white thinking (you are either right or wrong) is paralyzing for some. It can make you feel like you don't belong in Canada.
Racism and xenophobia are ingrained in everyday life - it is also constantly being fueled by politicians and even in recent legislation. Anyone who disagrees is simply unlucky.
This is how Canadians treat the country's original inhabitants (link).