It is impossible to move on from the past without admitting and addressing what had happened. The future is bleak if the mistakes of the past are not recognized, addressed, and compensated for. Canada’s multiculturalism policy is set to fail because the country has failed to address the way it has marginalized several groups. Canadians compare themselves to the United States and convince themselves that they are better because they are not as bad. A long history of slavery, racist immigration policy, segregation and violence against Black people in Canada is continually disregarded because it is not taught nor talked about. The idea that Canada is a post-racial country is perpetuated because a significant portion of their history is erased and they have slapped a performative policy that claims equality and acceptance. Black people in Canada continue to experience discrimination and this history has been completely erased.

The film, Dear Jackie, directed by Henri Pardo, explores the life of Black people in the early 1900’s living in a community called Little Burgundy in Montreal. Pardo explores the ways that the community was segregated and how they were marginalized. He shows how Black people had limited job options and Black men working for the trains could only be porters on the train. Their position meant they would remain subservient to the white people who rode the trains. The film also explores how Black people were profiled, harassed, and killed by the police. Little Burgundy was eventually destroyed by the government, and it impacted the health, employment and lifestyle of the people who lived here. Similar to Little Burgundy was a community in Nova Scotia called Africville where Black people created a community because Nova Scotian society segregated. The community was also destroyed putting the lives and livelihood of the people who lived in this community at risk. They were neither compensated nor provided adequate alternatives. 

Dear Jackie reveals Canada’s continued anti-Black racism. Black people are still overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They are racially profiled and more likely to be stopped and searched. Black people are more likely to be harassed and face violence from the police. Studies show that in Nova Scotia, less funding goes to research into diseases that affect Black people. The film, Dear Jackie, explores how Canada posits itself as a post-racial country that ensures equality. It explores how Jackie Robinson who played for the Montreal Royals was exploited to present Canada as not racist even though Robinson experienced racism in his Canadian team. It is similar to throwing in a multiculturalism policy without addressing and targeting the issues that prevent the flourishing of this policy. There are state institutions that continue to ensure the subjugation of Black people and other people of color. The multiculturalism policy is performative at best - it is an attempt to put band aid on a broken system.

As an immigrant myself who had consumed this false history of Canada, it is jarring to learn about this. Historically, Canada has had a racist immigration policy and it wasn’t until the 1960’s that they began to accept immigration from Black populated countries. Canada’s nation building was very racist as they only accepted desirable white people from certain parts of Europe, the foundation of the country is racist. The point system that Canada uses for immigration that is believed to be more equal is racist in itself. Degrees and certifications are worth different points depending on what part of the world it was earned in. African certifications per the system are worth less and African immigrants are made to recertify themselves to Canadian standards because their degrees and certifications are not considered equal here. It reproduces the racist idea that the western world is superior to the global south and highlights how racist the Canadian immigration system is. Statistically, African immigrants also have a higher chance of getting deported.

Structural inequality is integral to the Canadian system and the multiculturalism policy fails to address it nor does it provide solutions for the problem. While Canada likes to posit itself as welcoming, it clearly is not. Black people in Canada and Black immigrants are institutionally placed at a disadvantage. It is not enough to promulgate a policy that promises equality if the structures that enforce inequality are not broken down.