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CHAPTER TWOSUCCESSFUL RACIAL AND CULTURAL MINORITIES

Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General of Canada: Prepared for Service

If Canadians were thrilled to see Ms. Adrienne Clarkson, a Canadian of Chinese ancestry, in Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence in Ottawa, the appointment of her successor, Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, should dispel any doubts about where immigrants in Canada belong – as much in the centre as every other Canadian, although from the margins unlike other Canadians.

Immigrants – who have chosen Canada – need not whittle down their dreams simply because they were not born in this country or are still in the margins of Canadian society.

Originally from Haiti, which is often presented in the media as a place of despair, Ms. Jean could have allowed herself to be constrained psychologically by her origins.

Rather, she has affirmed, or proven, that where you come from need not determine how far you can go.

Canadians increasingly appreciate that we, or our ancestors, may have come from somewhere else but that in this place we call home, Canada, we are all one, and that by working together we can continue to make Canada an example of oneness in a world of division and discord.

Ms. Jean’s fluency in five languages, French, English, Italian, Spanish, and Creole, reveals more than her intelligence; she clearly knows the enriching value of the different cultures that make up our world. In addition, her pursuit of further education in linguistic and literary studies at the University of Perouse, the University of Florence, and the University of Milan, following her Bachelor of Arts in Italian and Hispanic languages and literature and a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature at the University of Montreal, points to a passion for knowledge and mastery. Ms. Jean, however, did not cloister herself in an ivory tower; she worked for almost a decade to improve the lot of battered women in Quebec, and later, as a journalist and broadcaster, she had a platform from which to enlighten Canada and the world about various social issues.

It is no accident that Ms. Jean was appointed Governor General of Canada. Here’s a woman who did not allow her academic excellence to constitute a barrier between herself and ordinary Canadians such as the women whose broken lives she helped mend. And she did not fearfully sit at the margins of the society, uncertain of her place in it. Rather, through her service Ms. Jean recognized that as a Canadian she is called to join with her fellow citizens, from all backgrounds and stripes, to move Canada ever forward towards the ideal of unity, a Canada that is truly one; a Canada that shines in all its colourful array.

Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada

Perhaps there is no better evidence of the opportunities that await immigrants in Canada than that of Adrienne Clarkson, who arrived in Canada as a child refugee from Hong Kong; this was during World War II when Hong Kong was occupied by Japanese soldiers. Clarkson assumed the role of Governor General of Canada in 1999, and as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada’s monarch, Clarkson was essentially the nation’s head of state. In her position, she was consulted by the Prime Minister and members of cabinet; of course, on the surface it may not have appeared as though she had any real power, but as Mark Bourrie reports in the article “Former Refugee Crashes Old Boys Club,” (Interpress Service March 1, 2000), the Governor General has the power to dismiss the government if in her judgment, it no longer enjoys the confidence of Parliament. It is not surprising that Adrienne Clarkson’s elevation to the position of Governor General has delighted immigrant and women’s groups. Margaret Lo, chair of the Canada-Asia Association of Canada noted following Clarkson’s appointment: “She is the first refugee to be head of state of a major Western country. That sends a great message to the world… She is also a brilliant woman, the best person for the job” (Bourrie 2000). Another Canadian, famous feminist Judy Rebick, commented that not only would Clarkson sweep out the cobwebs from Rideau Hall but also the appointment reminds people that no longer is Canada the property of the ‘old boys’ who controlled the country for so long (Bourrie 2000).

When Clarkson’s family arrived in Canada in 1942, both as immigrants and refugees, they did not have much in the way of material goods. They had to start from scratch but rather than bemoan their lot they saw opportunity and determined to go for it. Clarkson writes in the Maclean’s article, “An Immigrant’s Progress” that next to her family’s influence, she counts her experiences in the public schools and universities that she attended as having had the most critical effect on her life. She also noted that her parents felt grateful that education in Canada was affordable compared to Hong Kong where education was so costly (Clarkson 2001).

Today, immigrants from Somalia, Albania, and Mexico may be telling their children to study hard and participate fully in Canadian life so that, like Adrienne Clarkson, they too can become an inspiration to future generations of Canadians.

Clarkson did not get to where she is today by being a wallflower or a couch potato. As a former broadcaster she has a record of success behind her and though she has sometimes been considered controversial, in a free society such as Canada, it is hardly a sin to be fully engaged in the kind of debates that help to shape and reshape the thinking of society. Speaking up means moving Canadian society forward towards a progressively better social environment. Clarkson understood, even as a child, that “It was expected that the immigrant, along with everyone else, would join in the social process, which was democratic and directed towards others” (Clarkson 2001). Being a shrinking violet in Canada would not help you get what you want. Any good ideas for making Canada a better place? Make your voice heard.

Alfred Bader

Alfred Bader is a very successful businessman and a generous philanthropist. Bader was one of several hundred Jewish refugees who had arrived from Vienna, Austria over 60 years ago. Though he had come to Canada as a penniless 16-year-old, he eventually graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, going on to earn a doctorate from Harvard before starting a Milwaukee-based business that became one of the leading suppliers of research chemicals. As Sonja Sinclair reported in the May 15, 2000 issue of Maclean’s magazine under the title, “No Ordinary Campers,” Bader later started an international art dealership, which now deals in about 200 paintings annually, “including multimillion-dollar masterpieces by Rembrandt and Rubens. In addition to Bader’s generous donation to Victoria College, his wife’s alma mater, he has given, over the years, some $30 million to Queen’s.” In 1999 he donated a couple of million dollars to the University of Toronto.

Bader’s success is just one of many from immigrants who “accidentally” ended up in Canada. The refugee group that included Bader had actually not sought to come to Canada. In the end, however, they turned out to be a great gift to the nation. During World War II the British government apprehended them believing they were Nazi sympathizers. Bader and the others were not even aware of where they were being taken until they sailed up the St. Lawrence River in July of 1940. The immigration director at the time, F.C. Blair, warned about the release of those refugees in Canada; while they were allowed into Canada they were promptly locked up for between two and three years. Prior to their release, they were given the choice of either going to school or assisting the war effort. Of these immigrants that Blair warned about, over seventy ended up as university professors, two of whom won the Nobel Prize. Many of the almost one thousand people from this group of refugees who decided to make Canada their home have enriched the cultural fabric of the nation through vocations and avocations such as writers, researchers, and musicians (Sinclair 2000).

The immigrants who are coming to Canada today, like Bader and his group, may have their own aspirations and contributions to make to Canadian society. Bader and his cohort would not have been able to achieve what they did if they had been prevented from taking advantage of educational opportunities in the country.

Ujjal Dosanjh, Federal Minister of Health

Mr. Dosanjh was born in India and lived in England when he was a teenager. He immigrated to Canada in the late 1960s. Like many Canadian students today, Ujjal worked full-time while attending university. He received a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Simon Fraser University and later a law degree from the University of British Columbia. Mr. Dosanjh was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1977 and practiced law successfully until the early 1990s when he entered provincial politics. After a few years’ experience as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, he became the province’s minority Attorney General. Mr. Dosanjh made history in 2000 when he became the first visible minority premier of British Columbia, the first in Canadian political history. Perhaps, more from the mismanagement of his party in years past than from his own failings, Dosanjh and his government were subsequently defeated by the Liberal Party, headed by former Vancouver mayor, Gordon Campbell. Mr. Dosanjh returned to rebuilding his law practice but was soon called by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to stand as a candidate for the Federal Liberal Party. In 2004, Dosanjh was rewarded with a cabinet level post, as the Minister of Health for Canada. Dosanjh’s life, to date, gives evidence of the opportunities that await immigrants who work hard, focus on clear goals, and have access to strategic resources such as education, appropriate network and community support.

Other Canadian Immigrant Success Stories

Yousuf and Malak Karsh

Yousuf and Malak Karsh embody the highest levels of photographic excellence. Refugees from the brutal 1915 Turkish genocide against ethnic Armenians, the two brothers chose Canada. Their uncle, who owned a portrait studio in Sherbrooke, Quebec, encouraged them to follow in his footsteps. In addition to photographing Winston Churchill, thanks to a sitting made possible by Prime Minister Mackenzie King, Yousuf photographed such highly-acclaimed individuals as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Charles de Gaulle, John F. Kennedy, and Nikita Khrushchev (Yousuf Karsh 2001). Malak, who had worked as an assistant to his brother, eventually, also made a name for himself as an outdoors photographer (Yousuf Karsh 2001). The dedication, talent, and professionalism of the Karsh brothers brought them personal glory but the accolades extend to Canada where these two men achieved their success. If Canada had not provided such a fertile soil for their ambitions, the Karshes may not have been able to bloom and blossom and share with the world their gifts and talents as photographers.

Mano Sandhu

Mano came to Canada from India in 1975 with two Master’s Degrees and $8 in her pocket. She graduated from High School in India when she was 13, received her Bachelor’s degree at 17 and her first Master’s degree at 19. Having no job she began to get involved in her small community in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, by offering to teach Indian cooking lessons. After a short time she decided to commute to the University of Victoria to take a Master’s in Public Administration. She did this while working part time in an old people’s home and raising two young children. It was hectic but she kept her goal in mind and was very determined to achieve it. Since she earned the degree in 1988 she has been working steadily. She did some consulting work with BC Systems Corporation, started her own import/export business, and has been working for the British Columbia provincial government. Apart from Mano’s hard work, individual intelligence and personal ambition, her success is also connected to the chance a manager in one of the Government Ministries in British Columbia gave her to start her public service career.

Tak Wah Mak

At the age of 15, Tak Wah Mak left China to study in the United States. He later moved to the University of Alberta in Edmonton to complete his doctorate in biochemistry. As a Maclean’s article on Tak Wah Mak notes, in the early 1970s, at the Toronto-based Ontario Cancer Institute, Mak began path-breaking research that focused on the immune system. He “captured the world’s attention in 1984 with his discovery of T-cell receptors--the highly specialized parts of virus-fighting cells that help keep the human body free of infection. The potential implications of Mak’s research for the treatment and prevention of not only some forms of cancer, but also HIV/AIDS, are still unfolding” (“Tak Wah Mak [BrainGain]” 2001). For people like Mak who could have made a lot of money in other places such as the United States there must be something special about Canada that encourages them to make it their permanent abode.

Freedom and Success

When Ms. Emmie Leung arrived in Winnipeg in 1972 from Hong Kong she could not believe how cold the winters were in that part of Canada. Following her graduation from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration she worked as a temporary worker in a large company. Her take-charge attitude was not welcomed. Wondering what to do she sought counsel from family members back in Hong Kong. Even though her father suggested she return to Hong Kong Ms. Leung refused. Driven by her determination to be independent she cast her eyes upon the vast Canadian business landscape for some opportunities.

Leung saw Canada as a land of opportunity – a place where she felt she could succeed free of the gender stereotyping of her homeland. It was her desire for freedom that originally led her to Canada, she says. She credits her brother with first suggesting that she start up a recycling company. “My family was in recycling,” she says. “I said to myself, ‘That is where my interest is. Nobody {here in Canada} had this business yet.’ I confess, I did not have the vision {that recycling would be a wave of the future.} I did it by default. No employers wanted me.”

(Chinese Businesswoman Finds Freedom and Success in Vancouver’s Rubbish…1994)

After doing her costing on transportation, Leung realized that it would be profitable to ship paper to Asia’s Pacific Rim. In 1976, at 25 years of age, she started her business with two employees, $15,000 and a van. Initially, she purchased and shipped bales of paper that she bought in Canada. To increase the volume she convinced local politicians to let her provide homes in a few communities with blue bags that would hold old newspapers. Curb side recycling has become very much a part of everyday Canadian life but in 1982 Ms. Leung’s idea was Canada’s first successful attempt at municipal curb side recycling. “Today, Leung’s company employs more than 100 people at five collection centres that annually process more than 100,000 tons of paper, plastic, and metal for shipment to wherever she can get the best price” (Chinese Businesswoman Finds Freedom and Success in Vancouver’s Rubbish…1994). What does Ms. Leung like about Canada besides making money from recycling? “I always looked forward to Western-style living, gender equality – that is the prime factor that motivated me,” she says. “The freedom. That’s what I love most about Canada” (Chinese Businesswoman Finds Freedom and Success in Vancouver’s Rubbish…1994).