Racism not all bad news

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According to Clifford Freeman, vice-president for Treaty 8 for the Indian Association of Alberta, the results of the Project Can 85 Survey may not be all bad news for members of visible minority groups living in the prairie provinces.

On April 9, at the Chinese Multi-Cultural Centre in Edmonton, a press conference was held reacting to the recently released survey by University of Lethbridge sociologist Dr. Reginald Bibby.

The survey, based on percentages and according to a national outlook on racism, shows that prairie residents have Canada's highest levels of intolerance of racial minorities and, according to Bibby, although the situation has been improving nationally, the prairie provinces are staying the same or getting worse.

Freeman views the statistics as the prairie provinces admitting more openly that there is a racist problem as opposed to Project 85 saying that the highest problem is a racist problem.

"While the people surveyed in the prairie provinces more freely expressed their discomfort about being around people who are of different races, they also recognized that discrimination does exist and may be getting worse.

"We all know that a problem has to be admitted before it can be solved. From the results of this study, it seems that this crucial first step has been reached. It leaves the floor open to constructive and creative actions which may lead to solutions," stated Freeman.

Freeman believes the survey clearly indicates that Canadians are ready and willing to stop the spread of racism and that it is now time for school boards, media and the governments to take notice.

Freeman further stated that the bartering system that Indian people once lived by is now being take away and that the federal and provincial governments should publicly acknowledge and support the right of Indian people to meaningful self-determination, rather than implying either by direct statements or by their silence that harm will come to other residents if self-government is realized.

"We would like to take a more positive approach and challenge the provincial government to correct and take advantage of racial problems, moreso, the role that Native people have had in Canada.

"The fact that Native people did help settlers move into this country, showed them how to live in a harsh country and the fact that we have always bartered with settlers and now we have the provincial government taking this away from us, does not help," said Freeman.

He feels the provincial government's attitude has to change.

"The government is telling us now that we can no longer barter with settlers, no longer enjoy the wealth of this country and must get their permission first. That attitude must change."

Freeman stressed that if the provincial government would recognize "our new Canadian Constitution" they would realize that Treaty and Aboriginal rights do exist and are legally protected in the Constitution.

"Our biggest problem right now is having the provincial government recognize what is implemented. We are still being taken to court by the provincial government whenever we exercise our rights. A simple cultural right in terms of utilizing moosehides to make moccasins and we are being harassed and it makes us feel we have to have their permission to do that.

The concern over news media and how it covers stories was stressed by Freeman and two other representatives for visible minorities, Jasbeer Singh (East Indians) and the chairman of the Edmonton Cultural Caucus of Visible Minorities, Gordon Hum.

It was felt that the media, advertising and the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) have to become more sensitive and begin developing policies in personnel and program development that would insure "content" level of multiculturalism, visible minorities and the breakdown of "stereotyping" of visible minorities leaders.

"There seems to be no ethics in journalism where as far as the media can make a story and create ill effecs and aftermath on people who are Natives or through a tragedy.

"I would like to see journalism become more professionalized in terms of a code

of ethics and behavior, much like a teaching profession. If you break the code of ethics, you're expelled, like in the law profession. If you are charged with embezzlement, you're expelled," said Hum, while commenting that he believes 100 per cent in freedom of speech provided it is responsible, sensitive and ethical, "but I don't like any kind of media that leans towards sensationalized material."

Hum further stated that at this press conference, "we know that racism exists, but if we can have good programs with government and education, businesses and churches, this racism would eventually subdue."

According to Ham, the Edmonton Cultural Caucus of Visible Minorities plans to meet political leaders at the municipal, provincial and federal government levels to discuss strategies and programs to reduce racism and to promote greater tolerance and understanding for all Albertans and Canadians.

Freeman says there has always been a tendency to pin social problems on visible minorities such as the "picture they paint" on Indian people in regards to solvents and alcohol problems.

Freeman used the Peerless Lake tragedy as an example that media only paint a picture and must go a step further.

"They paint a picture that Native people are the only ones with alcohol problems. I think the problem exists everywhere. The problems comes with suppressed people, but it is the minority groups that pay.

"There seems to be a lot of pressure on media people because they have to find a story that sells, you almost have to paint a picture of disaster. Perhaps there has got to be some method of working around that when dealing with minority groups," said Freeman.

"According to Freeman, the media could of gone much further in trying to address the Peerless Lake incident and why it happened.

"I believe the provincial government played a majr role in creating that problem. When the tragedy did happen, they were really nowhere to be found. They saw this coming 20 hears ago and what happened at Peerless Lake, could have been prevented 20 years ago."

Freeman attacked the government for implementing programs that were meant to break up those communities, to take away their independence and believes they did that quite successfully.

"Now 90 per cent are relying on welfare and are not allowed to move out of that particular syndrome. When they try to go out and harvest resources that they have in the past, they are immediately taken to court and that is through the action of the provincial government. This whole side of the story was not addressed by the media," Freeman said.

Freeman said that preventing racist attitudes from developing should be the prime focus now because the survey clearly indicates that Canadians are ready and willing to stop the spread of racism.

He stated one way could be by preventing teachers from passing on racist views to students and by limiting the publication of racist materials.