Race, Ethnicity, Indigenous Peoples and Politics

L03 - Race, Ethnicity, and Public Policy

Date: May 30 | Time: 10:30am to 12:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 418 Room ID:15752

Chair/Président/Présidente : Luc Turgeon (University of Ottawa)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Luc Turgeon (University of Ottawa)

Cracking the Code: Decrypting Deservingness and Resentment Toward Welfare in Canadian News Media: Rebecca Wallace (Queen's University)
Abstract: In an attempt to better understand the divergence in public support for indigenous and immigrant recipients of welfare in Canada, this project examines depictions of indigenous and immigrant welfare recipients’ deservingness in Canadian print media through an automated content analysis of news articles from January 1, 1990 – December 31, 2015 in seven English-language major dailies. Using van Oorschot’s (2000) five criteria of deservingness – control, need, identity, attitude, and reciprocity – this project develops a “deservingness dictionary” that explores how these criteria are manifested in news coverage of welfare, signaling who ought to be considered deserving of social assistance. This study primarily asks: 1) How is deservingness communicated through news articles on welfare? 2) Are immigrant, indigenous, and general recipients of welfare described through similar narratives or do different criteria affect specific identity groups to a greater or lesser extent? 3) Does the representation of welfare recipients’ and these specific identity groups’ perceived deservingness change over the time period under study? Preliminary results of this research indicate that while there are some clear patterns in the coverage of welfare recipients that apply to all groups, indigenous recipients are subtly conveyed as less deserving on measures of control; conversely, immigrant recipients are deemed more deserving on measures of reciprocity or economic contribution. This project contributes to a large and growing literature on the politics of resentment, specifically assessing how attitudes toward certain groups are codified through expressions of these criteria in news media.

A Canadian is a Canadian? The Federal Liberals and Citizenship: Yasmeen Abu-Laban (University of Alberta)
Abstract: In June 2017 the federal government of Justin Trudeau passed Bill C-6 which overturned some changes to the citizenship act that were introduced by the previous government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Amongst other things, the Trudeau Liberals repealed provisions enabling the revocation of citizenship from dual citizens convicted of spying, treason and terrorism offences, allowed for minors to apply for citizenship without a parent, and shortened the physical residency requirement for applying for citizenship. Additionally, the Trudeau Liberals are working to amend the guide given to newcomers to study for the citizenship test, and the new guide is expected to be released shortly. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic overview of the similarities and differences evident in the Trudeau Liberals approach to citizenship as compared to the Harper Conservatives. It will be argued that although the refrain that “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” is an important symbolic feature of the Trudeau Liberals approach to Canadian citizenship, this belies some fundamental consistencies which speak to the way in which Canadian citizenship is still deeply racialized and exclusionary.

Ethnic Quotas in Canada? A Survey and Assessment of Canadian and International Standards for Political Inclusion of Ethnic Minority and Indigenous Peoples: Karen Bird (McMaster University)
Abstract: Ethnic quotas, reserved seats, gerrymandering and informal power-sharing arrangements are increasingly used to advance the political representation of targeted ethnic/indigenous groups in diverse countries. While these may seem more relevant to post-conflict and democratically dodgy states, Canada has historically and continues to apply all of these measures, in form or another, to ensure representation of regional, ethno-national and indigenous diversity across various government branches and levels of jurisdiction. Whether we consider power-sharing arrangements within the Supreme Court, ‘protected’ ridings for Acadian and African Nova Scotians, separately elected school boards for religious minorities, or informal intra-party mechanisms for advancing diversity in candidate selection (to name just a few), special affirmative measures to advance the political representation of minorities are as old as this country. This paper surveys the multitude of institutional mechanisms by which Canada has historically sought to advance ethnic minority representation, and weighs them against ‘best practices’ set out within international legal frameworks to advance minority political rights. One critical question that arises is whether it is possible to dismantle such institutions once the minorities they were intended to protect become sufficiently powerful.