An article published on Ottawa Citizen
Fear of virus fuels racism
Ontario must do more to stop return to days of 'Yellow Peril,' Asian leaders say
David Rider
CanWest News Service
Friday, April 04, 2003
TORONTO -- Silence from Ontario government leaders is helping breed racism against Chinese-Canadians fuelled by the SARS scare, some community leaders charged yesterday.
Asians are being called dirty, schoolchildren are being shunned or taunted because of the way they look and consumers are avoiding Chinese restaurants and other Asian-run businesses, they said.
They offered anecdotal evidence -- including a message left on one group's answering machine in which a woman complained: "You people live like rats and eat like pigs and spread dirty dirty deadly disease around" -- of racism harkening back to the "Yellow Peril" fears of a century ago.
"We need the premier to come out very clearly to say, 'This is unacceptable'," said Tam Goossen, a Chinese-Canadian leader and past president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.
"We cannot allow the disease of racism to overtake this province or indeed Canada." Cynthia Pay, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council, praised Toronto health officials for debunking myths about the mysterious and deadly illness that some are calling a "Chinese disease."
But the provincial government "has been silent," except for an ignorant joke Wednesday by Energy Minister John Baird about the apparent Asian origin of SARS that has only fed the "fear and hysteria," she said.
Mr. Baird mockingly coughed while entering a media scrum. After a journalist quipped that the government's new communications strategy was "to give the media SARS" the minister deadpanned: "I enjoyed my trip to Asia."
Mr. Baird later said he was sorry for his "stupid ... thoughtless (and) insensitive" remarks, but the community leaders said the damage was done.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission says it has received no complaints from Asian-Canadians related to the disease. Later yesterday, when prompted by reporters, Mr. Eves said using the mysterious virus as an excuse for racism is wrong.
"SARS ... certainly doesn't have any ethnic background," he said.
"We are all susceptible ... and there should not be any public attitude out there about racism toward the Asian community ... There is no place for racism or fear on the basis of race, ethnicity or anything else in this serious problem."
Health Minister Tony Clement made similar comments yesterday to a delegation of Chinese-Canadian businesspeople.
Mr. Eves added that he's deliberately tried to keep "a low profile" on the SARS issue.
"I don't think that this is something that I should be trying to make political hay out of and, quite frankly, I find it rather offensive that some opposition politicians are ...," he said.
He was referring to an invitation from NDP MPP Marilyn Churley for Mr. Eves, Mr. Clement and Mr. Baird to join her for lunch today at a restaurant in Toronto's Chinatown to "send a strong signal of support to this community in a time of crisis."
Neither Mr. Eves nor Mr. Clement plans to attend.
Fear of virus fuels racism
Ontario must do more to stop return to days of 'Yellow Peril,' Asian leaders say
David Rider
CanWest News Service
Friday, April 04, 2003
TORONTO -- Silence from Ontario government leaders is helping breed racism against Chinese-Canadians fuelled by the SARS scare, some community leaders charged yesterday.
Asians are being called dirty, schoolchildren are being shunned or taunted because of the way they look and consumers are avoiding Chinese restaurants and other Asian-run businesses, they said.
They offered anecdotal evidence -- including a message left on one group's answering machine in which a woman complained: "You people live like rats and eat like pigs and spread dirty dirty deadly disease around" -- of racism harkening back to the "Yellow Peril" fears of a century ago.
"We need the premier to come out very clearly to say, 'This is unacceptable'," said Tam Goossen, a Chinese-Canadian leader and past president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.
"We cannot allow the disease of racism to overtake this province or indeed Canada." Cynthia Pay, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council, praised Toronto health officials for debunking myths about the mysterious and deadly illness that some are calling a "Chinese disease."
But the provincial government "has been silent," except for an ignorant joke Wednesday by Energy Minister John Baird about the apparent Asian origin of SARS that has only fed the "fear and hysteria," she said.
Mr. Baird mockingly coughed while entering a media scrum. After a journalist quipped that the government's new communications strategy was "to give the media SARS" the minister deadpanned: "I enjoyed my trip to Asia."
Mr. Baird later said he was sorry for his "stupid ... thoughtless (and) insensitive" remarks, but the community leaders said the damage was done.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission says it has received no complaints from Asian-Canadians related to the disease. Later yesterday, when prompted by reporters, Mr. Eves said using the mysterious virus as an excuse for racism is wrong.
"SARS ... certainly doesn't have any ethnic background," he said.
"We are all susceptible ... and there should not be any public attitude out there about racism toward the Asian community ... There is no place for racism or fear on the basis of race, ethnicity or anything else in this serious problem."
Health Minister Tony Clement made similar comments yesterday to a delegation of Chinese-Canadian businesspeople.
Mr. Eves added that he's deliberately tried to keep "a low profile" on the SARS issue.
"I don't think that this is something that I should be trying to make political hay out of and, quite frankly, I find it rather offensive that some opposition politicians are ...," he said.
He was referring to an invitation from NDP MPP Marilyn Churley for Mr. Eves, Mr. Clement and Mr. Baird to join her for lunch today at a restaurant in Toronto's Chinatown to "send a strong signal of support to this community in a time of crisis."
Neither Mr. Eves nor Mr. Clement plans to attend.
