Is
      Atlantic
      Canada
      Guilty
      of
      Promoting
      Ethnic
      Purity?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      According
      to
      John
      Ibbitson,
      a
     
     
      journalist
      for
      the
      Globe
      and
      Mail,
     
     
      "Atlantic
      Canada's
      biggest
      problem
      is
      that
     
     
      it
      is
      far
      too
      white."
     
    

    
     
      Recently,
      in
      an
      article
      entitled
     
     
      "Atlantic
      Canadian
      Whiteness,"
      Ibbitson
     
     
      attacks
      the
      Maritimes
      as
      being
      a
      region
     
     
      plagued
      with
      poverty,
      an
      insecure
      job
      mar-
     
     
      ket,
      limited
      private
      sector
      capital,
      and
      a
     
     
      declining
      population.
      He
      blames
      the
     
     
      prevalence
      of
      a
      Eurocentric
      attitude
      for
      the
     
     
      lack
      of
      cultural
      diversity
      and
      states
      that
     
     
      being
      a
      visible
      minority
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada
     
     
      can
      be
      a
      "lonely"
      experience.
      He
      accuses
     
     
      the
      native-born
      of
      being
      lazy
      and
      states
     
     
      that
      immigrant's
      relentless
      determination
     
     
      would
      refresh
      the
      economy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      substantiate
      his
      argument
      that
     
     
      Atlantic
      Canada
      suffers
      from
      an
      attach-
     
     
      ment
      to
      "illusory
      values"
      (and
      as
      a
      conse-
     
     
      quence
      nobody
      wants
      to
      live
      here)
      he
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
           
     
     
             
     
     
           
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FROM
      MONCTON
     
     
      ONE
      WAY
      WEB
     
     
      FARES
      STARTING
      AT:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      includes
      a
      barrage
      of
      statistics
      and
      estima-
     
     
      tions,
      and
      even
      provides
      a
      statement
      by
     
     
      Sylvia
      Paris,
      the
      president
      of
      the
     
     
      Multicultural
      Association
      of
      Nova
      Scotia.
     
     
      Yet,
      her
      statement
      appears
      to
      be
      manipulat-
     
     
      ed
      to
      suit
      his
      argument
      and
      she
      is
      left
      look-
     
     
      ing
      as
      if
      she
      is
      saying
      something
      that
      she
      is
     
     
      not.
     
    

    
     
      Paris
      states
      that
      in
      order
      "for
      an
     
     
      individual
      to
      speak
      for
      himself
      or
      herself,
     
     
      you
      have
      to
      have
      a
      cultural
      voice.
      And
     
     
      one
      important
      component
      of
      a
      cultural
     
     
      voice
      is
      a
      critical
      mass."
      What
      exactly
     
     
      constitutes
      a
      "critical
      mass"
      is
      left
      unclear,
     
     
      yet
      Ibbitson
      is
      quick
      to
      assume
      that
      this
      .
     
     
      statement
      means
      that
      none
      exist
      within
      the
     
     
      Maritimes.
     
    

    
     
      Initially,
      it
      appears
      as
      if
      Ibbitson
     
     
      actually
      knows
      what
      he
      is
      talking
      about
     
     
      and
      has
      sincerely
      researched
      the
      toils
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      Atlantic
      Canada.
      Yet
      the
      statistics
      he
      draws
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      are
      limited
      and
      he
      is
      careful
      to
      only
     
     
      include
      those
      that
      support
      his
      argument.
     
     
      While
      it
      may
      be
      true
      that
     
     
      Newfoundland
      and
      New
      Brunswick
      may
     
     
      have
      seen
      a
      decline
      in
      population
      over
      the
     
     
      past
      five
      years,
      according
      to
      stats
      Canada,
     
     
      PEI
      and
      Nova
      Scotia
      have
      seen
      a
      steady
     
     
      incline
      in
      their
      population
      every
      year
      dur-
     
     
      ing
      that
      same
      time
      period:
      PEI's
      popula-
     
     
      tion
      grew
      from
      123,790
      people
      in
      1996
      to
     
     
      133,385
      people
      in
      2001,
      and
      Nova
      Scotia's
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Another
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TORONTO
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —
     
     
      $130
     
    
   
   
    
     
      canjet.com
      +
      1.800.809.7777
     
     
      or
      call
      your
      travel
      agent
     
    
   
   
    
     
      population
      grew
      from
      843,750
      people
      in
     
     
      1996
      to
      897,570
      in
      2001.
     
    

    
     
      The
      apparently
      insecure
      job
      mar-
     
     
      ket
      does
      not
      stem
      from
      laziness
      but
      rather
     
     
      from
      the
      dependence
      on
      an
      ever-changing
     
     
      market,
      unpredictable
      resources
      (such
      as
     
     
      fishing
      and
      farming),
      and
      limited
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      support
      for
      those
      who
      depend
      on
     
     
      these
      resources
      (which
      are
      unique
      to
      the
      ~
     
     
      region)
      for
      their
      livelihood.
      I
      wonder
      if
      he
     
     
      thinks
      about
      the
      realities
      of
      the
      life
      of
      a
     
     
      fisherman
      or
      farmer
      as
      he
      sits
      down
      to
     
     
      enjoy
      his
      meat
      and
      imported
      PEI
      potatoes,
     
     
      or
      his
      lobster
      from
      Nova
      Scotia.
      Contrary
     
     
      to
      popular
      belief,
      these
      things
      do
      not
      grow
     
     
      in
      the
      supermarket.
     
    

    
     
      As
      for
      Ibbitson's
      statement
      about
     
     
      the
      economic
      dependency
      and
      decline
      of
     
     
      Atlantic
      Canada
      based
      on
      its
      refusal
      to
     
     
      welcome
      immigrants,
      he
      fails
      to
      acknowl-
     
     
      edge
      (or
      maybe
      he
      just
      doesn't
      know)
      that
     
     
      among
      other
      things,
      Halifax
      was
      rated
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      fastest
      growing
      cities
      in
      the
      country
     
     
      in
      2001
      and
      maintains
      one
      of
      the
      largest
     
     
      and
      oldest
      black
      communities
      in
      Canada.
     
     
      This
      group
      of
      people
      represents
      more
      than
     
     
      half
      of
      those
      who
      identified
      themselves.
      as
     
     
      visible
      minorities
      in
      the
      1996
      census:
     
     
      18,105
      of
      the
      31,320
      people
      polled
      to
      be
     
     
      exact.
      A
      Say
     
    

    
     
      Also
      evident
      in
      the
      1996
      census
      is
     
     
      the
      recognition
      of
      a
      significant
      Arab/West
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Way,,to
      ly.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ST.
      JOHN’S
     
    
   
   
    
     
      $104
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Asian
      population
      in
      PEI.
      Newfoundland
     
     
      boasts
      one
      of
      the
      largest
      and
      diverse
      uni-
     
     
      versities
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada,
      and
      New
     
     
      Brunswick
      maintains
      a
      dominant
      French
     
     
      culture
      (more
      than
      half
      its
      population:
     
     
      236,665
      out
      of
      465,170
      people)
      that
      is
      as
     
     
      impressive
      and
      influential
      as
      Quebec's,
      and
     
     
      yes
      we
      do
      have
      Chinese
      restaurants.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Maritimes
      is
      a
      region
      rich
     
     
      with
      heritage
      and
      cultural
      diversity
      and
      I
     
     
      suggest
      that
      Mr.
      Ibbitson
      get
      his
      facts
     
     
      straight.
      Not
      only
      are
      cultural
      differences
     
     
      recognized,
      but
      they
      are
      openly
      celebrated
     
     
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada.
      Although
      the
     
     
      Maritimes
      may
      appear
      on
      the
      surface
      as
      a
     
     
      predominantly
      white
      population
      this
      does
     
     
      not
      mean
      that
      diverse
      cultures,
      languages,
     
     
      and
      religions
      do
      not
      exist.
      In
      fact,
      there
     
     
      are
      many
      culturally
      diverse
      groups
      who
     
     
      maintain
      and
      celebrate
      their
      heritage
      along
     
     
      side
      their
      neighbours,
      and
      they
      have
      done
     
     
      this
      congenially
      for
      centuries.
      Atlantic
     
     
      Canada
      is
      also
      one
      of
      the
      few
      places
      left
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (Continued
      on
      next
      page)
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
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