‘The
      Changing
      Face
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Stephanie
      Douglas
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘The
      existence
      of
      a
      mosaic
     
     
      of
      rich
      cultural
      and
      ethnic
      diversity
     
     
      may
      not
      be
      obvious
      on
      Prince
     
     
      -Edward
      Island,
      but
      it
      does
      exist,
     
     
      and
      continues
      to
      grow
      each
      year.
     
    

    
     
      \
      .
      Kevin
      Arsenault,
      Executive
     
     
      Director
      of
      the
      Newcomers.
      to
     
     
      Canada
      Association,
      said
      PEI
      annu-
     
     
      ally
      opens
      its
      arms
      to
      135-155
      new
     
     
      immigrants.
      These
      numbers,
      said
     
     
      Arsenault,
      have
      remained
      consis-
     
     
      tent
      over
      the
      past
      decade.
      The
      only
     
    
   
   
    
     
      significant
      change
      said
      Arsenault,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      that
      increasingly,
      PEI’s
      new
     
     
      immigrants
      are
      more
      visible
      since
     
     
      the
      door
      has
      been
      opened
      wider
      in
     
     
      allowing
      people
      from
      distressed
     
     
      African
      countries
      to
      immigrate
      to
     
     
      Canada.
     
     
      This
      increase
      in
      visible
     
     
      diversity
      is
      evident
      in
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      _
      newcomers
      who
      have
      arrived
      in
      the
     
     
      province
      oyer
      the
      past
      year,
      and
     
     
      have.
      come.
      from
      such
      diverse
     
     
      plaees:
      as:
      ~-Sterra-Leone;-The
     
     
      Dominican
      Republic,
      Ethiopia,
      and
     
     
      Nigeria.
     
     
      As:
      owello°PRs...
      bat
     
     
      American
      community
      came
      in
      to
     
     
      being,
      and
      grew
      considerably,
      dur-
     
     
      ing
      the
      late
      eighties
      and
      early
     
     
      nineties
      when
      El
      Salvador
      was
      at
     
     
      the
      height
      of
      its
      political
      unrest.
     
     
      Over
      the
      years,
      there
      have
      been
     
     
      additions
      to
      the
      Latin
      American
     
     
      community,
      with
      a
      number
      of
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      who
      have
      come
      to
      PEI
      from
     
     
      Cuba
      and
      Nicaragua
      entering
      the
     
     
      country
      either
      as
      immigrants
      or
      as
     
     
      refugees.
      ‘
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      not
      that
      PEI
      was
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      already
      a
      multicultural
      society,
      said
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arsenault,
      but
      rather
      people
      tend
      to
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      forget
      that
      this
      province
      was
      built
     
     
      upon
      the
      labour
      of
      immigrants
     
     
      whether
      they
      were
      Scottish,
     
     
      Lebanese,
      French,
      English,
      Irish
      or
     
     
      Dutch.
      The
      diversity
      is
      built
      into
     
     
      the
      very
      fabric
      of
      our
      society.
      What
     
     
      tends
      to
      happen
      is
      that
      over
      a
      peri-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      od
      of
      time,
      people
      seem
      to
      forget
     
     
      that
      in
      essence,
      we
      all
      share
      the
     
     
      commonality
      of
      at
      one
      point,
      hav-
     
     
      ing
      come
      from
      somewhere
      else.
     
     
      Arsenault
      cautions
      that
      it
      can
      be
     
     
      easy
      to
      lose
      an
      element
      of
      sensitiv-
     
     
      ity
      to
      other
      people
      from
      diverse
     
     
      cultures
      and
      to
      recognize
      that
     
     
      sometimes
      we
      build
      in,
      without
     
     
      knowing,
      barriers
      to
      their
      full
      par-
     
     
      ticipation
      within
      the
      community.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      is
      important
      to
      note
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      various
      expressions
      of
     
     
      racism.
      One
      such
      expression
      is
      that
     
     
      ‘there
      may
      be
      systems
      set
      up
      such
     
     
      as
      in
      instances
      of
      institutional
     
     
      racism
      in
      which
      people
      are
      not
     
     
      aware
      of
      the
      racist
      implications
      of
     
     
      their
      actions.
      Another
      expression
      is
     
     
      in
      the
      exclusion
      of
      people
      because
     
     
      -they
      are
      visibly
      different
      and
      have
     
     
      different
      accents.
      Again,
      these
     
     
      exclusions
      are
      not
      always
      inten-
     
     
      tional,
      but
      the
      effect
      is
      the
      same,”
     
     
      Arsenault
      said.
      :
     
    

    
     
      Patricia
      Butler,
      Education
     
     
      Officer
      with
      the
      PEI
      Human
      Rights
     
     
      Commission,
      said
      the
      provincial
     
     
      government
      is
      becoming
      more
     
     
      aware
      in
      recognising
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      issues
      embodied
      in
      understanding
     
     
      racism
      and
      in
      working
      against
      it.
      To
     
     
      address
      some
      of
      these
      issues,
      the
     
     
      provincial
      government
      recently
     
     
      hired
      Thilak
      Tennekone
      as
      Project
     
     
      Manager
      to
      complete
      a
      report
      enti-
     
     
      tled,
      “Bringing
      Down
      the
      Barriers.”
     
     
      Together
      with
      Janet
      Doiron
      from
     
     
      the
      Public
      Service
      Commission,
     
    

    
     
      they
      will
      be
      drafting
      an
      employ-
     
     
      ment
      equity
      policy
      for
      considera-
     
     
      tion
      by
      the
      province.
      —
     
    

    
     
      “We
      are
      the
      only
      province
     
     
      in
      Canada
      not
      to
      have
      an
      employ-
     
     
      “ment
      equity
      policy
      in
      place.
      The
     
     
      past
      three
      annual
      reports
      published
     
     
      by
      the
      Human
      Rights
      Commission
     
     
      have
      stressed
      the
      need
      for
      an
     
     
      employment
      equity
      policy
      within
     
     
      the
      public
      sector,”
      Butler
      said.
     
    

    
     
      (
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Si
      eR,
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Butler
      is
      passionate
      about
     
     
      the
      work
      she
      does
      in
      her
      role
      as
     
     
      Education
      Officer
      with
      the
      Human
     
     
      Rights
      Commission.
      She
      has
      an
     
     
      inherent
      belief
      in
      the
      importance
     
     
      and
      value
      of
      what
      she
      does.
      She
     
     
      quotes
      Dr.
      Martin
      Luther
      King
      Jr.
     
     
      as
      having
      once
      said,
      “Our
      lives
     
     
      begin
      to
      end
      the
      day
      we
      become
     
     
      silent
      about
      the
      things
      that
      matter,”
     
     
      and
      that,
      said
      Butler,
      “is
      how
      I
      per-
     
     
      ceive
      myself
      as
      Education
      Officer.
      I
     
     
      want
      to
      keep
      going
      like
      an
      Ever-
     
     
      Ready
      bunny
      until
      somewhere
     
     
      down
      the
      road
      someone
      will
      say,
     
     
      ‘tell
      us
      how
      it
      used
      to
      be,’”
      said
     
     
      Butler.
      a
     
    

    
     
      In
      working
      toward
      educat-
     
     
      ing
      and
      bringing
      greater
      awareness
     
     
      to
      the
      community,
      Butler
      aims
      at
     
     
      trying
      to
      help
      people
      visualise
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~understand
      what
      it
      might
      be
      like
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      person
      who
      comes
      to
      the
      Island
     
     
      and
      is
      visibly
      different.
     
    

    
     
      “From
      the
      time
      a
      visible
     
     
      minority
      steps
      foot
      out
      of
      their
      bed,
     
     
      they
      know
      they
      are
      a
      minority,
      they
     
     
      know
      they
      have
      different
      coloured
     
     
      skin,
      they
      know
      they
      speak
      a
      differ-
     
     
      ent
      language
      and
      the
      majority
      of
      us
     
     
      don’t
      even
      give
      these
      things
      a
      sec-
     
     
      ond
      thought.”
      Some
      of
      the
      things
     
     
      that
      the
      average
      person,
      who
      is
      not
     
     
      from
      a
      visible
      minority,
      take
      for
     
     
      granted
      are
      simple.
      3
     
    

    
     
      Such
      things
      as
      the
      ability
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      buy
      the
      right
      coloured
      makeup
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      skin
      colour,
      the
      colour
      of
      a
     
     
      Band-Aid,
      or
      of
      stockings.
      In
      the
     
     
      end,
      Butler
      said
      it
      is
      about
      going
     
     
      beyond
      the
      visual
      differences
      and
     
     
      coming
      to
      the
      essence
      of
      what
      all
     
     
      human
      beings
      want.
      “A
      human
     
     
      being
      only
      wants
      to
      be
      treated
      with
     
     
      respect
      and
      dignity
      and
      allowed
     
     
      without
      ridicule
      to
      participate
      fully
     
     
      and
      equally
      without
      fear
      of
      being
     
     
      discriminated
      against”,
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      For
      a
      visually
      expressive
     
     
      introduction
      to
      the
      cultural
      variety
     
     
      of
      new
      Islanders
      who
      are
      a
      part
      of
     
     
      our
      community,
      Arsenault
      would
     
     
      like
      to
      encourage
      people
      to
      come
     
     
      and
      see
      the
      weekly
      presentations
     
     
      that
      are
      taking
      place
      on
      Tuesday
     
     
      nights
      at
      the
      Basilica
      Recreation
     
     
      Centre
      entitled
      “The
      World
      Among
     
     
      Us;
     
    

    
     
      Each
      presentation
      is
      a
      cul-
     
     
      tural
      and
      geographic
      snapshot
      of
      a
     
     
      newcomer’s
      country
      of
      origin.
      All
     
     
      the
      presentations
      start
      at
      7
      pm
      and
     
     
      they
      are
      free
      and
      include
      refresh-
     
     
      ments.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      rest
      of
      March
      and
     
     
      the
      beginning
      of
      April
      there
      will
      be
     
     
      the
      following
      presentations:
      March
     
     
      20th,
      The
      Dominican
      Republic;
     
     
      March
      27th,
      the
      South
      Pacific
     
     
      Island
      of
      Mauritius:
      April
      3rd,
      Iran
     
     
      and
      April
      10th,
      Liberia.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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