M.C.

- July 14, 2013

hough multiculturalism has always been a part of the Canada we know today, great advances have been made in the respective policy. Though the idea of such preservation has been present since the late 1970's, it should be noted that Canada was one of the first countries to rally for the adoption and preservation- of multiculturalism within its borders. In 1985 (after declaration by Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1971 (Trudeau P.E., 1971)), Canadian parliament had placed pen to paper, solidifying its stance on the preservation and protection of diversity, language, customs and religion; incorporating these ideals into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (Government of Canada, 1985). This was the first of many steps towards the generation of culturally-sensitive media, that would satisfy the needs of ethnic minorities within the county. This is where the idea of 'Third Media' began. But even with these advances, there doesn't seem to be proper distribution or representation in Canadian, despite on on-going population growth. With the advent of ethnic media in Canada, this has become less of an issue; however, it is still uncommon to see the ethnic minorities represented internally, or of their interests. How can this be so?

TELEVISION
As one of the population's largest media consumables, the impact and reach of local television has an untold ability to connect with its viewers. Between newscasts, and regular programmed television, it has the ability to convey its message to all age groups, and ethnic demographics; a trait that cannot always be shared with print. As Canada becomes more multicultural in its ways, there seems to be a sufficient delay in the representation within these syndicated programs from elsewhere in North America. According to a 1993 study conducted by the Annenberg School of Communication, found the following (Margueratt, D, 2013a):
Hispanics get less than 1% of the prime-time roles, yet make up over 9% of the U.S. Population. American Indians and Asian-Americans are conspicuous by their absence. In 2006, fewer than 6 per cent of CBC employees were visible minorities (CRI, 2009)

Though this is a brief representation of the statistics, they do not stand alone. With physical representation at such low number, it is no surprise that minority interests are rarely conveyed through Eurocentric television. It should be noted that this is not isolated to television and film.

PRINT MEDIA
In 1994, a study conducted by Minelle Mahtani that found that a mere 14% of the stories represented in six major papers dealt with issues relating to minorities, while the cities that the information was gathered from is represented by roughly 20% visible minorities (Mahtani, M. 2001). Similar to the representation of minority interests in television, both newspapers and magazines suffer from the same downfall. Unfortunately this does not only translate to the composition of news in Canada, but also the imagery as well, with minorities being incorporated when they suit the 'narrative'. In this process minorities are often cast as the 'villains', while Caucasians are shown as the 'heroes' when applicable (Baht, V., Mihelj, S.,& Pankov, M. 2009). When these minorities are featured in the media, they are often subject to stereotyping and racism, portrayed as criminals, terrorists, trouble-makers or other unpleasantries the like, all as a means to satisfy a narrative. This is itself becomes problematic, as certain crimes will go unnoticed, as the ethnic relationship will manifest as racism (eg. Black-on-black crime).

Unfortunately, there seems to be a great divide in the representation and misrepresentation of minorities, cultures, and ethnic groups, in the media today. This is not only a matter of Eurocentric (mainstream) media vs. Multiculturalism, but about the imagery and industry that follows in toe. Is there area for concern?? Yes and no. The misrepresentation in both physicality (staff, interest, etc) and narrative, is an ethical quandary that we have faced for the better part of civilization. Though our attitude towards prejudice and racism in the open has changed, the fact that there are subtleties in modern media, has not. This is not a simple response with an even end; sadly, the bi-product of exclusion is a measure of doubt and self-doubt in the entirety of ethnic groups, and their attitudes towards media.

The other end of this problem, is the 'solution'. As ethnic groups find themselves further excluded from mainstream media, they press out and work towards functioning forms of 'third/ethnic media' in Canada. Though this acts as a great buffer to help with assimilation and unfamiliarity within their host country, there are a number of other problems that bloom in place of exclusion. Self-isolation is a fear for those in support of further multiculturalism within mainstream media. In a study conducted in 2009, West Coast Chinese speakers including those who were fluent in either English or French found preference in the Chinese papers, by a margin of nearly two to one (Fairchild Tel. 2009). This exposes a whole new problem, which acts as a great example of how multicultural integration in media could be in jeopardy. Though it casts a shadow of doubt on the capabilities of mainstream media and their 'adjustments' to better suit these communities, it does put the issue in the forefront. Will this identification of lost viewer/readership help to pressure change, or will it result in further push? At this point in time ethnic media is still in its infancy, so the room for progress far outweighs the worry -- in my opinion. As the minority groups push into the majority, coexistent media will come into place as a means of necessity. This isn't to say that the road will not be plagued by present issues, but that the lessons learned will help to build the foundation of what 'Canadian' media is to be. As individuals, our job is to keep from putting up walls against such change, and the unknown; as individuals, our job is to welcome change with open arms. That is the future of 'ethnic media' in Canada, just as it has been with multiculturalism as a whole.

References
Government of Canada (1985). Canadian Multiculturalism Act Section 27, Canadian Charter of Rights

and Freedoms.

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/C-18.7.pdf Trudeau, P.E. (October 8, 1971). Canadian Culture: Announcement of Implementation of Policy of http://www.canadahistory.com/sections/documents/Primeministers/trudeau/docsonmulticulturalism.htm Shi, Yu (2009, p. 599). Re-evaluating the 'alternative' role of ethnic media in the US: the case of Chinese-language press and working-class women readers. Sage Publications. Margueratt, D (2013b). Introduction to Intercultural Communications. Lesson 5 Learning Objective #4 Conseil des Relations Interculturelles. (2009). A Fair Representation and Treatment of Ethno-Cultural Diversity in Media and Advertising: Quebec. Mahtani, M. (2001). Representing minorities: Canadian media and minority identities. Canadian Ethnic

Multiculturalism within A Bilingual Framework, in address to the Canadian House of Commons, October 8, 1971.

Studies/Etudes Ethniques au Canada, 33, 99-133. Discourse & Communication, 3, 57-78.

Baht, V., Mihelj, S., & Pankov, M. (2009). Television news, narrative conventions and national imagination. Fairchild Television. (2009). Canadian Chinese Media Monitor - Greater Toronto Area. Toronto: Ipsos Reid

- Fairchild Television, 2007.