Chinese-only sign reignites language debate in Richmond, B.C.

[Bure010]

Reminded me of this. It's funny because it's true.

that's why russell peters is awesome, he's funny but everything he says is true at the same time lol

[Dion Phaneuf]

lol the rest of the world tries to convince white people they're the most racist people on the planet when the reality is non-white are more racist than we ever will be

chinese and indian people hate other chinese and indian people just because they're from a different region of the country

The same thing can be said about "white" people. Just look at the history of Europe, they don't all get along either.

[drummer4now]

Reminded me of this. It's funny because it's true.

Big fan of Russell, but I know he exaggerated some things for laughs even though thats his job.. Like people have repeatedly said in the past "race" is a social construct. Everyone is racist to a degree whether we like to admit or not. You can't pin one group more racist than the other because that makes you no different than the bigot in terms of generalizing and predispositions.

[Dr.Strangelove]

uh....Quebec?

Thank god I live in the US of A

Down here a sign like that would be run over by a pick up in 2 seconds flat.

Y'all just too tolerant of terrorists up there.

I couldn't agree more

[Common sense]

Learn the laws, learn the customs, learn an official language or get out. Your culture, native tongue, religion are not an issue but I am sick and tired of our government and citizens bending over backwards and making special exceptions for landed immigrants. I wish we were more like Australia with our immigration laws.

Immigration is a very important and needed part of our economy but if you are going to disrespect the country you are benefiting from by refusing to accept our customs, laws and official languages here then you simply do not belong here.

Because this toothpaste ad is a giant FU to our forefathers, yes?

[Buddhas Hand]

Yes and No. I do agree that some Chinese people and some Indian people are racist to one another (funny saying that lol), but it is true. Only because of backward caste and religious reasons. Although not everyone is like that.. The part I don't agree is the above bolded statement based on history, but I don't want generalize on that either.. Its very complex subject.

Some people hate the Muslims

Some people hate the gips;

Some people have no problem

Picking on the nips -

Understanding's fine, I grant ya,

But come on, let's be frank -

Got no time at all for other cultures

In the line at the autobank.

Inside us all there is a lout

When civilisation's crushed -

Time has come to let him out:

"You and all your race, get

The Irish hate the Irish;

It's Arab versus Jew;

You're cactus if you're Kurdish,

And by Christ I'm sick of you.

There's bullets to be sprayed about,

There's grenades to be chucked;

There's two of us left, so watch out:

"You and all your race, get .

There's nothing more to race relations

Than a bit of the old push and shove;

No need at all for the United Nations

When we've got death behind the pub.

Black, white, yellow - we agree about

Why our hands are clutched -

We want to punch each other out:

"You and all your race, get .

Very Edited Version of the anti-rascist song Aussiemandias

TISM

[Warhippy]

Funny how much "Canadian white people" just hate every other minority and are so sensitive.

On one hand you guys want your freedom that includes freedom of speech, religion and all of that, but only for you guys. When someone else uses their freedom, you guys bitch and complain expect them to change for you...

I...I am not white....I am native, first nations individual.

So what do you mean YOU GUYS...huh

[Warhippy]

It's just reality weather you like it or not. You are just speaking for yourself, but lets get real. Every time there is a story about minorities, certain people always take the chance to bash them. and turn it into a "this is our country" discussion just like Warhippy, the person I was responded to did.

Reading his post, why does it sound like he has so much anger and hate? Why does it bother him so much? i'm not Chinese I could never read that advertisement but I could care less. Yet again he took this chance to bash virtually every other race living in Canada.

Again, I am not white. I am not making this a race issue, never was.

Maybe you should read all of my posts here before jumping to such an ugly racial conclusion.

My last post was right to the heart of the matter.

A major corporation that refuses to follow common sense and is catering to one literal demographic in the face of every civil rights or assimilation movement in canada right now.

[drummer4now]

I...I am not white....I am native, first nations individual.

So what do you mean YOU GUYS...huh

quick question.. if someone who is Metis are they still regarded as first nations?

[Warhippy]

You are kidding right ? Comparing Foriegn language signs to white canadians treatment of native canadians.

We will skip past the massacres and start when legislation was passed making native canadians a separate, inferior legal category.

1857: The Gradual Civilization Act is passed by the Legislature of Upper Canada, permanently disenfranchising all Indian and Metis peoples, and placing them in a separate, inferior legal category than citizens.

1874: The Indian Act is passed in Canada’s Parliament, incorporating the inferior social status of native people into its language and provisions. Aboriginals are henceforth imprisoned on reserve lands and are legal wards of the state.

1884: Legislation is passed in Ottawa creating a system of state-funded, church administered Indian Residential Schools.

1905: Over one hundred residential schools are in existence across Canada, 60% of them run by the Roman Catholics.

1907: Dr. Peter Bryce, Medical Inspector for the Department of Indian Affairs, tours the residential schools of western Canada and British Columbia and writes a scathing report on the "criminal" health conditions there. Bryce reports that native children are being deliberately infected with diseases like tuberculosis, and are left to die untreated, as a regular practice. He cites an average death rate of 40% in the residential schools.

November 15, 1907: Bryce’s report is quoted in The Ottawa Citizen’s headline.

1908-1909: Duncan Campbell Scott, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, suppresses Bryce’s report and conducts a smear and cover-up campaign regarding its findings. Bryce is expelled from the civil service.

November, 1910: A joint agreement between the federal government and the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist churches establishes the structure of Indian Residential Schools and the contractual obligations of churches running them. Duncan Campbell Scott refers to the policy of the government as that of seeking a “final solution to the Indian Problem”.

May, 1919: Despite an escalating death rate of Indian children in residential schools from tuberculosis - in some cases as high as 75% - Duncan Campbell Scott abolishes the post of Medical Inspector for Indian residential schools. Within two years, deaths due to tuberculosis have tripled in residential schools.

1920: Federal legislation makes it mandatory for every Indian child to be sent to residential schools upon reaching seven years of age.

1928: Sexual Sterilization Act is passed in Alberta, allowing any inmate of a native residential school to be sterilized upon the approval of the school Principal. At least 3,500 Indian women are sterilized under this law.

1933: An identical Sexual Sterilization Act is passed in British Columbia. Two major sterilization centres are established by The United Church of Canada on the west coast, in Bella Bella and Nanaimo, in which thousands of native men and women are sterilized by missionary doctors until the 1980’s.

1933: Residential school Principals are made the legal guardians of all native students, under the oversight of the federal Department of Mines and Resources. Every native parent is forced by law to surrender legal custody of their children to the Principal - a church employee - or face imprisonment.

1938: Attempt by the federal government to close all residential schools and incorporate Indian children into public schools is defeated by pressure brought by Catholic and Protestant church leaders.

1946: Project Paperclip - a CIA program utilizing ex-Nazi researchers in medical, biological warfare and mind control experiments - uses native children from Canadian residential schools as involuntary test subjects, under agreements with the Catholic, Anglican and United churches. These illegal tests continue until the 1970’s.

1948 - 1969: Offshoot programs of Project Paperclip are established in United Church and government hospitals in Nanaimo, Brannen Lake, Sardis, Bella Bella, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia; in Red Deer and Ponoka, Alberta; and at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital in Thunder Bay, Ontario. All of these programs use native children abducted from reserves, foster homes, and residential schools, with the full knowledge of church, police and Indian Affairs officials.

1969: Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien tables his White Paper in Parliament, which reaffirms the "assimilationist" policy of the past century that denies sovereignty and equal status to native nations. As a token gesture, Chretien assigns a limited control over Indian education to local, state-funded band councils. Many residential schools are phased out altogether or simply taken over by band councils.

1984: The last Indian residential school is closed, in northern British Columbia.

1990: State-funded leaders of the Assembly of First Nations discuss “abuses” in residential schools for the first time publicly.

1994-95: Eyewitnesses to murders at the United Church’s Alberni residential school speak out publicly, from the pulpit of Reverend Kevin Annett in Port Alberni. Annett is summarily fired without cause within a month, and is expelled from United Church ministry without due process during 1996.

February, 1996: The first class action lawsuit of Alberni residential school survivors is brought against the United Church of Canada and the federal government. The church responds with a counter-suit and an attempted “gag order” on Kevin Annett, which fails.

1996-7: Further evidence of murder, sterilisations and other atrocities at coastal residential schools are documented by Kevin Annett and native activists in public forums in Vancouver. The number of lawsuits brought against the churches and government by residential school survivors climbs to over 5,000 across Canada.

June 12-14, 1998: The first independent Tribunal into Canadian residential schools is convened in Vancouver by IHRAAM (International Human Rights Association of American Minorities), an affiliate of the United Nations. Evidence is submitted by dozens of aboriginal witnesses to crimes against humanity. The Tribunal concludes that the government of Canada and the Catholic, United and Anglican churches are guilty of complicity in Genocide, and recommends to the United Nations that a War Crimes investigation be held.

1998-1999: Under strong pressure from the government of Canada, the United Nations refuses to act on IHRAAM’s recommendation. Further evidence and reports of Genocide in residential schools is blacked out of the mainstream media across Canada. A concerted smear and misinformation campaign is launched by the United Church and the RCMP against Kevin Annett and his network’s efforts to document and expose genocidal practices by church and state in Canada.

October, 1998: The Vancouver Province reports the admission of United Church lawyers that their church has engaged in a joint cover-up with the federal government of crimes committed at its Alberni Indian residential school since at least 1960.

January, 1999: The New Internationalist magazine in Great Britain reports the findings of the IHRAAM Tribunal, including the evidence of murder in Canadian residential schools, but is subsequently threatened and silenced by United Church and Canadian government lawyers.

February, 2000: The number of lawsuits brought by residential school survivors climbs to over 10,000. The federal government introduces legislation limiting the number of such lawsuits. It also announces that it will assume primary financial responsibility both for residential school damages and the legal expenses of the churches which ran the schools, despite the fact that Canadian courts have ruled that the churches bear either a majority or an equal responsibility for crimes at the schools.

April, 2000: The federal Health Department admits that it used native children from four residential schools, including Port Alberni, in medical experiments during the 1940’s and ‘50’s, including the deliberate denial of vitamins and dental care to them to study the effects. (The Vancouver Sun, April 26, 2000)

August, 2000: The Truth Commission into Genocide in Canada is formed in Vancouver by forty-eight native and non-native activists, with Kevin Annett as its Secretary. Its mandate is to carry on the work of the IHRAAM Tribunal, and bring charges of Genocide against churches, the RCMP and the government of Canada.

February, 2001: The Truth Commission publishes its six year study of Genocide in Canada, “Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust”. A second edition is published in June. Efforts by the United Church to legally prevent its publication fail.

September-October, 2001: Judicial decisions in British Columbia and Manitoba deny the claims of residential school survivors that genocide was practiced, absolve the churches of any direct responsibility for damages, and block any future lawsuits from claims older than thirty years, when most residential schools were closed more than thirty years ago. (!)

October, 2001: New eyewitnesses come forward with first-hand evidence that native children are being used in west coast pedophile rings involving senior judges, politicians, church and aboriginal leaders. One of these pedophile networks operates out of the prestigious Vancouver Club.

December 15, 2001 - The Roman Catholic Church discloses that it hired a known and convicted sex offender and murderer, Martin Saxey, to work as a dormitory supervisor at its Christie Indian Residential School in Tofino, British Columbia, during the 1960's. Saxey subsequently raped and terrorized children at this school without ever being reprimanded or prosecuted.

April 27, 2002 - The first television documentary featuring eyewitnesses to murders in Canadian Indian Residential Schools is broadcast in Vancouver, on CTV's "First Story" program. The show is aired simultaneously in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Halifax. Rev. Kevin Annett and native survivors of genocide give their stories. On the same program, United Church official Brian Thorpe admits for the first time that criminal actions occured in his church's residential schools, validating the claims made by Rev. Annett, which had caused him to be expelled from the United Church in 1997 by Thorpe and others.

July 22, 2002 - A gag order in the form of a defamation lawsuit is brought by the government of Canada against Rev. Annett and others through its paid agent, Chief Edward John of the state-funded First Nations Summit.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction banning Rev. Annett from discussing the allegations of secret land deals, murder, drug trafficking and pedophilia made against Chief John and other state-funded native chiefs by members of his own tribal council, Frank Martin and Helen Michel. Chief John's lawsuit is handled by Queen's Counsel Marvin Storrow of Blake, Cassels and Graydon law firm in Vancouver. Storrow is a personal friend and legal counsel to Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

August 22, 2002 - Although Rev. Annett was never notified or subpoenaed, the lawsuit goes ahead and Ed John wins his injunction against Rev. Annett in the British Columbia Supreme Court. The injunction is granted by Judge James Taylor, who on behalf of the Law Society of BC helped disbar lawyer Jack Cram in April, 1994 after Cram had made similar allegations as Rev. Annett concerning possible pedophilia and corruption among judges and politicians in BC involving native children.

September-October, 2002 - Despite the injunction banning his constitutional freedom of speech, Rev. Annett continues to refer publicly to the allegations against Ed John and the conflict of interest of Judge Taylor, over Annett's radio program, Hidden From History, in Vancouver.

October 18, 2002 - A Restraining Order against Rev. Annett is issued by Judge Taylor, who also bans native eyewitnesses Frank Martin and Helen Michel from discussing their evidence about Ed John, and strikes their statements from all BC court records. Judge Taylor also indicates his intention to seek a banning of Rev. Annett's book on genocide in Canada, "Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust".

November 1, 2002 - Rev. Annett's latest book, "Love and Death in the Valley", is published by First Books in the United States. Acting for Ed John, lawyer Marvin Storrow tries to prevent its publication, but fails.

Early December, 2002 - An all-party Parliamentary meeting in Ottawa discusses "Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust", and "hashes over how to deal with all the Indians who are starting to talk about murders in residential schools", according to a source who was present.

December 14, 2002 - A sheriff from the Port Coquitlam office of the Attorney-General attempts to serve court documents on Rev. Annett, but is unable to locate him. The documents are reported to be either a summary arrest warrant for Rev. Annett or a more severe Restraining Order.

December 18, 2002 - A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva confirms that the Commissioner will "probably" be sending an official investigator to Canada in the spring of 2003 to examine evidence of crimes against humanity committed against native peoples. She confirms that Prime Minister Jean Chretien could theoretically be summoned to publicly answer charges of complicity in Genocide.

December 28,2002: Kevin Annett is interviewed on KFI radio station in Los Angeles about genocide in Canada, and is heard by an audience of over two million people. Kevin discusses the attacks he is experiencing from the government of Canada through the law firm of Blake, Cassels and Graydon in Vancouver.

Thank you for this.

The sad thing is that this doesn't even recognize the thousands of first nations people murdered by settlers at the behest of the government. An allowance of murder so long as the land is worked.

Or the tens of thousands of first nations people displaced from ancestral grounds all over canada for use of the land.

[Warhippy]

quick question.. if someone who is Metis are they still regarded as first nations?

Yes. The answer is yes.

My mother was scottish my father a full blooded Ojibway from the Brokenhead band in Manitoba. I hold status, I carry a card and I have a title of land in my name should I ever desire to claim it.

Yes, in as much as any native within reason south of Prince George can claim full blood status these days.

[Jaimito]

lol the rest of the world tries to convince white people they're the most racist people on the planet when the reality is non-white are more racist than we ever will be

chinese and indian people hate other chinese and indian people just because they're from a different region of the country

Having traveled quite a bit, growing up in two countries, one thing that is clear is that racism exists everywhere.

[Buddhas Hand]

Thank you for this.

The sad thing is that this doesn't even recognize the thousands of first nations people murdered by settlers at the behest of the government. An allowance of murder so long as the land is worked.

Or the tens of thousands of first nations people displaced from ancestral grounds all over canada for use of the land.

No worries WH.

We as countries share the same shame , australia's treatment of its indigenous people is abominable... to this day.

All races display racist traits to a greater or lesser degree .

I consider white european conquest of the "new world" to have no paralell, so many other cultures we invaded and crushed with no respect for their rights and beliefs.

Funny how most of those places were pristine enviroments where there was plenty for all because the native people never took more than they needed , they considered themselves guardians of the places they dwelt , to manage and hand on to the next generation.

[Buddhas Hand]

Having traveled quite a bit, growing up in two countries, one thing that is clear is that racism exists everywhere.

Many things have changed since we swung down from the bottom branch of the tree, stood upright and became reasoning beings , the one thing that has not is human nature.

[Stefan]

I like the quote "how am I supposed to know what they're marketing".

This is great to me. It's like censorship. I hope more adverts are in different languages. I could use less poison for my brain.

[Salmonberries]

Quebec would handle this.

We won't

[Bure010]

[drummer4now]

I personally love those ads, to be honest. I love stopping by that Crystal Mall or whatever by Metro from time to time even though I can barely understand anything in there because it feels like I just got transported to a different part of the world. Why are people acting offended as if these are street signs that you must know how to read in order to move around? I would understand the problem then but as it stands, it's a nonissue that only highlights your insecurities.

Advertisements have always been made to cater to a specific group, they sell images to various age groups, socioeconomic groups, subcultures, etc. Would you think it's strange if you were in the most poverty ridden part of the town and saw a Gucci billboard? I know I would. This ad was placed where it would be understandable to majority of the people. I don't see any problem with it.

Do you think it makes sense to complain that it makes you feel left out that you can't "relate" with an? Well then, suck it up. It's just an ad. Reminds me of the fat acceptance movement asking for obese Disney princesses. Not everything has to cater to your insecurities. I am not sure what people mean by "our land, our language, our culture" mantra either, I don't know what this "we" is. Was that before or after "we" abused the crap out of the Natives? I had no idea "we" are all the same.

Also, a question to those saying immigrants should learn the language. While I don't disagree with the fact that enough knowledge for basic communication should be mandatory, how many of you at say the age of 30 would make the effort to be fluent in Arabic if you were to move to Abu Dhabi? For some reason, I expect majority of you to be bitching about the lack of English there as well instead.

I plus +1 in spirit, as I have used all mine up.. Basically what I was trying to say. You don't see people in other countries like India, China,etc.. get angry when they are constantly bombard by ads in English... Also for those that argue there isn't much English language influence in India or China you would be surprised. I know India in general has English as one of its official languages.

Also the bolded part is on the money..

[Raph]

I don't mind Chinese only signs if the context is right. For example, shops at Yaohan Centre or Crystal Mall where the shop owner can barely speak English himself.

But this is on public grounds and by a large corporation. They have no excuse to not have that translated, as they have more than enough resources to have someone do it. This isn't some ragtag Ma and Pa shop scraping to get by and making makeshift signs on scrap pieces of cardboard.

[AllEyezOnMe]

I personally love those ads, to be honest. I love stopping by that Crystal Mall or whatever by Metro from time to time even though I can barely understand anything in there because it feels like I just got transported to a different part of the world. Why are people acting offended as if these are street signs that you must know how to read in order to move around? I would understand the problem then but as it stands, it's a nonissue that only highlights your insecurities.

Advertisements have always been made to cater to a specific group, they sell images to various age groups, socioeconomic groups, subcultures, etc. Would you think it's strange if you were in the most poverty ridden part of the town and saw a Gucci billboard? I know I would. This ad was placed where it would be understandable to majority of the people. I don't see any problem with it.

Do you think it makes sense to complain that it makes you feel left out that you can't "relate" with an? Well then, suck it up. It's just an ad. Reminds me of the fat acceptance movement asking for obese Disney princesses. Not everything has to cater to your insecurities. I am not sure what people mean by "our land, our language, our culture" mantra either, I don't know what this "we" is. Was that before or after "we" abused the crap out of the Natives? I had no idea "we" are all the same.

Also, a question to those saying immigrants should learn the language. While I don't disagree with the fact that enough knowledge for basic communication should be mandatory, how many of you at say the age of 30 would make the effort to be fluent in Arabic if you were to move to Abu Dhabi? For some reason, I expect majority of you to be bitching about the lack of English there as well instead.

Wow well said