AngryGayBlackCanadianman

Earlier this year the current Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd apologized for the genocide against the Aborigines in Australia. Suddenly in June 2008 the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a “conscience”. Prime Minister Harper has apologized for the history of systemic racism and discrimination against Canada’s First Nations Peoples. Canada’s treatment of indigenous peoples is strikingly similar to Australia.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has an image in Canada of being a very cold, callous, and brutally efficient man. Perhaps Harper utilized this opportunity to humanize himself make himself appear to actually be human and have a heart? One wonders if blood actually flows through Prime Minister Harper’s veins? Is the blood toxic or is it pure?

Harper is a very shrewd politician he has always come across as very aloof, obnoxious, arrogant, and very bitter man. Harper and his public relations team most likely want to improve his image in the international community as well as improve Canada’s image.

Unfortunately, the mythology that Canada is a “multicultural” paradise is false. There is a racial hierarchy in Canada and the racist attitudes against Canada’s First Nations People still exists. One of the racist ideologies is that the First Nations People’s just want “hand outs” from the Canadian system.

However, we cannot just turn the page and ignore history. The truth is Canadians must remember that the Residential Schools also involved a lot of child abuse against children, misogyny, the total destruction of families, and the eradication of Native cultures and languages.

The legacy of the racist Residential School system still exists today and just a simple speech by Prime Minister Harper will not remove the entrenched prejudices and biases against First Nations Peoples. The Canadian government must do more, the Canadian people we must demand more.

We cannot just let this moment slip through our fingers. Prime Minister Harper does not deserve accolades or platitudes what he deserves is a fresh bucket of hot water splashed on his face. Why did Harper take so long to apologize? Why now?

The Aboriginals in Canada encounter the most racial discrimination even though Canada is their land the rest of us Canadians are just immigrants. If you compare the histories of Canada and Australia you see a lot of parallels in the incredible amount of racism and prejudice against indigenous peoples.

For instance, in Australia the Aboriginal children known as the “stolen children” were forcibly removed from their homes and forced into residential schools. The residential schools were created to “civilize” the First Nations Peoples and make them conform and “assimilate” to “Canadian” values and culture.

I wonder what do people think? Is Harper’s apology good enough or is it just “words”? After all actions speak louder then words. What is Prime Minister Harper going to do to improve the quality of life of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples?

Do you think Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology to the First Nations people was sincere or just a way to score political points? Also why did Prime Minister Harper wait until now?

After all Kevin Rudd the Prime Minister of Australia apologized to the Aborigines in February 2008. Why did Prime Minister Harper wait until June 2008? Is Harper’s statement significant? I wonder what Canada’s First Nations People think about the apology?

I was talking to Aulelia via e-mail the other day and noticed she is so in tune with her blackness. Aulelia has a wonderful blog go check it out Charcoal Ink it is on my blog roll. Aulelia is a strong black woman she was born in Tanzania and raised in the UK.

Maybe that’s the reason Aulelia is so passionate about black politics she’s not a black Canadian LOL! Aulelia was born in country that has a large black population that wasn’t polluted with the white supremacy that permeates Canadian society. I am serious in Canada black Canadian people we try too hard to fit in. We are never going to “fit” in here. The white Canadian majority always makes sure of that.

Black Canadians we are only discussed in the Canadian media when something negative occurs. Black Canadians we are the classic scapegoats in Toronto. There is a social hierarchy in Canada the whites are at the apex, Asian Canadians, black Canadians, and at the bottom the Aboriginals.

When I utilize the term “social hierarchy” I am not suggesting that blacks, Asians, or Aboriginals should think we are inferior to white people because we are not. Since race is a social construction I am illustrating that the “system” meaning the “media” attempts to dehumanize people of colour through language and images. For instance, the language in newspapers, television reports, radio broadcasts that are negative against people of colour sometimes reinforces white cultural domination.

Black activists such as Frantz Fanon, bell hooks, and black lesbian Canadian feminist Dionne Brand’s work are so important because they are utilizing language as a weapon a tool to empower the black race. Fanon, Brand, and hooks are attempting to find solutions for blacks to help ourselves.

Black Canadian lesbian feminist Dionne Brand’s books “A Map To The Door Of No Return” and “BRead Out Of Stone” are also very important books. I urge you all to read Brand’s books at the local public library or buy them. You will learn so much about the issues black Canadians encounter in Canada. It is important for people of colour to be “enlighten witnesses’ to ” White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy” this is a term black American feminist bell hooks created. hooks book “Outlaw Culture” reminds people of colour the media have their own agenda and that’s a white agenda. We have to be cognizant of this.

I am not stating that this social hierarchy is “static”. I am illustrating my view different races are treated differently by the mainstream Canadian media. Asian Canadians are not attacked the same way as black Canadians and that’s a fact. Of course Asian Canadians encounter racial discrimination I am not suggesting that they don’t. Also some Asian Canadians have racist prejudices and racist views against black Canadians as well.

Anyway, Aulelia is so proud to be black I love that about her! I also notice that I need to reconnect with blackness. In America the African Americans are incredible people they are so organized and they don’t let “anybody” mess with them. Remember the Don Imus controversy the African Americans quickly organized and gave Don Imus the boot! I love that about the African Americans they are righteous black people and they don’t take crap from anybody. You cannot mess with the African Americans.

For some reason my perspective is black Canadians we are afraid to be black. We are afraid to stand up for ourselves and speak our minds. Aulelia is correct black people we need to be our own leaders and stop worrying about what other people think.

Now let me explain. Some black Canadians believe if we “don’t” talk about race we can pretend racism doesn’t exist. It seems to me in Canada some black Canadians believe if we follow the mythical norm and pretend “race issues” don’t matter things will be all gravy. However, it isn’t true. Black Canadians we definitely need to let our voices be heard about the black focus schools issue.

Aulelia is very passionate about the black race and African politics. Aulelia introduced me to the great French Caribbean liberation writer Frantz Fanon. How many black Canadian teens know about Dionne Brand, Evelyn Lau, Makeda Silvera? I have to confess in Canada the attitude is all about assimilation and integration. But is that the right solution though to try to be like “everyone else” wouldn’t blackness be displaced? It is important for black Canadians to make sure blackness is at the center. Black Canadian kids need to be proud of the black culture and build their self esteem.

The Canadian media promote this racist mythology of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism doesn’t exist in Canada that’s a complete lie. Canada is all about conforming to whiteness. According to the 2006 census black Canadians we are the third largest minority group in Canada with an estimated population of 783,800. However, if you pick up a Canadian newspaper, turn on the news, or listen to CBC radio it is all whiteness it has nothing to with people of African descent.

If I want to listen to black political issues I have to search the internet for foreign stations. I listen to a black British woman Jumoke Fashola’s radio show on BBC Radio London. I also listen to Michel Martin’s wonderful black radio program “Tell Me More” on NPR on American radio.

Thank goodness for the internet! In Toronto we have one black radio station in Toronto 93.5 yet 93.5 is afraid to be black. 93.5 is so white these days I can’t believe it is called “Urban Radio”. 93.5 sounds like any of the other white Canadian radio stations it has nothing to do with the black Canadian race. Race issues and black politics are off limits on 93.5 radio.

Whenever black people attempt to organize something the mythical norm attempts to try to tear us down. Last year an African American speaker wanted to speak to black students at Ryerson University about black community uplift. Well surprise, surprise, the white Jews and the mythical norm shut the event down. Once again the mythical norm is up to no good. Once again, when black Canadians try to help our children the system tries to “put blacks in our place”. One step forward two steps back.

For instance, the Toronto District School Board has approved the the Black Focus Schools. However, the black focus school is only for Kindergarten to grade five. Isn’t this a complete cop out? Give me a break! The issue here is the secondary school level 40% of black teens are dropping out of school that’s a scary statistic. It also means almost half of black teens aren’t graduating high school I think this a crisis. The Toronto District School Board now wants a “study” conducted. It is just a stalling tactic it is racist and total bullshit. Next, you have some people claiming the black focus school is segregation. The TDSB hopes black Canadians we will “forget” about the fact the system is failing our children!

Black children are already marginalized by racist teachers, a racist curriculum, and a racist anti black Canadian society. Black children have to read racist books such as Mark Twain’s work or Harper Lee’s racist novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Shakespeare in grade twelve. Why is white culture pushed down the throats of black children? Why can’t black kids read more books by black authors? And why is this such a struggle? The black kids already are treated rather unfairly yet Premier Dalton McGunity is dragging his heels as usual to find a solution. Black activists and black educators are being proactive taking a stand stating this is a “crisis”. I am glad an Afrocentric school is going to open in September 2009 for the young black children. However, I also believe this is all smokes and mirrors. The Toronto District School Board wants to appear as though they are “taking” action. The truth is the TDSB is doing nothing because the crisis is at the high school level. Some black teens are depressed, they feel alienated, they feel unworthy and hopeless.

Next, you know the racist teachers and principals are saying privately “well the whites and Asian kinds are doing well why can’t the blacks do well?” Why haven’t more black teachers been hired by the TDSB? Only 5.2% of the teachers in Toronto are black. Also only 9.6% of the principals and vice principals are black. Black children need to see educators that look like them that will invest their time and energy and believe in them. Why can’t black teens read Frantz Fanon, Dionne Brand, Makeda Silvera, or George Elliott Clarke? Well anyone that has bothered to read Audre Lorde, or Dionne Brand’s work knows the answer. The system treats black people differently then Asians. For some reason blacks we are thought of as more of a “threat” because we are very outspoken about race relation issues.

According to Statistics Canada for the first time Canada’s non white population has surpassed the 5 million mark. There is a facade that exists in Canada that has become a tainted mythology to the rest of the world that Canada is all about multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is not only perfidious it is an illusion that needs to die.

Canada is all smokes and mirrors the nation is about assimilation and exclusion not about dealing with race issues in an honest format or manner. Institutionalized racism is a very much entrenched, legislated, and mandated in Canada. For instance, many people from other countries that are engineers, doctors, teachers can’t receive accreditation in Canada because their education doesn’t meet “Canadian standards”. Another racist term utilized by human resources people in Canada is acquiring “Canadian experience”. It is just another way for the Mythical Norm to lock out people of colour from high skilled job positions and force these people into low skilled labor jobs. The Canadian government claims to be “trying” to find a solution. It is a broken record but it is a way in which supremacy is legislated and enforced.

The Aboriginal Canadians are treated very harshly and unfairly in Canada. Every single year there are land disputes and the racial tension between the Aboriginal Canadians and white Canadians. The discrimination against the First Nations people in Canada is a very serious issue. In fact, last summer in Ontario there was a land claim dispute between an Aboriginal community and white Canadians. The federal government chose to stay out of the quandary making the province of Ontario deal with the racial tension.

Unlike the United States Canadians ignore race or at least pretend that race doesn’t exist. In America, the Americans are cognizant of race and don’t try to ignore race. In Canada, there is this pretentious attitude that Canada is somehow less racist then United States. I believe Canadian racism is even more dangerous because of the hypocrisy to bigotry. In Canada the racism is institutionalized and entrenched in the frameworks of the society and culture.

If you visit the Canadian books stores and want to read about black Canadian culture you will find the following writers Dionne Brand, Austin Clarke, Nalo Hopkinson, Makeda Silvera, Lawrence Hill, George Elliott Clarke and that’s about it.

If you turned on the Canadian television you would swear Canada is still a white nation. If you have cable or a satellite dish watch the CBC, CTV, or Global television you will see countless stories about curling, hockey, the “traditional” Canadian culture. You won’t hear much about black Canadians unless it is black history month. Asian Canadians are hardly discussed much in Canada either.

The 2006 Canadian Census states that there are 5,068,100 visible minorities in Canada that account for 16% per cent of the total population. 96% of people of colour in Canada live in metropolitan areas specifically two cities Toronto and Vancouver. South Asians are the largest “visible minority” group in Canada making up 4% of the Canadian population or 1.4 million people, Chinese Canadians are second largest visible minority group in Canada at 1.2 million. I have a problem with the word “visible minority” I think its another form of “othering”. Black lesbian feminist wrote about “othering” in the controversial 1994 classic book “Bread Out Of Stone”. Are people of colour really a part of the Canadian fabric? I wonder?

After South Asians and Chinese Canadians the next largest visible minority groups are blacks, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese Canadians. I am surprised that the black Canadian population is the third largest non white group in Canada. According to the 2006 Canadian census 783,000 blacks live in Canada the vast majority have African or Caribbean heritage.

My complaint is why are all black Canadians lumped together into just one group. There is a richness to the African Diaspora. The “black Canadian” community is not a monolithic group there are Jamaicans, Haitians, Nigerians, people from the Caribbean, South America, Latin America, Kenyans, Southern Africans, East Africans. The Canadian census discriminates against the black Canadian communities because they generalize us. Its an example of supremacy. I think this is an important issue to explore. The East and South Asians are placed into different categories yet people of African descent we are treated as a monolithic group I have a problem with this.

On the Canadian census all it says is “black”. Does Statistics Canada not know there are black Canadians that live in the province of Nova Scotia? There are Africans from Africa, there are black Caribbean people, black people from South America as well. There is multiplicity in the African Canadian community.

It is true Canada’s non white population is growing and I believe this is a very positive thing. Far too often, when people think of Canada they immediately think white. However, the census didn’t explore issues such as the Canadian power structure. The city of Toronto has more visible minorities then white people. So why is the mayor of Toronto always the Mythical Norm? We don’t even question it? Why is the Police Chief in Toronto always the white heterosexual male? Why is the demographic of Canadian newspapers still so white? Why is the news anchors mostly white? Why is CBC still a white out? I don’t listen to CBC radio I tune into NPR because I know black people won’t be treated as an afterthought or a sideshow. I listen to Michel Martin’s program “Tell Me More”. At least in America NPR Radio gets it.

Although the province of Alberta has a bad reputation of being a racist redneck province Alberta has been attempting to attract more people of colour to the province. Alberta is actually a very rich western province with the oil surplus, higher employment opportunities. The problem I have with Alberta is the weather the place is simply too cold. Also the redneck reputation is still entrenched in Alberta it is the headquarters of the Conservative Party of Canada. The 2006 Canadian census proves the people of colour population in Canada is growing. However, the real issue now is how can non white Canadians exert our influence more in Canadian society. I feel the real social and political change needs to take place.

Sergent Jason Boyles is the eighty first Canadian soldier to have died in Afghanistan. Boyles was only thirty two years of age from Lake Lynn Manitoba he was too young to die. According to media reports Boyles family is devastated by the news. Sgt. Boyles was also married and had a daughter. Stephen Harper is still the Prime Minister of Canada. What have the Canadian soldiers accomplished in Afghanistan other then ending up dying and buried in caskets? Prime Minister Harper is exploiting the young Canadian soldiers for political gain due to his lust for political power. Canada has no business in Afghanistan let the United Nations deal with Afghanistan.

Harper has a minority government but over the past few years he’s acted as though he has a majority. The Liberal party lead by the incompetent Stephane Dion continues to keep Harper in power. Perhaps former NDP leader Bob Rae should be the new Liberal leader? Rae is a recognized face in Canadian politics he’s well spoken, intelligent, he has the political experience. The Canadian public knows Bob Rae I think Stephane Dion is still unknown. I think Stephane Dion needs to be removed immediately he has proven he cannot challenge Stephen Harper.

A new poll also states that the Conservative Party is still in the lead with 38%, the Liberals hare at 27%, the NDP 14%, and the Green party hold 12% support of decided voters. Dion is clearly sinking the Liberal party into quicksand and losing the respect of the Canadian public.

Dion talks tough but he sounds like a frightened mouse and is basically a silent ally to Harper. Dion’s Liberals have allowed an extension of the Afghanistan mission until the year 2011. According to polls 80% of Canadians are opposed to the soldiers remaining in Afghanistan after the year 2009.

In Ottawa Dion pretends to present this image as a strong leader yet he is also a culprit he bends to Stephen Harper’s every wish. The Liberals fear an election because they don’t want their numbers to decimate. However, the longer the Liberal party keeps Harper in power the stronger Harper becomes.

Prime Minister Harper has manipulated the Canadian public into thinking the mission in Afghanistan is noble and pure. Some Canadians believe it is patriotic that Canadian soldiers are working to repair the troubled nation. I think Afghanistan is a precarious place the Taliban regime reigns supreme as more young Canadians die. The Liberal party lead by the incompetent Stephane Dion and it is time for Dion to be removed. Bob Rae could be the new leader of the Liberal party because Dion has proven he is insipid and fragile.

The death of the innocent fifteen year old Jane Creba on Boxing Day December 2005 in downtown Toronto shocked the city . Creba was an innocent bystander walking down Dundas street with her family when she was shot dead by a bullet. Creba’s death was like a electric shock an alarm to white Canadians that anyone can be a victim of violence.

The Jane Creba murder trial also exposes the incendiary racism of the Canadian press exploding like an atomic bomb. Suddenly the poisoned pens dipped in acid, tainted with supremacy was printed in bold black print in newspapers across the nation. The radio talk show hosts shouted at the top of their lungs that gun violence must be stopped. The Jane Creba murder trial is currently taking place in Toronto the typical racist hysteria has emerged once again.

The social constructions of race and gender must be explored and examined. Inside the newsrooms across Canada most of the editors, managing editors, editor in chiefs, are white Canadians. The perspective of the news will be painted from a Eurocentric perspective there will be no equilibrium in relation to how race is framed. The lens is still from a white gaze looking out at the other.

Since Creba was also white there was a heightened sense of urgency by the white Toronto press. Suddenly the attitude shifted that Toronto was gang central and that everyone had to fear for our lives while walking down any Toronto street. People die in Toronto everyday so why was Creba’s death treated as though it was so significant? The reason is because Creba was a white Canadian middle class female and not black. If Jane Creba was a black girl the Toronto media would cover the murder for a brief moment and move on.

Creba’s whiteness galvanized the Canadian press they could kill two birds with one stone. The press manipulated the tragedy and utilized the moment to pathologize Toronto’s black community. Why should I care that Jane Creba died and not about other people that die? I question the real motivation of the Toronto media. I don’t subscribe to just believing everything the news media presents in print, on the radio or on television. I want to scrape beneath the surface. Why should I care that the accused killers are also black?

The Canadian media presents racist and misandrist articles through the radio and television broadcasts that somehow black Canadians we should feel ashamed to be black. Black Canadians we need to rise above this oppression the press presents and look at this case clearly. Obviously it is a tragedy that a young life was lost. However, it also doesn’t give the Toronto media permission to exploit Jane Creba’s death to vent their frustrations and anger and expressing so called racial superiority. The media was once again attempting to demonize black Canadians as a group for the actions of individuals.

Creba’s death was elevated to front page news for weeks because the white Canadian media suddenly realized gun violence has no boundaries in relation to race, gender, or class. Anyone can be a victim of violence and we should be disgusted and angered when any innocent person dies regardless of their race, gender, or social status. When young blacks die there is only apathy. However, since Jane Creba was a white girl the white Canadians viewed Creba’s death differently they felt she could of been their daughter, their next door neighbor, their child’s best friend.

Creba’s whiteness and the pusillanimous nature of the Canadian racism was in full force. Why is there this dissemblance to the hypocrisy of the Toronto media? When people of colour are innocent victims of murder there needs to be the same urgency, the same heightened sense of social importance. It is clear and obvious in Canada the blood of a white Canadian person has more social value then the blood of Canadians of colour.

Creba’s death is a tragedy because she was just a kid someone that clearly didn’t even start to live her life yet or reach her potential. Make no mistake though race and gender are also factors in the Toronto press’s fascination with Jane Creba’s appearance. Creba was an attractive, middle class, young, white female with long blonde hair, thin build, clear white skin, and has a photogenic face. Numerous articles focused on Creba’s beauty. If Creba was considered less attractive by the occidental world’s standards would her life have less social value? If Jane Creba was a fat white girl or a white girl not considered attractive would she of gotten as much press? So because Jane Creba was considered pretty means her death is more horrifying and more important then other people deaths?

Another Toronto teen died a few months after Jane Creba her name is Chantal Dunn.On February 7th 2006 nineteen year old Chantal Dunn the York University student was brutally murdered. Dunn’s car was attacked when she picked up her boyfriend from a basketball game in the parking lot of Northwood Community Centre. Dunn was shot and killed. Dunn was also a black girl and in Toronto black Canadians are viewed as the ultimate other.

The Canadian media consistently presents this perfidious racist lie to the rest of the world that Canada is a utopia paradise and that multiculturalism brings the races together. The fact remains the repugnant stench of Canadian racism thrives like a cancer. Canadians are too pretentious to deal with the truth. The Toronto media briefly reported Dunn’s murder but her death was ignored rather swiftly. After all Chantal Dunn was black and since young blacks die in the city of Toronto her death was just an afterthought.

Black teens dying is considered “trivial” to the Canadian press and “normal”but since Jane Creba was white her death was viewed as a national tragedy and extraordinary. Dunn was a promising scholar the girl had a bright future and clearly was an innocent bystander just like Jane Creba. Why is there this insistence, this reticence, this denial, of Canada’s racism against people of colour? Why was Chantal Dunn’s death not splashed across the Toronto media and treated with the exact same respect as Jane Creba? Dunn’s murderer is still on the loose.

Over a decade ago on November 14th 1997 another Canadian teenager fourteen year old Reena Virk was brutally murdered by white students near Craigflower Bridge in the city of Victoria. Since the main culprits in the murder were white females the press focused only on the fact Virk was savagely murdered by other girls. One boy Walter Glowatski was also one of Virk’s killers.

Suddenly there was a plethora of articles about the rampant dangers of female aggression. The journalists, criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists only focused on the issue of gender. Of course the real issues of the Reena Virk murder relates to racism and xenophobia. The Canadian media seemed more stunned that white females can also be violent, sadistic, murderers. The issue of Canadian racism against South Asians was not an issue at all the press ignored race completely.

There also wasn’t a “racial link” to white supremacy and the refusal of the Canadian press to discuss the rampant racism that still occurs in Canadian high schools against teens of colour. Teens of colour are often bullied by white students across Canadian high schools it is a common occurrence.

Since Virk was South Asian she was viewed as “the other” dismissed by the apathetic and racist Canadian society as being from “a different culture” and ultimately as inferior. The quandary is the Reena Virk murder case is a perfect example of the intersection of Canadian racism and sexism against women of colour. The Canadian press marginalized Virk’s murder to only the issue of gender because this was considered more sensationalistic.

The more controversial and explosive issue of Canadian racism was not explored most likely due to politics, avarice, but also indifference. If a racial reverse occurred and Virk was white and the killers were people of colour the attitude, venom, blood thirsty prejudices of the Canadian press would explode like a grenade.

Whiteness in Canada is viewed as superior and the Canadian media have no interest in turning the mirror and forcing white Canadian society to look at cracked reflection of their own racial prejudices. What would be the point of the Canadian press to make whites examine the truth? Virk’s murder was also framed through the lens of gender because the press deemed it as an anomaly a way to excuse the killers because they are a part of white Canadian society. Reena Virk’s killers could of been one of their neighbors, or children’s friends. The focus on gender was a tactic to create a distance a parallel dimension and refusal to explore the issue of white supremacy and Canadian racism.

There is also the factor of the classic white female victimhood that permeated in this sad tragedy. The press painted the white girl Kelly Ellard as a victim. Of course, white females can’t be violent killers. The Canadian press was attempting to rationalize the murder by creating another explanation for the heinous crime. It is not surprising this pernicious racist perspective was consistently presented by the mainstream Canadian media.

The insistence and refusal to acknowledge Reena Virk wasn’t just killed because she was an outsider or a loner but also because she was South Asian is rooted in white cultural domination. People of colour in Canada don’t own the top newspapers but people of colour can utilize critical media literacy and be cognizant of the fact the press has their own biases and views. The issue of racism between white Canadians against the South Asian community in British Columbia was buried beneath the surface.

Since the murderers were under age the pathetic Young Offenders Act was under increasing scrutiny and rightfully so. Between April and May 1998 six girls pleaded guilty and were convicted of assault. The Reena Virk murder case was a painful ordeal for Virk’s parents. It has taken many years but there was finally justice for Reena Virk. Kelly Ellard was found guilty of second degree murder. First Kelly Ellard claimed self defense she went through two trials but finally in the third murder trial she was given an automatic life sentence. Walter Glowatski the only male involved in the murder was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, in July 2006 after nine years in prison Glowatski was granted temporary passes by the National Parole Board.

Any man that uses the public washrooms at Kipling, Finch, and Bloor subway stations will agree the repugnant smell is so strong you feel like you are suffocating. Taxpayers money is funding the TTC and for years so many men’s washrooms stinks and are dirty! The horrible smell in the men’s washrooms at TTC stations are so disgusting and gross. I feel like I need to vomit whenever I enter the men’s washrooms. When is the TTC going to clean up the lavatories? The TTC takes the public for granted. The TTC knows it is basically an essential service and the union exerts their power every couple of years when the TTC wants more money. This is just a broken record that needs to be stopped. The province of Ontario and the city of Toronto need to take action now. Why is the public being held hostage by a hostile TTC union?

The subway cars are littered with junk food, old crinkled newspapers, plastic bags, and are getting dirtier every single day. Also, it seems every single week the TTC subways always has a breakdown and passengers have to take shuttle buses. The buses and street cars are never on time they are always overcrowded. The lovely Toronto Transit Commission charges $2.75 cents for a single fare . You don’t need to be psychic to know the TTC fares are going to increase to $3.00 dollars one way fare very shortly. The monthly passes have sky rocketed in the last few years. The public is paying more and more for a precarious and inefficient service.

The TTC is not just transportation for the city the service is the heart of the Greater Toronto area’s transit services. An unanimous 99.2% of the Toronto Transit Commission employees have rejected a deal with the city of Toronto of a 2% annual pay increase for four years. What are the TTC employees complaining about now they make $55,000 a year? The latest controversy is the employees of the Toronto Transit Commission want more money again.

I must point out the TTC workers salary is $55,000 a year. When is Premier Dalton McGunity going to make the TTC an essential service? The TTC is very important in terms of business and also making the city of Toronto run smoothly. In May 2006 the one day wildcat strike by the TTC was total chaos. The TTC has too much power and the government needs to reclaim this power it is obvious . The TTC needs some competition ASAP. I doubt this will happen but why doesn’t the city of Toronto allow other companies to offer transit service to the public? Why should we be dependent on the TTC? Why should the public be subjected to rude and obnoxious drivers, a dirty subway, slow buses that are never on time? What is the public really paying for? I think the only solution is competition if the TTC actually had some effective competition perhaps the service would be up the standard of other world class cities?

Well, it looks like the black community in Toronto needs to keep a close eye on the Premier of Ontario Dalton McGunity. Premier McGuinty says he is against black focus schools and he will not provide funding for black focus schools. According to statistics 40% of black teens in the city of Toronto are dropping out of school! Only 5.2% of the teachers in the greater Toronto area are black even though the largest concentration of blacks in Canada live in Canada’s largest city. At the executive level only 9.6% of the principals and vice principals are black. The people teaching, creating rules and regulations for black students are not of African descent and obviously don’t understand the needs and concerns of the black race. It is clear the anti black racism is entrenched and institutionalized. For far too long black Canadians we just accept Canada’s racism and bigotry and just go with the flow.

It is obvious black children are encountering alienation.People scream the scapegoat about segregation yet ignore the fact segregation already exists. We have done nothing for far too long. I am sick and tired of those black Canadian cowards that are so afraid of rising up against racism. Let the cowards sit while the rest of us speak out about oppression against the black race in Canada. We cannot allow black children to fade away. Black kids are becoming disillusioned by a supremacist racist education system that ignores black contributions to Canada. And please don’t preach to me about black history month there is more to black history in the African Diaspora then the under ground railroad, Martin Luther King, and slavery.

Black kids are becoming depressed, unhappy, having feelings of hopelessness, despair and nobody cares. People wonder why crime is a big issue. Guess what people, when children feel alienated they act out and become a problem to society. The psychological effects of institutionalized racism is so powerful but of course in lame ass Canada we ignore the mental side of oppression.

It is so pathetic that people are trying to compare Afrocentric schools to faith base schools. There are clear differences. The Afrocentric schools will help black children achieve so they can advance in society.Toronto is a racist city everyone knows this fact but Canadians are so pretentious there is always this covert racist attitude to state sponsored bigotry.

It is obvious to the discerning eye that the current education system is flawed and not working for some black children. The question remains why? It is also clear Premier Dalton McGunity, the Liberal Party, and some racist bigots will attempt to use black children as scapegoats to advance their own racist anti black agenda. Canada is a racist country and the pernicious attitude of Premier Dalton McGunity underscores this. It is obvious that Premier McGunity doesn’t care about black children succeeding and advancing in Canadian society.

Now this number of 40% of black teens dropping out of school is horrendous it is absolutely shocking and scary! We are in a crisis here! We want a solution so why is Premier Dalton McGunity trying to stop black progress? Is anyone really surprised with McGunity’s racist anti black attitude? McGuinty is now in his second term as Premier of the province of Ontario. The scare tactics of some media outlets about segregation is not going to work. Black children are already segregated by racist teachers, and racist anti black curriculum. I cannot blame some black kids for being sick and tired of reading about white Canadian history or about European culture. What does European culture got to do with the black race anyway? Why can’t black kids learn about black history beyond black history month?

People need to know Canada is not some multicultural paradise the racist attitudes of the white Canadian majority against black Canadians has been growing for years. What has this man Premier Dalton McGuinty ever done about the education crisis in Toronto? Absolutely nothing! If Premier McGuinty had taken the concerns of the Toronto District School Board and black educators more seriously perhaps the drastic step of opening a black focus school wouldn’t be necessary.

Dalton McGuinty is the Premier of the province of Ontario his racist comments are absolutely abhorrent and disgraceful. Why is Premier McGunity so scared about one black focus school being opened in Toronto to help black children? Could it be because black Canadians we want to uplift our children that suddenly some white Canadians want to hold us back? Should we just go with the flow and watch more black children be disillusioned and drop out of school?

Black Canadians need to be paying close attention to Premier McGunity’s comments because he is exhibiting the blatant racist and pernicious attitudes that are powerful. Racist bigots will read and discern the real underlining message the Premier of Ontario is saying that the black community concerns don’t matter. We are not going to sit and wait any longer for black focus schools!

The current education system in the province of Ontario is flawed doesn’t Premier Dalton McGuinty get it? Or perhaps Premier Dalton McGunity doesn’t care? Black educators and other education experts have sounded the alarm for years there are serious flaws in the Ontario education system. Premier McGunity’s perspective is so sick it makes me want vomit right on his face.

I find Premier Dalton McGuinty’s racist attitude not surprising but also chilling and deleterious. Whenever black Canadians want to improve ourselves some white Canadian people always want to set up a road block or a detour. Some white Canadians want to impede our progress. The racist haters scream about segregation even though black children are already discriminated against with a racist curriculum, racist teachers, and racist hiring standards.

Isn’t this interesting, so Premier McGunity doesn’t mind taxpayers money paying for Catholic schools but a school to help a disadvantaged group he ignores. Why the hell should taxpayers money go to paying for Catholic schools and not one black school? There are thousands of Catholic Schools in the province of Ontario why are we funding them? The uproar is about one black focus school that is going to open in September 2009.

I think the sinister, racist, and subversive message Premier Dalton McGuinty is sending is that he once again wants to treat black people concerns as the other. Why is all this racist hysteria emerging now? I think the truth of the matter is Premier Dalton McGunity’s attitude isn’t really about opening a black focus school. The racist attitude is that black Canadians we should just accept our fate as being the other and keep our mouths shut. Well we aren’t going to be quiet we are going to rise up!

Does anyone remember May 2007? Well here is a reminder. Black Canadian people need to remember Premier Dalton McGunity is the same man that supported the Jews in May 2007 and blocked a black American speaker from talking to black youth. Black Canadians should be paying close attention to the subliminal destructive messages Premier Dalton McGunity is sending which I believe are abhorrent and racist.

I have a serious problem with the Premier’s statement because obviously Premier McGuinty doesn’t give a damn about the welfare of black children. The reason the Toronto District School Board decided to agree to black focus schools is because a disproportionate amount of black children are dropping out of school. Black children encounter racism and apathy from racist teachers, racist principals, racist education system that creates a pathology and marginalize them.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080131.wmcguintschool0131/BNStory/National/home

In the past I would of said it is wrong for the Toronto District School Board to open a black focus school. There has been a passionate debate that I believe is a hindrance. The truth is 40% of black teens are dropping out of school in the Toronto area. Also, only 5.2% of the teachers in the greater Toronto area are black. Only 9.6% of the principals are black.The question is why are a disproportionate number of black kids not completing their education? Let’s be real and honest here the attitudes of some racists are that black kids are stupid, lazy, and lacking discipline.

It is obvious to me the issues some black children are encountering go deeper and deal with the psychological such as alienation, hopelessness, worthlessness, and despair. Next, people will whisper quietly of course that “the Asians and the white kids are adjusting and not having problems so why are some black kids struggling?” The covert racists will use this rationalization as an excuse to maintain the state sponsored racist curriculum that is detrimental to black youth.

The answer is obvious different groups are treated differently by the system. In the city of Toronto black Canadians we have consistently been branded as the “out-group” and categorized as “the other”. Toronto has a racial hierarchy and in this racist hierarchy blacks are demonized consistently in the Canadian media and society compared to Asians. The editors, managing editors, editor in chiefs of Canadian newspapers are whites and Asians. Pick up a Canadian newspaper you will notice no black people in high power media positions. And don’t think this is just a coincidence either. The racism is institutionalized. If more blacks were in power positions in the Canadian media the Canadian media would be run very differently then the lax journalism that currently takes place.

The Canadian media has a propensity to publishing in print or broadcasting on television and radio racist anti black pieces in order to create a pathology about us. Also notice there are Asians that work in top media positions in Canada but blacks are excluded. Do you even have to wonder why? Race is socially constructed, and when a group of people are bashed consistently it can have a negative psychological effect on some members of a community.

Black lesbian Canadian feminist Dionne Brand wrote a book about the racist attitudes of the Canadian media in her groundbreaking 2001 book “A Map To The Door Of No Return”. Please, I urge you go to the public library and read Ms. Brand’s excellent book about the ways in which the Canadian media and culture pathologize and demonize black folks. Also, read Dr. Joseph Mensah’s wonderful book “Black Canadians” Dr. Mensah provides statistical evidence with a strong polemical message about the entrenched racism against black Canadians. Both books are available at your local public library.I am sure since its black history month both books will be on “display”.

Dionne Brand and Joseph Mensah’s books didn’t receive a lot of ink in the Canadian press because Canada has this pretentious image of being less racist then America. The truth is Americans are more real about racism then Canadians. Canada is a place where covert racism thrives and grows like a cancer. Some of these kids may even be depressed they don’t feel the material they are studying is engaging or interesting. When kids are interested in something the passion will emerge and they will try. When children have teachers that are anti racist that actually care about black kids they can achieve. However, the Toronto District School Board has a history of being racist against the Toronto black community and this is a fact.

However, I know from personal experience with the Toronto District School Board the course work is boring and anti black. Black kids are being alienated by racist teachers, racist principals, a system that is a form of systematic racism. I don’t understand the eruption of anger here there is only going to be one black focus school opening in the city in September 2009.

My question is where the hell does the segregation argument emerge from? The term “segregation” is an explosive word. However, aren’t black kids being segregated and alienated anyway by a racist Toronto education system that is anti black? Why is there such an imbalance in the number of black teachers teaching in the greater Toronto area? Teachers also have their own racist prejudices and biases against the black community. I remember when I was a kid back in the early 1990s I had several battles with the racist teachers that wanted to hold me back because I am black.

Also, another important issue the media ignores is about the racist teachers that keep on discriminating against black kids. It is well known in Toronto that black students are treated differently then the whites and the Asians. In the 1990s in the city of Brampton which is a suburb of Toronto there was a teacher that was fired in the year 1993 he was a part of the Ku Klux Klan. Isn’t that scary the Peel District School Board didn’t even do a background check? The Peel District School Board allowed a member of the Ku Klux Klan to teach impressionable children.

However, I now understand this new school for black students that will open in September 2009 is so important. The bottom line is some black children are simply slipping through the cracks and it has taken the Toronto Board of Education this long to realize something needs to be done. I think one school is not the solution but a step in the right direction. It is obvious to me that the hiring practices of the Toronto District School Board needs to change they need to hire more black teachers.

The curriculum also needs to change immediately! Why should black children be forced and subjected to reading racist anti black books such as Harper Lee’s garbage white savior novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” or study just European history? Why can’t black kids learn about the history of the African Diaspora? There needs to be more diversity in the course material to engage and interest black kids.

Some people are getting all emotional but this is only one school so the vast majority of black children in the greater Toronto area still will have to attend regular school. I just hope the Toronto District School Board wakes up and realizes this is just a band aid solution. The real culprit is their apathetic attitude to the concerns of the black community. Why should black kids be subjected to reading Shakespeare? Who cares about Shakespeare? Why can’t black kids read about Canadian writers of colour such as Makeda Silvera or Evelyn Lau?

Link: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/298714

When the wolves eat their young it is not a pretty thing to watch. In Canadian politics this is not rare but this has got to be embarassing for the Progressive Conservative party. The Progressive Conservative party have an annual meeting next month and the leader John Tory is trying to block the members that are against him from attending the meeting. Some members of the Progressive Conservative party want their leader John Tory to gracefully walk off the stage and vanish. Actually some Progressive Conservative party members want John Tory to fall off the stage LOL!

John Tory is adamant he is not going anywhere but it is painfully obvious he is a weak leader for the PC Party. The question has to be asked what is a leader? John Tory may have money but he doesn’t have the “it” factor to be the leader of a political party. Tory has a history of losing. Tory failed a few years ago in the municipal elections to David Miller and Miller is still the mayor of Toronto. Last October John Tory failed to become the Premier of the province of Ontario and the Progressive Conservative party had a humiliating defeat to the Liberals.

Now members of Tory’s own PC party have created a website they want him to go away. I am definitely not PC but even I have to admit the members are right Tory has to get lost. Tory attempted to gain the ethnic vote with his religious schools funding scheme and it exploded in his face. Ontario voters rejected Tory yet Tory cannot take a hint and get lost? Tory has proven he is ineffective he just doesn’t seem comfortable in the spotlight there is just something about Tory that turns people off.

Here is another example that Tory is an ineffective leader he doesn’t even have a seat at Queens Park in Toronto! Yes dear readers, John Tory is a leader of a major Canadian political party but he cannot even sit with his own party at the Provincial legislature in Ontario. Tory lost his seat in a stunning defeat to the Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. What more proof does John Tory need to prove he is simply not good enough? For my American and foreign readers here is an analogy. Can you imagine Gordon Brown not being able to sit in the House of Lords? John Tory in his delusional mind has a lust for power but not with reality. In politics words mean nothing without results.

Tory has proven he just doesn’t have the charisma to be an effective leader. I think the other members of the Progressive Conservative party will eliminate Tory shortly.I have to admit a part of me actually feels sorry for Tory. However, a part of me is snickering in the distance at the PC party. The PC party caused so much damage in the province of Ontario in the 1990s under former leader Mike Harris. Even though the current Premier Dalton McGunity isn’t perfect the people of Ontario have spoken. We prefer McGuinty over Tory. I admit it is time for Tory to stop his disgraceful behavior and quietly go away.

Links: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080107.wtories0107/BNStory/National/home

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080107.wtory07/BNStory/National/Ontario/

There might be a Go Transit strike in the greater Toronto area soon. I think this sucks because Go Transit is the public transportation system I use when I travel across the GTA. I like the Go bus for a variety of reasons. One, the seats are so comfortable unlike regular transit. Second, most of the time people are pretty quiet on the Go Bus although the Go Bus is a bit expensive. The only thing I don’t like about the Go Bus is when people talk so loud on their cell phones. Do some people actually believe the rest of the passengers care about your phone conversations? Why do people talk so loud on a crowded bus? Why are some people so inconsiderate?

Yesterday I almost passed out the man sitting behind me was talking so much on the cell phone. The man had really bad breath. It was truly a nightmare to sit on a closed bus and smell the rancid odor. I couldn’t believe how loud the man was I was praying to reach my destination quickly. Once the bus door opened I ran off the bus for fresh air.