Many of us must
have heard about a recent Desperate Housewives episode where the character played by Teri
Hatcher denigrated Philippine medical doctors by asking, “Can I see his
diploma, just to make sure it did not come from some med school in the
Philippines?” or words to that effect.
This caused a major uproar among Filipinos, including those living
abroad, which then led to the issuance of an apology by the producers of this
very popular television show.
The knee-jerk
reaction from the Filipino community is quite understandable, considering the
fact that numerous Philippine medical school graduates have excelled and
continue to excel in their fields in various parts of the world, including the
United States. Therefore, this act of
belittling the quality of medical education in the Philippines is extremely
offensive and undeserved. Beyond the
knee-jerk reaction however, this incident should also remind us that racial
stereotyping is a deeply embedded and systemic problem, which cannot simply be
remedied or eradicated by an empty apology.
This incident
also highlights the need for continuing and comprehensive efforts to break down
stereotypes through education, advocacy, lobbying and more education. Ignorance, after all, breeds insensitivity,
insensitivity breeds hatred, and hatred breeds all these nonsensical attitudes.
Canada is no
stranger to similar types of attitudes.
While proud of its multiculturalism, the Canadian society is still prone
to stereotyping which targets new immigrants and members of non-white ethnic
groups in particular. Sociological and
statistical studies abound which prove that racial profiling, stereotyping, and
outright discrimination are still some of the major obstacles faced by these
groups of people in obtaining full equality within Canadian society.
The lack of
proportionate political representation for instance, is very evident in the
highest echelons of government. While
non-whites now comprise a greater majority of the Canadian population, a
visible majority of government officials, judges and parliamentarians remain
predominantly white. Non-whites are
also very much underrepresented in the medical and legal profession or in the
corporate arena. Consequently, the
socio-economic make-up of society reflects a disproportionate representation of
people of color toiling in low-paying jobs such as domestic work (e.g.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada statistics show that some 80% of those who
enter Canada via the Live-in Caregiver program are from the Philippines).
The call for
full accreditation of foreign credentials is another area, which cries out for
immediate attention and full-blown advocacy.
While the Canadian government has recently launched some efforts to this
end, there is still much to be done towards allowing countless foreign trained
professionals obtain meaningful jobs within their areas of expertise. Again, ignorance of, and suspicion over the
quality of foreign-earned credentials are among the factors, which leave many
highly qualified professionals unable to practice in Canada. The lack of so-called “Canadian experience”
leads them to a frustrating cycle of unemployment, financial burden, and eventual
deskilling. It is recognized that the
respective organizations which conduct the evaluation of foreign credentials
and the regulation of professions are mainly private entities. However, the government still plays a
significant role in ensuring that principles of equality, fairness and
non-discrimination are upheld even by private entities. Moreso, when public interest issues such as
these are at stake.
But all is not
hopeless. With sincere and concerted
efforts, we can still achieve full equality.
To start, we can try to shed the remnants of colonial mentality that we,
as Filipinos, inherited through centuries of colonial history as a nation. We can also unite and join efforts with other
marginalized groups in advocating and lobbying for systemic, genuine and
long-lasting reforms.
***
Calling all
lawyers and law students (Canadian and/or foreign-trained):
Speaking of joint and concerted efforts, a group of Asian lawyers
and jurists have recently formed the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers
(FACL). Its mission statement includes
the promotion of “equity, justice, and opportunity
for Asian-Canadian legal professionals and the
community” as well as “advocacy,
community involvement, legal scholarship and professional development.” The launching conference of FACL will be held
on Saturday, November 3, 2007 at the University of Toronto law school from
1-5:30 pm. If interested to join and to
receive further details, please send your name and contact information to FACL.Ontario@gmail.com.
The author would be interested to receive
any feedback and may be reached at santoslaw@yahoo.com
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