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University of Toronto professor crunches numbers from 41,666 Statistics Canada interviews.
Toronto (15 May 2009) - A study on multiculturalism and society by a University of Toronto professor says skin colour - not religion or income - poses the biggest barrier to immigrants in feeling that they belong in Canada.
"The darker the skin, the greater the alienation," the Toronto Star says in a report on the study's findings.
The research effort was headed by Jeffrey Reitz, a University of Toronto professor of ethnic, immigration and pluralism studies.
It was carried out using data from Statistics Canada's 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey. The work involved "crunching thousands of numbers from 41,666 people interviewed in nine languages," the newspaper says.
"We were surprised that religion didn't have more effect," says Reitz.
"It came down to race, with Asian people reporting some and with young black males the most stigmatized. The data is consistent with that," he adds.
"We tend to believe racism is a minor problem in Canada, of little consequence. Someone looked at them funny. Or that many immigrants are doing well, so it must be their fault if they aren't. There is a reluctance to investigate the issue."
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