RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE FOR 2010
TOWN OF MARKHAM
Ontario Room, Markham Civic Centre
September 13, 2010
7:15 PM – 9:00 PM

MINUTES

ATTENDANCE:

Committee
Theresa Coulter, Chair
Carla Crooks
Winnie Wales
Vilvan Gunasingham

Staff

Cheryl McConney-Wilson, Diversity
Laura Gold, Committee Clerk

Darshika Patel – Committee Clerk

 

Regrets

Councillor L. Kanapathi

Prashanth Scrichandramohan
Liliana Soengas
Shila Desai

Darius Sookram

 

 

The seventh meeting of the Race Relations Committee was convened at 7:20 p.m. with Ms. Theresa Coulter, presiding as Chair.

1.                  CHAIRS OPENING REMARKS

The Chair welcomed Anthony Sylvester and Kurt Hansen of Denmark to the Race Relations Committee.

2.                   race Relations In Denmark

Mr. Anthony Sylvester, a National Advisor for the United Federation of Danish Workers and Mr. Kurt Hansen, a General Manger of New Connection were in attendance to discuss current issues race relations in Denmark and to learn more about ethnic and racial diversity in Canada.  Mr. Sylvester started the presentation by thanking staff and committee members. He is a national advisor and advises the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Denmark on matters related to equity and race relations. He and Mr. Hansen have traveled to Canada to visit local governments and companies to learn about immigration in Canada and to acknowledge Canada’s work on diversity. Mr. Sylvester states that Canada has a strong infrastructure that promotes diversity through our policies on employment equity and human rights. He notes that Denmark has a strong social infrastructure, however, immigration to Denmark has only become recent and thus, the country seeks to gain expertise in tackling issues related to race and diversity.

Mr. Hansen works for an NGO. He works with people that experience difficulty in life. He noted that people of colour have a higher rate of unemployment in Denmark. Interestingly, during the recession, he noted that many immigrants still had jobs in comparison to native Danes who were losing jobs. It is believed that many employers held on to immigrant workers because of their good attitude and work ethic. It seems that when employers get to know the immigrant workers, they are more comfortable and content with their work. However, from a political aspect, the government tends to lean on the right side of the spectrum and hold more conservative views. Every municipality has a council devoted to race relations. The mayor sits in listening to problems of different cultures.

Currently, immigration is a hot topic in Denmark and the government is listening to the citizen’s views on immigration. At the moment, many farmers are requesting the assistance of foreign workers on farms. Many Danes feel that upon immigration, there should be a scheme for immigrants where they can learn about the Dane system, the language, culture, housing and a introduction to society. Mr. Sylvester notes that Denmark provides an exceptional social assistance program and many Danes worry that immigrants come in to rake the benefits.

Questions and Answers

The Committee asks about the minimum wage and accessibility to employment in Denmark. Mr. Sylvester states that there is no legislation in Demark in regards to minimum wage. Employee-employer organizations negotiate wages, not the government. Immigrant unemployment is three times higher due to: language barrier, the Danish work experience, lack of education, and discrimination. Mr. Hansen notes an interesting emerging trend amongst immigrant girls in Denmark. He says that 2nd and 3rd generation girls born in Denmark of immigrant families have higher rates in attending university than immigrant males and than Danes. Furthermore, 72% of them end up working in important job sectors.

The Committee inquired about the climate for immigrants and the screening process for gaining immigration to Denmark. Mr. Sylvester informed the committee that all immigrants have to register with a municipality and are obligated to attend school for 18 months everyday to learn Danish. There is no cost to this as education is free in Denmark. There are two classes of migrants: working migrants and refugees and family reunion. Immigrants can enter the country by gaining a Blue card through a process very similar to Canada’s points system for immigration. There are several differences in Canada and Denmark when it comes to employment for immigrants. In Canada, highly educated immigrants sometimes end up settling for low level jobs due to lack of jobs and the Canadian work experience. In Denmark, you may only be allowed to immigrate into the country is you have a contract with a company. Furthermore, you are obligated to find employment in your field, thus if you are an engineer you must find employment as an engineer. In Canada, if you are here on a work permit and get fired, you have to leave the country immediately. In contrast, if you lose a job in Denmark, you have 6 months to stay and find employment anywhere in Europe.

Also, the Danish government has created job banks at their embassies. Anyone can apply to the posting by paying for the screening and once an opportunity arises, a candidate is selected to fulfil the position. This is not a well-known system because Denmark, a country that is affiliated with the European Union (EU), has many people from the EU as part of their workforce. Thus, there are not many opportunities for people from other nations. Furthermore, the climate for many immigrants is not ideal because of discrimination and many immigrants being treated like second class citizens.

The committee inquired about the infrastructure of race relations in Denmark. Mr. Sylvester reiterated that there is no legislation against discrimination and different treatment. There are many differing opinions on religious tolerance amongst citizens in Denmark. It is not a very religious population as only half the population go to church. There are not many spaces or building set aside for other religions. However, the government of Denmark has started to embrace March 25th – elimination of racism. Also, the government is protecting lower level jobs for Danes that do not have much education.

3.                   NExt Meeting Date

The next meeting of the Race Relations Committee will be held on October 4, 2010 at 7:15 p.m.

4.                   Adjournment

The Race Relations Committee adjourned at 9:15 p.m.