According to Statistics Canada, more than 30 per cent of Canadians who identify as Chinese and 27 per cent who identify as Korean have experienced racial discrimination since the pandemic. To address these growing incidents of violence and hate, a group of prominent Asian Canadian leaders came together to launch the “Responding to Hate” toolkit, aiming to improve incident reporting and ultimately change the narrative by highlighting the positive contributions of the community.
The group’s founding members include Judge Maryka Omatsu, the first East Asian woman to be appointed a judge in Canada, Ryerson University’s Chancellor Janice Fukakusa, Dean of Arts Pamela Sugiman and General Counsel, Secretary of the Board of Governors and University Privacy Officer Julia Shin Doi.
The resource delves into the differences between hate crimes, hate incidents and acts of discrimination, and directs victims and witnesses on how to respond to each with a list of resources. The toolkit is available for download in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese at ryerson.ca/responding-to-hate/.
Ryerson University also continues to address this issue through an advisory committee of academic researchers and faculty members. By examining the effects of anti-Asian racism, it provides ongoing ideas and recommendations to stop the discrimination.
