Living Together Richmond Program (colour)

Richmond Living Together Symposium

January 21, 2016 Join the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and Richmond community partners in an exploration of what it means to be Canadian in 2016 – and beyond!

Living Together is an invitation to everyone– individuals, community and faith leaders, academics and diversity champions – to explore Canadian values and identity, and contribute a vision for Richmond – and Canada.

The Symposium is an opportunity for people from diverse communities to get to know more about each other. It is a time to listen, share and reflect – and to work together to create a vision for an inclusive, harmonious community.

John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse 7277 River Road, Richmond BC

9 am to 4 pm Join us for a day of conversation and community building

Register online https://richmond2016.eventbrite.ca For more information www.crrf-fcrr.ca 1-888-240-4936

REGIONAL PARTNERS The CRRF is delighted to join with the City of Richmond and Regional Partners to offer Living Together to the people of Richmond.

in partnership with

We acknowledge the financial support of the Inter-Action, the Multiculturalism Grants and Contributions Program of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in the delivery of this project.

LIVING TOGETHER SYMPOSIA IDENTITY, BELONGING AND CANADIAN VALUES RICHMOND, B.C. | JANUARY 21, 2016 Living Together is a series of symposia, organized in partnership with regional and community representatives, for the purpose of bringing everyone into the conversation about Canadian values. Symposia delegates expand their network of colleagues and explore contemporary research and best practices through presentations, panel discussions and workshops.

Living Together aims to connect regional faith and community leaders, academics and diversity champions, and is open to anyone engaged in activities committed to deepening our collective awareness and understanding of Canadian values and identity.

SYMPOSIA QUESTIONS

UPCOMING SYMPOSIA

Faith and Spirituality

February–March 2016: Halifax, Hamilton, Red Deer, Yellowknife

How do your spiritual beliefs or your faith community support the building of a diverse and inclusive Richmond?

Identity and Belonging Do you feel Canadian? If so, why? If not, why not?

What do you value about living in Canada?

What do you hope will change in the future in Canada?

If you immigrated to Canada: What did you seek in coming to Canada? Did you find it?

Planning for the future What opportunities do you see for building a more inclusive community?

What are some of the ways in which we could be more inclusive of our diverse community over the next 10 years?

What are the needs today, and what needs to happen in the next 10 years in Richmond?

CONSULTATIONS The Living Together initiative started with three important community consultations: June 25, 2015: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Consultation, Sudbury May 28 2015 : Francophone Consultation, Montréal November 19, 2014: Faith Leader Consultation, Ottawa Consultations created an opportunity for community stakeholders to convene, discuss and advise on the topics of identity, faith, belonging and Canadian values.

OUR CANADA PROJECT EXPLORING CANADIAN VALUES THROUGH CULTURE, FAITH AND IDENTITY Our Canada is a three-year initiative to heighten awareness, understanding and respect for Canadian values and traditions. Beginning with the release of the CRRF’s Report on Canadian Values, Our Canada is dedicated to building a harmonious society made up of multiple cultures, faiths and ethnicities, working and living side by side, as we celebrate Canada’s Sesquicentennial and the next 150 years.

REPORT ON CANADIAN VALUES Living Together Symposia are an opportunity to review and reflect on the pan-Canadian Report on Canadian Values.

The CRRF’s recent Report on Canadian Values provides a timely insight into the societal issues – including multiculturalism, reconciliation and religious accommodation – that are top of mind for many Canadians.

10 INITIATIVES

The full report is available on www.crrf-fcrr.ca

1 / Report on Canadian Values 2 / Connecting Communities 3 / Living Together Symposia 4 / Cross-Canada Workshops 5 / Youth Challenge: Video and Story-writing 6 / In the Classroom In Partnership with FAST, Voices into Action 7 / Youth Café Canada 8 / 150 Stories 9 / Lived Experience 10 / Lessons Learned

SURVEY RESULTS: TOP RANKING CANADIAN VALUES Based on a list of 10 values identified on the basis of expert consultation, Canadians most often ranked as first “respect for human rights and freedoms”.

Canadians most often view civility (politeness, common ground, mutual respect) as a primary responsibility of being a Canadian citizen.

Canadians most often identify multiculturalism as “coexistence of different cultures in one society/community”.

The strongest point of agreement is that multiculturalism “permits me to preserve my origins” and “has a positive impact on ethnic and religious minorities”.

REPORT ON CANADIAN VALUES Excerpt from the CRRF Report on Canadian Values Since the beginning of the 21st century, attachment to one’s religion has declined as a significant marker of identity in Canada.

Our survey confirms that when contrasted with other expressions of identity, religion ranks particularly low.

More than one in three Canadians agreed that being religious creates a barrier to full participation in Canadian society. Quebeckers were most likely to agree with that statement.

At the same time, religious identification has been the object of increased attention in public debates about diversity and multiculturalism. There appears to be growing polarization about how far the host society should be willing to accommodate requests for religious and cultural practices.

Some may choose to describe the conflict as secularist versus religious. And claims by the country’s religious minority groups for accommodation have put religion at the centre of Canada’s debate around multiculturalism.

However, there may be room for the policy to adapt, as it has in the past, to changing demographic realities and the shifting nature of newcomers’ legitimate requests for accommodation. Prof. William Kymlicka, a leading Canadian authority on multiculturalism, believes the policy is adaptable and can adapt to the challenges of our time. According to him, the policy

has evolved in an unplanned and ad hoc way, and therefore lacks the conceptual clarity or ideological purity we can see in some other Western democracies.

This has, however, allowed multiculturalism to change over time, just as ethnicity, race and religion of minority groups in Canada have evolved.

Originally, multiculturalism encouraged selforganization, representation and participation of ethnic groups. During the 1970s and 1980s, this was supplemented with programs aimed at addressing racial discrimination. Now religion appears to have supplanted this as a concern.

The challenge will be for our democratic institutions and ultimately our government to determine which claims for religious or cultural accommodation enhance individual freedom, and which ones defend practices that are oppressive rather than emancipatory; for example, practices of honour killing, female genital mutilation or hatred against homosexuals or apostates.

Since multiculturalism is framed as part of a larger human rights agenda, the principles of gender equality and human rights are contained within it.

But there is no doubt there is tension around this issue; further study is warranted to understand how best to ameliorate this tension.

PROFILES Opening prayer: Shane Point, Musqueam and Coast Salish people

Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, in recognition for his contributions to the community and to Canada.

Shane Point is from the Point family and a proud member of the Musqueam and Coast Salish people.

He is a highly respected Musqueam community member, ceremonial traditional speaker and cultural educator. He provides protocol and ceremonial guidance for many cultural events – locally, nationally and internationally.

Living Together Facilitator: Peter MacLeod, Co-founder and Principal, MASS LBP

Shane has worked in various capacities, including: Aboriginal Support Worker (AEEW VSB), Trial Support Coordinator for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, Native Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program worker with the Musqueam Indian Band, in the Longhouse Leadership Program at the First Nations House of Learning (University of British Columbia), and most recently providing support to the Aboriginal Mothers Centre.

Welcome: Albert Lo, Chairperson, Canadian Race Relations Foundation Albert has more than 30 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. He has played a major leadership role in various organizations, notably in the areas of promoting understanding, respect and harmony among the diverse ethno-cultural and multifaith communities, through TV program production, multicultural workshops and seminars, as well as immigrant, youth and seniors support services.

Between 1999 and 2005, Albert served as a Board member of Trinity Television of Winnipeg, and held several senior positions including Director of Programming Balance and Vice President Corporate Affairs and Partnerships Development at NOWTV in B.C. He was instrumental in establishing strategic alliances supportive of cross-cultural and crossreligious dialogue through TV programming and multi-ethnic forums. Albert is a graduate of the University of Guelph. He received the Queen’s

Peter is the co-founder and principal of MASS LBP, an innovative Toronto-based firm that works with forwardthinking governments and corporations to deepen and improve public consultation and engagement.

MASS has led some of Canada’s most original and ambitious efforts since 2007 to engage citizens in tackling tough policy options while pioneering the use of civic lotteries and citizen reference panels on behalf of a wide array of clients.

Peter is an expert in public engagement and deliberative democracy. He writes and speaks frequently about the citizen’s experience of the state, the importance of public imagination and the future of responsible government. He has worked with Fast Company magazine, Vancouver’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Britain’s Demos think tank and the Kaospilots, a Danish school for business design and social innovation.

PROFILES Dialogue on Inclusive Communities Facilitator: Panellist: Elaine Chau, Associate Producer, Robert Daum, Fellow, Diversity and Innovation, Early Edition, CBC Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue Elaine Chau is an Associate Producer for the Early Robert is a Fellow in Diversity and Innovation at SFU, and Director of The Laurier Institution and a Founding Director of Reconciliation Canada. For the City’s Citizenship and Immigration Canada-funded Vancouver Immigration Partnership, he co-convenes the Intercultural and Civic Engagement Strategy Group.

Robert is also Advisor, Office of Vice-President Students, at the University of British Columbia. At UBC, he also is a Faculty Associate with the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, a Faculty Member of the Common Room at Green College, an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies, and Project Lead for Student Diversity Dialogue. With another UBC colleague, he co-leads an international research consortium of eight interdisciplinary teams of 33 scholars at 21 universities in nine countries.

Panellist: Joanne Arnott, Métis/mixed-blood writer Joanne is a writer, editor and arts activist. She has been a literary performer and publishing poet since the mid1980s. She has performed her work and given writing workshops across much of Canada and in Australia.

She worked for many years as an Unlearning Racism facilitator, and continues to incorporate social justice perspectives and peer counselling approaches in her work. She has nine published books, including Halfling spring (Kegedonce, 2014), which has just been shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Award, A Night for the Lady (Ronsdale, 2013), and, as text editor, Salish Seas: an anthology of text + image (AWCWC 2011).

Edition. She was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Montreal, and grew up a little more in Vancouver. She graduated with a degree in communications from Simon Fraser University, and was the 2008 recipient of the CBC Radio Peter Gzowski internship.

Three years into her career, she is most proud of having produced the Early Edition’s AIDS Then and Now series. The series was a Gold Radio Winner in the Health/Medicine category at the 2011 News York Festivals. If Elaine’s not writing or chasing stories she’s likely baking pie, making coffee, drinking coffee, or playing her piano and glockenspiel.

Panellist: Dr. Kanwal Singh Neel, Program Coordinator, Friends of Simon Tutoring Program Faculty of Education, SFU Dr. Kanwal Singh Neel is a career educator who has served as a teacher with the Richmond School District, and Associate Director of Professional Programs in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. He is currently a Project Coordinator with SFU’s Friends of Simon Tutoring Program, an outreach program for immigrant and refugee children.

Kanwal is an internationally acclaimed math educator, host of the award-winning TV series Math Shop, and one of the authors of Mathematics Makes Sense textbook series published by Pearson Canada. For the past 40 years, he has volunteered countless hours as a technical official in Track and Field and Race Walking from local to International events. Kanwal has held many different roles in the community, from mentoring beginning teachers to building cultural bridges – always inspiring others with a smile on his face.

PROFILES Panellist: Henry Yu, Principal, St. John’s Graduate College, UBC

Tourism division, and joined the team at Aboriginal Tourism Association of B.C.

Henry Yu is a professor of history and principal of St. John’s College at UBC. His research and teachings have been built around collaboration with local communities and civic society. Last year, Henry was appointed co-chair for the Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council by the Province of British Columbia to implement legacy projects following the province’s historic apology for wrongs committed against the Chinese Canadian community.

Cecilia has a certificate in Business from the University of British Columbia, supplemented with courses in Finance, and First Nations Studies including hən̓q̓min̓əm̓ (Musqueam language). She has donated a tremendous amount of her time to her nation and a number of local Aboriginal causes, which currently includes sitting as a volunteer Board Member on a preliminary project aimed at contributing wellness and culture via a Centre for Aboriginal Women in the downtown eastside of Vancouver.

Between 2009 and 2012, Henry was the co-chair of the City of Vancouver’s Dialogues between First Nations, Urban Aboriginal and immigrant Communities project. In 2012, Henry received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2015, he received the B.C. Multicultural Award for his work in community service and leadership. Henry has a BA in history from UBC and an MA and PhD in history from Princeton University.

150 Stories: Suresh Kurl Prior to making British Columbia his home in 1970, Suresh Kurl was an established educator. His academic career led him from India to the UK (University of York), the U.S. (University College of Wooster, Ohio and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and finally, to the University of British Columbia’s Department of Asian Studies. In 1974, with opportunities waiting for Suresh in his country of birth, he elected instead to put down roots in Canada. In 2008, Suresh retired as Member of the National Parole Board. In addition, he has worked all his life as a community builder and cross-cultural ambassador.

150 Stories: Cecilia Point A member of the Musqueam Indian Band, Cecilia has worked in the travel and tourism industry for more than 25 years. Her career began at American Airlines and Air Canada. she later joined Tourism B.C. working in Partnership Marketing’s inaugural Aboriginal

Summation: Anita Bromberg, Executive Director, CRRF Born and raised in Winnipeg, Anita is a lawyer by profession, and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1982. She is a frequent spokesperson, lecturer, trainer and media representative on topical issues of the day, particularly as they relate to racialized communities.

A court-recognized expert on racism and extremism, she has also instituted and participated in numerous intercultural outreach and educational initiatives.

Anita is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Community Program Excellence Award. She brings to the position three decades of experience working on issues of racism and discrimination, as well as human rights, countering hate and intergroup relations. Formerly, she was the National Director of Legal Affairs for B’nai Brith Canada and human rights coordinator for the League of Human Rights where she coordinated the legal initiatives of the organization’s advocacy efforts and was responsible for the operation of the organization’s Anti-Hate Hotline and its annual report on racism.

AGENDA This is a highly interactive agenda. After the morning presentations, delegates are engaged in roundtable discussions, developing a community map, and creating action plans.

9:00 Opening Moderator: Peter MacLeod, Principal and Founder, MASS LBP Welcome to the Territory, Shane Point, Musqueam community member, ceremonial traditional speaker and cultural educator Steveston - Richmond East, Member of Parliament, Joe Peschisolido City of Richmond, Acting Mayor Bill McNulty Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Albert Lo, Chairperson, Board of Directors

9:35 A dialogue on inclusive communities Moderator: Dr. Robert Daum, Fellow, Diversity and Innovation, Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue Panellists: Joanne Arnott, Métis/mixed-blood writer and arts activist Elaine Chau, Associate Producer for the Early Edition, CBC Dr. Kanwal Singh Neel, Program Coordinator, Friends of Simon Tutoring Program Faculty of Education, SFU

Henry Yu, Principal, St. John’s Graduate College and Director, Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies

10:15

Questions:

Dialogue on inclusive communities: Roundtable discussions

What are the forces that you see shaping our shared sense of identity?

What challenges does the country — and Richmond in particular — face in creating more pluralistic and inclusive communities?

These are charged times — Western countries are grappling with the challenge of providing security amidst an open society, giving rise to xenophobic policies and fuelling racism. How concerned should we be, and how should these tensions be addressed?

What for you are the obligations that come with citizenship? How are these obligations tested?

How has the experience of settling as a newcomer to Canada changed over the past generation?

What’s distinctive about the experience of newcomers to the lower mainland?

Where should government and civil society focus its efforts to address cultural tensions and conflict?

Break

10:30

Participants discuss and record their responses to two questions based on the prior dialogue.

A brief report back affords participants an opportunity to share their perspectives, and panellists a final opportunity to respond as the session closes.

What challenges does the country — and Richmond in particular — face in creating more pluralistic and inclusive communities?

How has the experience of settling as a newcomer to Canada changed over the past generation?

What’s distinctive about the experience of newcomers to the lower mainland?

11:15 Community timeline What are the past, present and future challenges of creating more inclusive communities in Richmond?

AGENDA At roundtables, participants will create a group timeline that shows:

1:00

3:15

Reviewing the map

Plenary Session

• Major events of the past ten years that have affected how Richmond and the greater Vancouver region interact, build and support diverse and inclusive communities.

The moderator will note trends and common issues listed on the large-format timeline, and invite brief commentary from participants. The moderator will then designate specific tables to focus on key issues and invite participants to join tables based on their interests.

The moderator will lead a final plenary session to invite comments from select groups concerning their action plans, followed by general comments on the day.

Creating action plans

Anita Bromberg, CRRF

• Current issues that are impacting efforts to build inclusive communities in the area • Emerging issues that will need to be addressed over the coming ten years.

Once participants have completed their timeline, they will select the events which they believe are most significant and add them to a largeformat timeline intended to capture the contributions of all groups.

12:00 Lunch break

12:45 150 Stories 150 speakers share their stories about living in Canada.

Suresh Kurl – Canada 33/150: “And where the old tracks are lost, a new country is revealed with its wonder.”

Cecilia Point – Canada 55/150, to be published week of January 17, 2016

Each table will have one hour to discuss their assigned issue.

Following an 11x17 template, participants will define the issue, describe its consequences, identify the actors involved and propose actions that can help to address the issue.

2:15 Exchanging action plans Tables will be twinned to exchange their understanding of their respective issues and proposed actions. Twinned tables will be invited to provide constructive feedback.

Revising group action plans Each group will have a final thirty minutes to incorporate elements of the feedback they have received during the preceding session.

3:45 Closing Remarks, Appreciation of the Territory, Shane Point

4:00 Adjourn