Re: UTSC split by election tumult, March 12
Being a current student governor at the university, I want to thank students for showing interest in the elections for student government this past month, and encourage those who haven’t voted to become more active in elections. After going through Governing Council and SAC (soon to be UTSU) elections, I can’t tell you how important every single one of your votes are. It may seem useless at times, but those two minutes you spend casting a vote will help determine your student representative for the upcoming year. You have the ability to elect someone who you think will speak for you and represent you to the fullest.
I urge UTSC students to prepare for an exciting campaign period for the re-election of the SCSU president. You should be pumped to cast your votes over the next few weeks and to show your support, because it really does mean the world for those candidates in the race. Your individual voices can be heard loud and clear. Be positive and constructive in your criticism, but talk to your candidates and see what they stand for. Your questions can be answered by qualified candidates who are requesting your support and your concerns can be addressed by those individuals already holding positions. At the end of the day, you want someone who can and will represent you. You want someone who will take the time to talk to you, so please come forward during these next elections and get involved. Make sure that someone qualified and dedicated is chosen by your student body.
I am totally understanding of the fact that we as students are busy with school, extracurricular activities, and a million other things, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to take two minutes out of your day during the voting period to show your support for the candidate you think is best suited for the job. So read the statements, talk to candidates, and most of all, vote! SCSU is facing election round two, and your voices need to be heard loud and clear.
Saswati Deb
Don’t blame America for crumbling mosaic
Re: Canada’s changing face, March 12
Aaron S. Bayley’s article regarding multiculturalism once again blames the world’s problems on America. Bayley states that the “U.S. wrongly accused Canada of being a safe haven for terrorists,” causing Canadians to turn against each other. He also states that “our cultural mosaic is being threatened for the sake of appeasing [the U.S.].”
The fact is that there have always been fractures in the mosaic. Immigrants are increasingly living in residentially segregated communities in Toronto. Some areas will be nearly 100 per cent Chinese soon. How is this multiculturalism? A 1999 study by Raymond Breton found that 75 per cent of Canadians believe “ethnic groups should try as much as possible to blend into Canadian society.” And this was pre-Sept. 11. Look at separatism in Quebec, where 49 per cent of the population seems to feel that they are unable to express their culture and language within our “mosaic.” Clearly, something isn’t working for one of our charter groups.
Finally, Bayley says that Canada’s conscience is free from ghosts of the past, such as slavery in the U.S. But how about Aboriginals, who have been colonized, repressed, and oppressed within Canadian society? There seems to be no place in the multicultural mosaic for the First Nations of Canada.
Maybe the Americans have something right. They have great pride in their nation and their shared values of freedom and liberty. The Charter and multiculturalism have not been able to similarly galvanize our population. Blaming the Americans for the fragility of our supposed mosaic won’t solve anything. Our failure to teach pride in our historical roots (British, French, and Aboriginal) is our great failure. Strong nations have strong shared histories, and we do have one, but our “changing face” has seemingly overshadowed it.
Tom Grinnell
