I was reading a plate located outside the Forestry UBC Building that was erected in honour of a man called Julian Juhasz, an hungarian student that immigrated to Canada after the Second World War, as a refugee. The plate outlines the speech this man gave when he became a professor of UBC in the 1970’s, in which he talks about how Canadians where open to them, open to individualism that promotes a meritocracy. (In case anyone wants to go read it, it’s next to the British Columbia flag on Main Mall) On the other hand, we have Fred Wah’s tale of Diamond Grill in which he describes the struggles of growing up a someone that is described as mixed race. And I would say belong, but rather use the word described, due to the fact that one of the main concerns Wah raises is the lack of belonging to any kind of ethnic group.

So I posed myself the question: Why is it that we have stories of the beauty that Canadian society is, and why do we have strong criticisms, such as Wah’s, against Canadian society?

Although both stories are different, both seem to prove a sort of resemblance when put next to each other. Wah is a second generation Chinese-Swedish-Scottish-Irish Canadian that is often discriminated for being White-looking with a Chinese last name. As he describes in his book, people seem to be conflicted by the way in which they had to think of him. It seems shocking that things like this happen, due to the fact of the high levels of migration that Canada naturally has. Canadian society is one that all societies should strive for, being truly one of the best in the work.

I wonder, if it was the case in which Canadian society opened up with arms to Mr. Juhasz, why was everyone not the same with Wah?

I have a theory that lies behind the way in which we see humans. When we look at Hungarian war refugees we think “Oh well of course, let’s let them into this country for a better life” but when they are immigrants from other nations it looks like they are attempting against Canadian sovereignity. I’m not saying either of them is wrong, but what I’m saying is that both are looking for the same goal: A better life. If Canada is willing to be open to people in situations of trouble, it needs to be the same for everyone. I’m not saying that everyone has to come Canada, but if they do, tolerate and accept them. Needless to say, our roots once immigrated for a better life, and found it.

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