My entire family has Indian names, and I alone am white. Reading The Vancouver Sun one morning, I finally understood what my parents meant by “making it easier” for me by naming me Rachael.

UofT researchers found that resumes with English names were 35% or more likely to get a callback than an Chinese, Indian, or Greek name. Out of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouber, however, the study discovered Metro Vancouver employers were the least swayed by the ethnicity of applicants’ names (good job, Vancouver). The researchers interviewed employers who said they were highly concerned that job applicants with foreign backgrounds would have inadequate English and social skills for the Canadian marketplace.

I was a little puzzled by the article. What if the applicant is Canadian-born but has an ethnic name; is the study still accurate? If so, then this brings us back to ethics we talked about in class 3. It’s discrimination. I understand the worry of English skills if an applicant is actually foreign, but with Canadian-borns there is no excuse. Shouldn’t it just come down to who is more qualified for a position? It’s like a book, the title only tells so much; you actually have to read it.