Racism, Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada: Impact on Health and Wellbeing

Running head: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Social Psychology
-Racism, Prejudice and Discrimination
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
-General Findings...................................................................................................................2
-Relevance of the concept being investigated........................................................................2
-Thesis statement....................................................................................................................3
Main Body:.................................................................................................................................3
Association between racism and discrimination with chronic health conditions..................3
Racial Discrimination of Canadian Aboriginals causes health disparities.............................4
Racial Discrimination causes stress.......................................................................................5
Hate Crimes against Muslims in Canada increased by 253%................................................6
Racism in Canada is getting worse........................................................................................7
Edmonton Hotel aaccused of racial discrimination against 4 young men.............................8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................10

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Introduction:
-General Findings
Racism, prejudice and discrimination are a form of social psychology that is
developed around the notion of racial or social superiority that causes antagonistic behavior
towards individuals from other communities or races. In Canada, racist, prejudiced and
discriminatory behavior is still prevalent and studies show that such behaviors are directed
towards individuals belonging to the Canadian Aboriginal (First Nations) Tribes as well as
foreign immigrants. Such behavior has also caused an increase in the number of hate crimes
across the country with 1,409 criminal incidents being reported in 2016 showing a 3%
increase since the previous year. About 666 or 48% of this crime was caused due to hatred
towards a race or ethnicity. Reports shows that hate crimes against Muslims in Canada have
increased by 253% (159 cases) between 2012 and 2015 (Gaudet, 2018; Minsky, 2017). A poll
conducted on behalf of Global News on 1000 Canadians found that 25% of the respondents
have experienced racism, while 59% of respondents thought that Muslims and Arabs are most
likely victims of such behavior and 28% thought the Indigenous Canadians were also
subjected to such behavior (Abedi, 2017). Reports also show that race and ethnicity were the
biggest motivators of hate crimes in Canada followed by religion as of 2015 (Minsky, 2017).
This shows how racism is still a significant issue in the contemporary Canadian society.
-Relevance of the concept being investigated
Racism, prejudice and discrimination are still a significant social problem in Canada
that adversely impacts a large number of individuals in the country, fostering an increase in
hate crimes and violence against people based on the ideas of racial and cultural supremacy.
Studies have shown that racism, prejudice and discrimination against certain groups can
cause an adverse impact on their physical and mental health, lead to their social isolation and

3SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
lower their socioeconomic status. Other studies show that such behavior can also increase the
risks of crimes as well as mental health problem such as addiction.
-Thesis statement
The aim of this study is to show that the problem of racism, prejudice and
discrimination are still relevant to the modern Canadian society.
Main Body:
Analysis of academic articles and media articles clearly shows that in Canada, several
individuals belonging to ethnic minorities, immigrant and indigenous communities face
racism, prejudice and discrimination on a regular basis and how it leads to adverse health
impacts. Discussed below are some of the key findings from the study:
Association between racism and discrimination with chronic health conditions
Siddiqi et al. (2017) studied the association between racism and discrimination with
the diagnosis of chronic diseases among the Canadian population to understand how racial
differences causes experiences of discrimination and how discrimination can be associated
with prevalence of chronic conditions among individuals and communities experiencing
racism and discrimination. Data from 2013 Canadian Community Health Survey was used
and the respondents were categorized by their racial profiles as Black, Asian, Aboriginal and
White and Williams Everyday Discrimination Scale was used to measure discrimination. The
chronic conditions identified in the study included hypertension, obesity, alcoholism,
smoking, sedentary behavior and poor health. The study showed that experiences of racism
and discriminatory behaviors were a significant determinant for the onset of chronic health
conditions and their risk factors. The authors also concluded from the findings that most of
the racial and discriminatory behaviors were experienced by individuals from Black and