An Asian Canadian Story: Re-educating the Next Generation Through Admittance of Wrongdoings and Promises of Improvements

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An Asian Canadian Story: Re-educating the Next Generation Through Admittance of Wrongdoings and Promises of Improvements

By Amonda Li

Branksome Hall School, Class of 2022 Toronto, Ontario

Edited by: Kaya Vadhan Reviewed by: Jen Martin

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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Given the recent surge in anti-Asian hate crimes across Canada, a supposedly diverse and accepting country, it is important to analyze the roots of these crimes. They can be found in how Canadian students are taught about Asian Canadian history. As a student who has studied the mandatory Ontario grade 9 Canadian history course, I do not feel fulfilled by the lack of education on the Canadian government’s past actions and sentiments toward Asian Canadian citizens in Canadian history textbooks. The only way to improve upon past wrongdoings is to educate the next generation to not repeat history by acknowledging the harsh truth head-on with new and up-to-date course materials. This paper aims to analyze the amount of textbook content that focuses on Asian Canadian history in Ontario’s public secondary schools’ three main approved textbooks. Minimal concentration on significant events in Asian Canadian history was found with information only appearing in subsections of chapters. Ontario public schools should include more recent and relevant historical events specific to the Asian Canadian story in full chapters for longer lesson time for students to have a more well-rounded viewpoint.

II.

DEFINING KEY TERMS: Canadian Identity, Multiculturalism, History Textbooks,Asian Canadian Identity, Adequate Truth, Transparency

Though Canada prides itself on being “a defender of human rights and culturaldiversity,” 6 acts and displays of racism and prejudice towards Asian Canadians have never beenmore prevalent in the country. Recent anti-Asian hate crimes across Canada (linked to

6

Pashby, Karen, et al. “Discovering, Recovering, and Covering-up Canada: Tracing Historical Citizenship Discourses in K-12 and Adult Immigrant Citizenship Education.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de L’éducation, vol. 37, no. 2, 2014, pp. 1–26, dpl6hyzg28thp.cloudfront.net/media/Pashby_et_al.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

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COVID-19) have increased by 717% in Vancouver from 2019 to 2020. Toronto is surgingtowards the city’s statistic with the second highest number of cases following Vancouver 7 .Moreover, as Project 1907 reports, “Canada has a higher number of anti-Asian hate crimeincidents per Asian capita compared to the US.” 8 This statistic is not representative of ourCanadian identity and the unique experiences and characteristics that shape Canada’s diversenarrative, and we need to work towards rectifying the situation by addressing the root of theproblem: a lack of education.

On the basis of demonstrating true Canadian identity, it is crucial to providewell-rounded and transparent information about the citizens that make up Canadianmulticulturalism. In Ontario, for instance, approximately 5.7% of the population is AsianCanadian, the second largest visible minority group in the province. 9 History textbooks inOntario schools, however, do not provide adequate information about the Asian Canadianexperience as there are minimal sections speaking from their points of view. Due to minimaleducation about Asian Canadians from a non-victim lens, the general perception of the group is“intrusive” and “competitive” — a narrative that hurts the Asian Canadian community. TakingOntario public schools as an example, this paper aims to demonstrate why and how the lackingcurriculum in Canadian history textbooks, which currently display Asian Canadians in a victimlens, ought to be more well-rounded in its Asian Canadian chapter to truly represent Canadianidentity.

7 Liu, Stephanie. “Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Are Surging in Canada during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

CTVNews, 17 Mar. 2021, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/reports-of-anti-asian-hate-crimes-are-surging-in-canada-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-1.5 351481.

8

“Our Work.” Project 1907, www.project1907.org/reportingcentre.

9

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Census Profile, 2016 Census - Canada [Country] and Canada [Country].” Statcan.gc.ca, 2016, www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2 =PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Visible%20minority&TABID=1 &type=0.

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Dedicated to the idea of the “Canadian identity,” textbooks often insert this narrative into the very first chapter for students to consider. Questions like “what does it mean to be Canadian?” or “how is the Canadian experience unique?” 10 are asked of students to frame the layout for the rest of the course. For that curriculum year, students need to connect events and concepts back to Canadian identity. However, the degree of emphasis on the concept requires that it truly reflects the real-world environment.

In 2017, the Ontario Education Action Equity Plan highlighted “strengthening inclusive and culturally responsive and relevant teaching, curriculum, assessment and resources” as a main goal. 11 Subpoints mention an aim to “enhance the Ontario curriculum… to ensure diverse perspectives and experiences are reflected in the curriculum.” 12 However, the four textbooks that are approved by the Ontario curriculum have not been updated since the publishing of the Action Plan. Given the emphasis on BIPOC 13 education and representation in the past year with most schools in Canada establishing a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement in school models, 14 this is the perfect time to make revisions to the textbooks or use more recently published materials. Statistics about the percentage of Canadian citizens experiencing racially biased verbal and physical abuse and harassment should be recognized as a dark part of our history and our present.

While Canada’s dedication to multiculturalism and diversity is evident from the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988, this dedication must be evident in education as well. The 2017

10

Big Ideas Student Print Resource Eguide Teacher Resource Student EText Global and Regional Conflicts Have Been a Powerful Force in Shaping Our Contemporary World and Identities.

11

Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan 2 0 17. , 2017.

12

Ibid

13

Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour

14

PHE Eps Canada. Return to School 2020: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. 3 Sept. 2020, phecanada.ca/sites/default/files/content/docs/Home%20Learning%20Resource/Equity,%20Diversity%20and%20Inc lusion.pdf.

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Ontario Education Equity Action Plan is a start to this initiative, with the mission and objectives to “combat persistent systemic inequities and improve student well-being and achievement” within the public school system. 15 However, current efforts do not reflect the intended result of the action plan and also do not ensure that these results are maintained in students’ post-secondary lives. There have been no new additions to the mandated history textbooks since 2016, including the Asian Canadian experience with xenophobia and discrimination. A lack of change in the status quo demonstrates a lack of dedication to the Action Plan, which in turn encourages the very trait the action plan is targeting: inequities in classrooms and an extension to inequities in societies. For impressionable students, it is vital that the information they are learning are accurate, up-to-date, and are displayed from more than one perspective. Only with an accurate and representative history education can we begin to turn around the students’ fates.

III.

LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Plato's philosophy of education, the invaluable tool of passing down knowledge is a “means to achieve justice, both individual justice and social justice." 16 In other words, if justice is not achieved in a specific area, education has not successfully played its part in reforming the next generation. With the power of words and accurate historical representation, school curriculums and teachers can make a difference in the viewpoints of students and future generations.

When Asian Canadian experiences are discussed in Canadian history courses for grades 9 and 10, immigration is often the central focus. In the late 1800s, an influx of Chinese workers immigrated to Canada's west to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Promised with a future

15

Ibid

16

Lee, Myungjoon. “Plato’s Philosophy of Education: Its Implication for Current Education.” E-Publications@Marquette, 2010, epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations/AAI9517932/.

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for their families in the west, the Chinese migrant workers hammered tirelessly by the hour to build Canada's first transcontinental railway that is still "proudly Canadian" today. 17 However, Canadian citizens quickly assumed that the Chinese migrant workers were taking away job opportunities, a false belief that brought more polarization to the country.

As a result, the Canadian government imposed a Chinese head tax that forced every person of Chinese origin immigrating to Canada to pay a fee of $100 to $500. 18 With no other groups in Canadian history given a similar imposition, the head tax was a clear display of discrimination and injustice from the Canadian government. From 1900 to 1923, approximately 81,000 Chinese immigrants have paid the head tax, providing millions of dollars to the government. In 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized in the House of Commons and organized $20,000 in redress to offer to all surviving individuals who had paid the head tax. 19 However, reparations are not enough to discount the generational trauma and oppression the Chinese citizens have felt for years. This event is one of many things that should be included in a chapter. In order to prevent repeating history, we must solve the issue at the root of its problem and begin to reframe the narrative for future generations.

Echoing aforementioned points, the first line of an academic study conducted in 2020 states that "Ontario educational policies are expected to work towards antiracism but presently do not include the voices and experiences of Asian Canadians, which leave Asian experiences in education as silenced, ignored, or neglected." 20 More generally, a paper explains that Canadian textbooks have a "tendency… to ignore important aspects of the history of non-white racial groups as well as their contemporary situation." There are many significant events in the BIPOC

17

McRae, Matthew. “The Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act | CMHR.” CMHR, 2019, humanrights.ca/story/the-chinese-head-tax-and-the-chinese-exclusion-act.

18

Ibid 19 Ibid

20

Louie, Monica, and St Catharines. From Academic to Personal: Addressing Asianness in Ontario Education. , 2020.

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community that are rarely mentioned in textbooks: "the extermination of the Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland…, the history of the [Black Canadians]… characterized by blandness and superficiality…, [and] treatment of the Japanese Canadians in the Second World War." 21 Pratt also discusses the difference in tone when describing French Canadians and minority groups in Canada. Results from the study show that the tone used for French Canadians was in between ambivalent and totally favourable (score of 79.2/100) whereas the tone for Arabs, Indigenous groups, and Black Canadians were categorized between totally unfavourable and ambivalent (44.4, 34.6, and 32.6, respectively). 22 As evidenced by these two research studies, the current education material for students is lacking in substance and accuracy, and is negatively biased. When it comes to Asian Canadian history in particular, the beginning of the Chinese Immigration Act to instances of targeted racialized acts since COVID-19 must be included as at least a whole chapter that can successfully deliver information to students.

It is important to recognize that “textbooks influence students indirectly, [but] by influencing instruction, it also has the potential to affect students' attitudes directly." 23 Coming from a source of credibility and authority, textbooks and teachers are the influencers of the next generation for historical studies. The power of credible textbooks on students' opinions and attitudes can not be overlooked as the core foundation of our future will be rooted from these very pages.

IV.METHODOLOGY

21

Mallea, John R., and Young. Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education: Issues and Innovations. Google Books, McGill-Queen’s Press - MQUP, 1984, books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8no897R1FXcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA290&dq=ontario+history+textbooks+on+a sian+canadians&ots=3h7Reb67DT&sig=lBmzyWhAs954aPDt-2n5AcWbzmY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=fals e. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021. 22 Ibid

23

Ibid

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To gain a fuller picture of Asian Canadian representation in history education, this paper will analyze mentions of Asian Canadian history in the three history textbooks that are approved by the Ontario ministry of education for grades 9 and 10. By categorizing findings into topics and subtopics that are mentioned in the textbook, the areas that the textbooks do and do not place emphasis on will become apparent. This study will also analyze approximately how long a lesson or a unit discusses a particular topic relating to the Chinese Canadian experience. The three textbooks that will be analyzed are Pearson’s Think History: Canadian History since 1916, McGraw-Hill Ryerson’s Creating Canada: A History - 1914 to the Present Second Edition, and Nelson’s Canadian Sources: Investigated (Revised Edition). The textbooks will be shuffled through an online program (command+F for PDF documents) in search for keywords. The chapters with the key words will then be read more closely to determine how much Asian-Canadian perspectives are presented in terms of the textbook as a whole.

V. FINDINGS

The table below displays select Asian Canadian-specific content on the left column with the three analyzing textbooks in the right columns. Mere mentions of a certain topic are noted with “yes” or “no” and parentheses explain contents discussed as more than a reference. As labeled below, a subtopic is within a section, which is within a chapter. Japanese and Chinese perspective inclusion in textbooks are noted as the two groups of Asian perspectives as they have had the longest history in Canada and are the two largest East Asian ethnicities present in the country. The topics in the “contents included” column were selected as the most relevant and most commonly discussed topics throughout the three titles. Based on tables of contents, it is seen that Japanese internment camps and the emphasis on the “Canadian identity” narrative were

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discussed in all three textbooks with varying frequencies. Opposingly, the concept of racism and Chinese immigration were rarely chapter or sub-section titles, but simply quick references to another topic. While most of the topics are only discussed as a reference, a subtopic, or a section, the only subject discussed to its completion is the notion of a “Canadian identity.”

Table 1: Textbook content

Contents included

Textbook

Think History

Creating Canada

Canadian Sources

Immigration (in general)

Yes (subtopic only)

Yes

No

Chinese Immigration

No

No

No

Chinese head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act

No

Yes (subtopic only)

Yes (subtopic only)

Chinese-Canadian soldiers

Yes (subtopic only)

No

No

Japanese internment camps

Yes (subtopic only)

Yes (subtopic only)

Yes (section)

Racism

Yes

No

No

Emphasis on "Canadian identity" narrative

Yes

Yes (one chapter)

Yes

* subtopic is within a section, a section is within a chapter

In Think History: Canadian History since 1914 by Pearson, racism is mentioned as a general topic across several chapters. In those chapters, mentions of injustices toward refugees and immigrants are not specific in ethnicity. Any specific mentions of minority groups do not appear in more than one sub-chapter. For instance, information on Chinese Canadian soldiers solely supports a larger message in a chapter speaking of the riots at Christie Pits. 24 There is no focused lesson or chapter on the Chinese Canadian experience, preventing students from gaining well-informed education on the history of Canada. In addition to student textbooks, the provided teacher guides also emphasize asking "how has Canadian identity changed or stayed the same?" in the sole chapters that mention Asian Canadian or any other large immigrant groups. These are

24

On August 16th, 1933, a riot broke out in Christie Pits park in Toronto, Ontario with over 10,000 participants and spectators. The riot was initiated by Nazi-inspired youth flying a swatika flag during a baseball game to antagonize and provoke Jewish Canadians.

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chapters 2, 3, and 9, respectively covering "national identity," "new culture[s] emerg[ing]," and "multiculturalism in Canada." 25 This textbook did not reference immigration policies pertaining to Chinese Canadians and the promises that were broken after the railway was built. This is another event that is essential for Canadian history textbooks that is currently not described from an accurate point of view.

One of the main objectives in Creating Canada: A History - 1914 to the Present by McGraw-Hill Ryerson is to "describe the social trend toward multiculturalism." 26 Through the information presented in the textbook, specific events about Chinese Canadians were only present as references to a bigger message in certain chapters. For instance, the Chinese Head tax and the Chinese Immigration Act were only referred to in a chapter discussing "changing perspectives." 27 In this chapter, “changing perspectives” refers to negative attitudes toward minority groups and government efforts to inflict laws upon these communities to reflect the new attitudes. The chapter included the Indian Act and the residential school system to assimilate Indigenous groups to the western ideal. As an important and devastating piece of Canada’s history, events regarding the Asian Canadians, Indigenous groups, and the Quebecois should not be grouped in one chapter that fleetingly discusses past wrongdoings. All three groups have a unique experience that cannot be combined into one synopsis. The only way for students to receive an in-depth view of Canada’s racial injustices is to include more than the surface material of their history. Each event should be covered in more than one chapter and discussed as more than a reference. When represented with more relevance in relation to Canadian history,

25

Big Ideas Student Print Resource Eguide Teacher Resource Student EText Global and Regional Conflicts Have Been a Powerful Force in Shaping Our Contemporary World and Identities.

26

Torne, Carolina. Study Guide Creating Canada a History - 1914 to the Present. 2013, www.icslearn.ca/-/media/files/canada/pdf/samplelessons/007-high-school-sample-lesson.pdf?la=en&hash=44E9183 88B9076837F9AB7FBAC26860FE629BDA3.

27

Ibid

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impressionable students will have a more focused perspective on these communities, rather than seeing them as a supporting player to an event pertaining to “white Canadians”.

The Canadian Sources: Investigated (Revised Edition) (2014) by Nelson textbook includes a section within a chapter dedicated to the internment of Japanese Canadians. 28 This is the most focused section in all analyzed textbooks about a significant event for Asian Canadians. However, in all other instances, Asian Canadians are only mentioned as witnesses or third parties to historic events. The clear lack of content surrounding Asian Canadians also directly translates to the students of the priorities of history. Impressionable students only understand what little information the textbook provides of a community, which does not do justice to Canada's true multiculturalism. Similar to women fighting for their rights throughout history (highlighted in more than three sections in different chapters), Asian Canadians are also a minority that needs recognition for their lasting fight.

As the notion of the "Canadian identity" is mentioned multiple times throughout the books, the message often "connects the value of human rights and peacekeeping to the idea that Canadian national identity is ever evolving." 29 Avoiding specificity, many of the text materials are vague about what "human rights" means. While citizens may recognize that Canada's human rights status is not the gold standard, it is vital for our education tools to explain the true situations and relevant historical events of ethnic minorities to the leaders of our future. When history education on specific groups is lacking, students often resort to an incorrect understanding, believing that Canada’s contribution to human rights and peacekeeping represents all of the progress in Canadian multiculturalism.

28

“Canadian Sources Investigated 1914-1919.Pdf.” Docs.google.com, docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=c21jZHNiLm9uLmNhfGNoYzJkLXdpdGgtbXMtd2hpcHB8Z3g6N GM5YjQ0M2FhMGNkM2Q1OQ.

29

Ibid

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Discussion

It is because of the lack of the information and focus that textbooks currently provide on Asian Canadian racism, or racism in general, that students do not have a well-informed background on discrimination and prejudice throughout Canadian history.

Although there is a clearly laid out plan from the Action Plan, the goals of “identifying and eliminating discriminatory practices, systemic barriers and bias from schools” are currently not met. 30 Researchers have found that opportunities in educational curricula to advocate for liberal social justice discourses are "taking a background to those that promote social cohesion and a narrow vision of Canadian identity and history". 31 As supported by Pashby and colleagues, the lack of Asian Canadian content in the aforementioned three textbooks is an ongoing trend that displays the true priorities of history: to convey the multiculturalism narrative only from a European- Canadian lens. However, the Action Plan promises "to realize the goal of ensuring equity," a goal that has not yet made any sufficient progress for the Asian Canadian students. 32 The study also suggests that the Ontario Canada and World Studies grade 10 history curriculum shows a hint of the interconnected social action discourse when it focuses on Canada's international contributions. For instance, an exercise provided for teachers to give their students asks students to "describe how Canada's participation in selected world events and contributions to international organizations and agreements (ie. UN and the UDHR; peacekeeping) have contributed to an evolving sense of national identity." 33 The attempt to promote this exercise that

30

Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan 2 0 17. , 2017.

31

Pashby, Karen, et al. “Discovering, Recovering, and Covering-up Canada: Tracing Historical Citizenship Discourses in K-12 and Adult Immigrant Citizenship Education.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de L’éducation, vol. 37, no. 2, 2014, pp. 1–26, dpl6hyzg28thp.cloudfront.net/media/Pashby_et_al.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

32

Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan 2 0 17. , 2017.

33

Pashby, Karen, et al. “Discovering, Recovering, and Covering-up Canada: Tracing Historical Citizenship Discourses in K-12 and Adult Immigrant Citizenship Education.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue

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focuses on UN contributions as the sole meaning of Canadian multiculturalism increases the erasure of the Chinese Head tax, which is warily avoided, and is not what multiculturalism looks like. Not only are the textbooks outdated, but teachers’ guides and manuals are also not catalysts for positive change.

When a major theme communicated throughout each textbook is the concept of the “Canadian identity,” it is crucial we aid students in defining that identity. It is evident that the current curriculum does not provide well-rounded and centralized information on Asian Canadian history, a perspective that is equally important when defining Canadian identity as European-Canadian perspectives. Not only is this harmful for students' understanding of the culture, but it is also harmful for Asian Canadian students. It is important for Asian Canadian students to see an accurate portrayal of their culture as it aids in developing their sense of self-discovery, identity, and self-acceptance. It is often forgotten that Canadians of non-western descent may often find themselves lost in their identity. From being away from the country of their ethnicity to assimilating in a different culture, it is only natural for students to go through a journey of self-discovery. Learning about their culture in school can foster an internal pride and a clear sense of much-needed belonging. Seeing the impacts of history education on their culture in the real world will aid in their acceptance of being proudly Asian Canadian.

When we, all students of Ontario (not just Asian Canadian students), officially recognize the dark history that Asian immigrants had to endure to provide for their families, it is an opportunity for sympathy and compassion for the community. This will not only promote growth and self discovery, but it is also a crucial step for people with racially biased thoughts. In history class, students with a skewed mindset on racism will be able to look at events through a factual

Canadienne de L’éducation, vol. 37, no. 2, 2014, pp. 1–26, dpl6hyzg28thp.cloudfront.net/media/Pashby_et_al.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

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lens, without the influences of social media, news sites, or even their parents. By deciding their opinions in their own minds with accurate information, they will be able to see what these historical events truly mean for minority communities. They will be taught how rights and privileges are given to or withheld from certain communities because of their skin color. Through primary education that instills justice in students' mindsets, history education will build a safer and more understanding environment. The main goal for history education is to shape the minds that will lead the future, to shape the minds that will determine the mechanism to improve human rights in Canada, and to shape the minds that we will depend on to put an end to racially targeted attacks on the Asian Canadian community.

Policy options and recommendations

Only when we admit the wrongdoings and fully commit to restoring justice and faith can we truly begin reaching for the goal of "ensuring equity." As the problem has been clearly identified, a solution must be put in place to remedy the situation. There are two viable solutions to include more content on Asian Canadian history in all ministry-approved textbooks.

One of the main issues with the current history curriculum is the lack of time to discuss the vast amount of content in depth and become deeply connected with any one subject. A possible tangible solution is to dedicate a week to Asian Canadian education in May (in honor of Asian Heritage month) or require at least 7-8 hours of class time to learn about Asian Canadian history. Each topic (noted in the table in Findings) should have a dedicated chapter of its own, especially the course content on Asian Canadians. This not only allows the teachers to have a clear sense of schedule, but also gives the students an immersive experience into the history of a particular minority group. While this solution is being implemented into the current education

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curriculum, school boards can also provide supplementary materials for teachers to teach the missing content. While there were optional teaching resources for teachers to use in the status quo, these materials should be mandatory while textbooks are making changes. A nuanced education is what will shift students' mindsets and what will change the current behaviours toward Asian Canadians in Ontario. As history continues to evolve everyday, it is vital to include relevant events in our history in new updated textbooks. So I urge you to not take this as a suggestion, but as a demand to improve the current insufficient course material. With these changes, Ontario public education can truly have the societal impact they aim for in the Action Plan.

In this new edition, it is crucial to include the rising number of targeted attacks since the spread of COVID-19. There have been numerous reports conducted by organizations, including Project 1907 and the official Stop AAPI hate organization, that quantify the rising hate crimes. Additionally, political leaders have led many constituents astray in their mindsets on diversity. For instance, when former U.S. president Donald Trump refers to the COVID-19 as the “Kung Flu” or the “China Virus,” he influences impressionable believers that that perspective is the correct one. A perspective of hate, prejudice, and unaccountable action will only cause the future to continue down that path. While this does not occur in Canada as often or explicitly as it does in the United States, these are impactful influences that turn the progress of anti-racism and inclusion. These are the topics that must be included in history textbooks as the political and social climate of Canada changes.

Another solution would be similar to the education advances in Illinois, United States, where a new bill requires every public school to include in its curriculum a “unit of instruction

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studying the events of Asian American history.” 34 While Ontario has always included Asian Canadian history in textbooks, there was never an urgency to truly and solemnly teach these topics. What Ontario education needs is a new start to pick up the momentum With acts of xenophobia, prevalent racism, and targeted discrimination occuring frequently, the ministry must implement new textbook content to highlight the importance of learning Asian Canadian history. This is why new textbook editions will be the spearheading action that works towards the ministry’s Action Plan goals.

Conclusion

As an Asian Canadian student who has learned the Canadian history curriculum and was left feeling unsatisfied, this topic is particularly personal. I noticed how little time I spent learning about my culture and the legacy the migrant workers left in the 1900s. Most importantly, I noticed how little impact the few lessons on Chinese Canadian history had on my classmates. After the PowerPoints had been shut down and the textbooks were shoved back in the lockers, nobody gave the topic another thought, including my teachers.

Utilizing only the three grades 9-10 history textbooks, I have found that course content discussing Asian Canadian history or racism is not nearly enough to truly have an impact on students. In order to successfully meet the goals of Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan, course content must be improved with up-to-date historical events and more frequent text changes for students to receive the education that can have a positive impact on Asian Canadian communities.

34

“Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB0376.” Www.ilga.gov, 9 July 2021, www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=376&GAID=16&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=110&GA=102. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

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I wish for thoughtful change that is evident in every Canadian's sentiments. I wish fortangible change that results in less verbal and violent attacks. It is time to restore the meaning ofCanadian identity and that can only be done by starting from the beginning.

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Works Cited

Armstrong, Julia, et al. Canadian Sources: Investigated : 1914 to Present, Revised Edition. Blackline Masters. Toronto, Ontario, Nelson Education, 2015.

Big Ideas Student Print Resource Eguide Teacher Resource Student EText Global and Regional Conflicts Have Been a Powerful Force in Shaping Our Contemporary World and Identities.

“Canadian Sources Investigated 1914-1919.Pdf.” Docs.google.com, docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=c21jZHNiLm9uLmNhfGNoYzJkLXdpd GgtbXMtd2hpcHB8Z3g6NGM5YjQ0M2FhMGNkM2Q1OQ.

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Census Profile, 2016 Census - Canada [Country] and Canada [Country].” Statcan.gc.ca, 2016, www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&G eo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins &SearchPR=01&B1=Visible%20minority&TABID=1&type=0.

“Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB0376.” Www.ilga.gov, 9 July 2021, www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=376&GAID=16&DocTypeID=HB&S essionID=110&GA=102. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

Lee, Myungjoon. “Plato’s Philosophy of Education: Its Implication for Current Education.” E-Publications@Marquette, 2010, epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations/AAI9517932/.

Liu, Stephanie. “Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Are Surging in Canada during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” CTVNews, 17 Mar. 2021,

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www.ctvnews.ca/canada/reports-of-anti-asian-hate-crimes-are-surging-in-canada-during-t he-covid-19-pandemic-1.5351481.

Louie, Monica, and St Catharines. From Academic to Personal: Addressing Asianness in Ontario Education. , 2020.

Mallea, John R., and Young. Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education: Issues and Innovations. Google Books, McGill-Queen’s Press - MQUP, 1984, books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8no897R1FXcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA290&dq=ontari o+history+textbooks+on+asian+canadians&ots=3h7Reb67DT&sig=lBmzyWhAs954aPD t-2n5AcWbzmY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021. McRae, Matthew. “The Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act | CMHR.” CMHR, 2019, humanrights.ca/story/the-chinese-head-tax-and-the-chinese-exclusion-act. Mhr. Creating Canada - a History - 1914 to the Present Second Edition. 2nd ed., Nelson, 31

Aug. 2014. Michael William Cranny, and Garvin Moles. Think History : Canadian History since 1914.

Toronto, Ontario, Pearson Canada Inc, 2016. Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan 2 0 17. , 2017. “Our Work.” Project 1907, www.project1907.org/reportingcentre. Pashby, Karen, et al. “Discovering, Recovering, and Covering-up Canada: Tracing Historical Citizenship Discourses in K-12 and Adult Immigrant Citizenship Education.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de L’éducation, vol. 37, no. 2, 2014, pp. 1–26, dpl6hyzg28thp.cloudfront.net/media/Pashby_et_al.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.

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PHE Eps Canada. Return to School 2020: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. 3 Sept. 2020,phecanada.ca/sites/default/files/content/docs/Home%20Learning%20Resource/Equity,%20Diversity%20and%20Inclusion.pdf.

Torne, Carolina. Study Guide Creating Canada a History - 1914 to the Present. 2013, www.icslearn.ca/-/media/files/canada/pdf/samplelessons/007-high-school-sample-lesson.pdf?la= en&hash=44E918388B9076837F9AB7FBAC26860FE629BDA3.