Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance–Vancouver
Statement

Filipino-Canadian Youth Statement on Police Efforts Focused on ‘Homegrown’ Terrorists

June 9, 2006

With last week’s arrests of 17 Muslim men, we, as Filipino youth in Canada, remain critical of racial profiling in the name of “anti-terrorism.”

In the post 9/11 “anti-terrorism” hysteria, communities of colour have witnessed an increase in our marginalization through racial profiling, arbitrary deportation, and such measures under the name of national security. Now, with news of these arrests we must be more vigilant against racism, especially with Canada’s new focus on so-called “homegrown terrorists,” a concept that puts youth of colour, no matter what generation at risk of being labelled as “terrorists” dangerously on the basis of our race.

While Canada needs the cheap labour and resources of immigrants, in times of crisis, we become scapegoats for unemployment and other social ills. The current hysteria over “homegrown terrorists” can only divert attention from the crisis in Canada to communities of colour.

Indeed, the alleged threat of terrorism in any setting is troubling. Yet equally troubling is the increase in racism and criminalization of youth of colour as a result.

Filipino youth are one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. While our number is growing, so is our marginalization because of barriers such as systemic racism.

The deaths of Jeffrey Reodica in Toronto (who was shot in the back by police) and Mao Jomar Lanot in Vancouver (who was beaten and killed by other youth of colour) in 2003 are only the worst examples. Our youth share experiences of being labeled “troublemakers” or “gangs” by the police and other figures of authority. Instead of genuinely trying to understand the context of newly-arrived Filipino youth and youth of colour and providing genuine and effective support and services for them, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) simply label our youth as “bad.” This racist tactic continues to criminalize immigrant youth, while the Canadian government and its institutions hide behind the masks of multiculturalism and diversity.

The Filipino community has been plagued by systemic racism since the first wave of our migration here, and it is intensely getting worse. The majority of the Filipino youth in Canada are products of forced migration, whose parents were required to work under the anti-women, and racist Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The LCP stipulates that women cannot bring their children with them. Therefore, Filipino youth experience long years of  family separation. When they are finally reunited in Canada, they are united as strangers while at the same time our youth must contend with adapting to a new life, culture, and society. This traumatic experience of separation, migration, and family re-unification takes a toll on our youth. It is therefore not surprising that Filipino youth have the second highest drop-out rate from Vancouver schools, and that Filipino youth have one of the lowest grade point averages compared to other youth.

Fear mongering around the so-called threat of “homegrown terrorists” is not the solution to the economic marginalization and alienation of Filipino youth and other youth of colour in Canada. Instead of putting more money into policing, Canada should put more attention to support grassroots organizations who work towards empowerment and genuine settlement and integration of immigrants into Canadian society.

We believe there is a crucial need to eliminate systemic racism and to safeguard against this new fear of “homegrown terrorists”. We will continue to educate and organize ourselves and reach out to other marginalized communities about the need to combat systemic racism towards our genuine development and equality in Canadian society. In this so-called multicultural and diverse society we also demand that Canadian institutions be accountable for the destructive impacts of systemic racism in their words, actions, policies and practices. 

Expose and oppose racism and criminalization of youth of colour in the name of “anti-terrorism!”

Uphold the human rights and civil liberties of youth and other people of colour!