Who Do We Think We Are? Canadians say some ethnic groups still face
discrimination: Exclusive CBC News/Environics Poll

    
                 TURN TO CBC-TV, CBC NEWS NETWORK, CBC RADIO
                         AND CBCNews.ca ON MARCH 15
    

TORONTO, March 12 /CNW/ - One in three Canadians will belong to a visible minority by 2031, according to the latest Statistics Canada report. But, an exclusive CBC News/Environics poll reveals that we have mixed feelings about this new reality. In its ongoing series Who Do We Think We Are? CBC News investigates Canada's multicultural makeup beginning Monday, March 15 - and what we're getting right and wrong.

The exclusive CBC News/Environics poll finds Canadians more accepting of others, yet at the same time we have some distance to bridge when it comes to complete racial tolerance. One-third of Canadians still feel specific identifiable groups face intolerance.

The survey results are significant because Canada boasts the highest rate of immigration in the developed world. Multiculturalism is part of our national identity, something Canadians say they're most proud of. But the perception of discrimination lingers. CBC News explores the issues surrounding this. Stories that will be covered on CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network and CBCNews.ca include how the city of Prince George, B.C. is building a mosque in an effort to encourage Muslim professionals to stay in this northern community; the status of Muslims and South Asians in Quebec, where the effort to integrate minorities is frequently undermined by inflammatory incidents; the narrowing of the gap in opinions about racial tolerance between older and younger generations; a look at the cultures that poll respondents feel still face discrimination and a report on the changing multicultural makeup of Canada.

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For further information: Tracey Williams, Andrea Ellison, Media Profile, Toronto, [phone], [email protected], [email protected]