Indo-Canadian Veterinarians Confront Association

A dogfight between Indo-Canadian veterinarians and the organization that enforces standards of practice for all vets in British Columbia ended up on the steps of the legislature Wednesday. A protest spokesman said the veterinary association is targeting the Indo-Canadian vets because they charge lower service fees than their counterparts. The Indo-Canadian vets practise primarily in suburban communities east of Vancouver where their clients are mostly Indo-Canadian.

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Another Racist Attack on Indo-Canadian Seniors

Just two years after a white teenager assaulted an elderly Indo-Canadian man (73-year-old Baghel Randhawa) in Delta and a white teenager and a mixed race teenager brutally attacked and killed two Indo-Canadians (Mewa Singh Bains, 82, and Shingara Singh Thandi, 76) in two separate assaults in Surrey’s Bear Creek Park, four white teenagers in Abbotsford on Tuesday (May 29) hurled racial slurs and stones at an elderly Indo-Canadian couple, injuring the woman.

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Don’t Ignore Nepal’s Grassroots People

“The grassroots people of Nepal, and especially rural women, are extremely aware of their rights and it will be almost impossible to ignore them in coming years.” These were the words of Shahrzad Arshadi, a Canadian filmmaker who is making a movie on the social status of Nepalese women. She was speaking on an interaction program “The Dreams and Realities of New Nepal” organized by South Asia Research and Resource Centre based in Montreal on April 29, 2006.

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Seeking Apology 100 After Racist Policy

The 1907 Provincial Elections Amendment Act stated that no “Chinaman”, “Japanese”, “Hindu”, or “Indian” shall have his name placed on the register of voters for any electoral district, or be entitled to vote in any election. Hindu described any native of India not born of Anglo-Saxon parents. Earlier, the B.C. legislature had disenfranchised people of Chinese in 1872, and those of Japanese descent in 1895. These groups finally got the right to vote in 1947.

(click here to read more from the Georgia Straight)

 

Challenging Racism in Surrey Soccer League

SURREY – The Surrey soccer world is in an uproar following complaints from some Indo-Canadian parents and coaches of discrimination by soccer officials. Although the mediator is expected to report in coming days, a complaint appears headed to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. “It’s systemic discrimination. It’s not overt. These people are threatened by the Indo-Canadian community becoming more and more involved,” said Sukhi Sandhu, a coach and parent who is at the heart of the issue and has raised concerns about discrimination previously.

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Discussion on Caste and Violence

In India, people are divided and known according to the castes they belong to. Caste is ancient system of social stratification followed by Hindus for centuries and still intact in its premitive form. On this episode’s show, we feature a documentary about India’s Caste System and a recording of a discussion at the South Asian Women’s Centre in Montreal reflecting on violence.

(click here to listen from the South Asian Community News Collective)

 

Desi Women Rally Against Violence in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — Kara Gakhal flashed back to 1996 every time she heard of an Indo-Canadian woman being slain last fall in British Columbia. That’s when her cousin Rajwar and eight other members of her family were killed by Rajwar’s ex-husband in Vernon. He then committed suicide. The spate of attacks inspired a rally last night in the heart of Vancouver’s Punjabi market, which also honoured the memory of Ms. Gakhal’s family and put a public face on the issue of domestic violence in the South Asian community.

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Another Murder Highlights Domestic Violence

A murder and manhunt originating in Ahwatukee Foothills captured global headlines this week and stirred concern about domestic violence among Indian couples. The Ahwatukee slaying is the latest in a string of cases in which Indo-Canadian men have been charged with the murder of their wives, the Vancouver Sun reported this week.

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Surrey Metro Soccer and Discrimination

For the last few years I have heard about the stories of Indo-Canadian players and coaches in Surrey feeling discomfort and the perception of unfair treatment and perceived power dynamics within the Surrey Soccer Association (SSA) which sadly have robbed some kids of experiencing the true spirit of soccer. I wish to expose three examples of how rules have been informally applied and seem to impose certain handicaps on some coaches which seems to be further aggravated by the fact that they are Indo-Canadian.

(click here to read more from the Voice Online)

 

More than Just an Arts Festival

Communities, Resistance, and the Story of Desh Pardesh

Desh Pardesh was a Toronto-based arts festival that strove to bring forward the voices of those who are most silenced inside the South Asian community and society at large: gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered people. In putting together this case study the author draws on mainstream and ‘alternative’ print media sources, post-colonial theory, her own experience and solicited observations from individuals closely involved with Desh Pardesh throughout its 13-year existence.

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