Dear Editor,
Re: “Parent group founder goes it alone,” Election 2017, March 31.
When I first saw the news about Dong Pan wanting to run for election in Richmond, I scoffed it off, but then I realized how serious the matter is. I decided to write this letter because It wouldn’t be right not to address his blatant display of ignorance.
Pan argues that having extra sensitivity to gender identity in schools is “mainstream” and that it fails to protect other minority groups.
First of all, Pan fails to see that the LGBTQ are indeed a minority group, and one of the most vulnerable ones, at that. LGBTQs are some of the most vulnerable because an LGBTQ person can fall into several minority groups all at once. For example, an LGBTQ person can be transgender, a visible minority, and an immigrant. Each of these groups are likely to be subject to discrimination. The more minority groups a person is part of, the more likely they will feel oppressed and unsafe.
Second, he is missing the point about what it means to be a Canadian citizen in today’s society. Canada is one of the greatest countries on the planet because most Canadians learn to accept and tolerate the views of others, just like how most Canadians will continue to accept and tolerate the views of Parents Care. However, mainstream Canadians will continue to shut down the views of Pan and Parents Care because mainstream Canadians want to uphold the intrinsic value of making our society as safe as possible, for as many vulnerable people as possible.
In 1971, when Pierre Elliot Trudeau declared Canada would adopt a multicultural policy, there was, no doubt, some backlash. But today, because Canadians upheld the mainstream value of inclusivity, we have a beautiful, vibrant, and multicultural society.
We still see racism against visible minorities today, but many “mainstream” Canadians continue to try to provide a safe environment for as many vulnerable people as possible by shutting down racist values.
Go ahead and cry foul, but it is because of mainstream policies that Canada is a great place to live and people from all over the world continue to move here to have a better life.
Peter Sammarco
Richmond
