Quel ironie, as they say in one of Canada's two official languages (a policy which, come to think of it, could also be construed as "racist" since it elevates two langues over all the others being spoken in our glorious multiculti Trudeaupia):
...The [UN "human rights"] committee members ruled in 2007 that they were "concerned" the government's use of the term contravened the "aims and objectives" of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which entered into force in 1969 and was ratified by Canada a year later.
"The use of the term seemed to somehow indicate that 'whiteness' was the standard, all others differing from that being visible," said committee member Patrick Thornberry, a British international and human rights law professor.
Now the committee, which meets twice a year, is scheduling Canada among 11 countries for a session expected early in 2012 — even though it has seen only 100 of the 174 member states since Canada's last appearance.
Ottawa indicates the term 'visible minorities' is simply a reference to one of four groups the government seeks to protect against possible discrimination in the workplace. The others are Aboriginal Peoples, the disabled and women.
"The term is specific to the administration of the Employment Equity Act . . . " the document before the committee says. "The act is similar to a 'special measure' taken for the purpose of securing advancement of certain racial or ethnic groups as referred to in . . . the convention."
It's not clear how much the government spent on the various inquiries aimed at addressing the UN concern, but the workshop, which was attended by government officials, academics and representatives from non-governmental organizations, appears to have sowed confusion...No kidding.
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