Canadian Salad

In a recent study, more than 50% of immigrants surveyed that they have little knowledge of the Canada's truth of the genocide and assimilation of Indigenous Peoples. As immigrants to Canada, we come with immense privileges in accessing community resources and government supports. But a big part is missing when we are not taught the truth and the reality of the Original People's experienc...

Another naysayer commented on our TikTok said that if immigrants can't be polite like Canadians, then they should leave. It is a narrow and outdated notion that the social construct of politeness isn't found in newcomers and immigrants in Canada. As if countries around the world don't have high standards of politeness, the ask is expecting immigrants to have a superhuman attitude, p...

In August of this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently established a new policy for international students wherein their post-graduate work permits will not be renewed. Students who have created communities, established jobs and started families will need to return to their countries of origin. The impact will be devastating in this ecosystem we call 'Canada&apos...

After immigration being open for so many years, you'd think that people would come up with something new to blame immigrants for. But alas, here we are, in the 21st century and people are still blaming immigrants for housing and employment issues. Welcome to the immigrant blame game where dusty, lame tropes and uncurious minds fill the air. While most of us are exhausted by this rhetoric, we&...

Let's say your father is from Mexico. Your Mother is from Jamaica and you are raised in Scotland. You move to Canada to settle and make roots. But what do you root to? Your father's heritage? Your mother's? What about your Scottish upbringing? This is a Third Culture Kid. Last week, a new magazine, 'Three', launched in Canada. Inspired and created by a Third Culture Kid (T...

Join us in our 'Dishes Out,' as we clap back and spill the tea on the same old anti-immigrant comments. People really are bent on assimilation - not towards foods, music or art - but people. Yup - people. People want people to be the same when they come to Canada. So we serve up a sassy rebuttal to this timeless rhetoric and remind all of us that being who we are and bringing everything...

How do you define yourself? Is it based on where you originated from? Your ancestors? Your race? In a colonial system, why must we have to defend who we are? Isn’t how we self-identify enough?  In August of this year, the Federal Government awarded billions of dollars to non-verified Indigenous businesses. Proving who we are to a system which tells us who we need to be isn’t living our human exper...

What is Canadian Salad all about and what does it even mean? Find out!  Let us know what you think of this episode! Text us! Go to Canadian Salad Website for all sources cited in this episode. Sign up for our newsletter to stay connected: https://www.canadiansalad.ca/contact And please refer us to your friends, family and that racist uncle that just doesn't get it. Follow us on TikTok and Ins...

In this solo episode, Andrea provides a bit of gossip and fun facts around the 2024 Paris Olympics including: The Canadian women's soccer team's drone scandal, The debut of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team emblem, and  The first equal female to male gender participation Olympic event.  Andrea also discusses the inhumane decision by France to ban hijabs for their athletes in the Olympics, exp...

Sadly again, the X platform was alive and full of fire with a recent post citing hate towards migrants from India to Canada. The claim: they're illiterate, with low class backgrounds and with no civic duty. It's a comment that anti-immigrant and anti-migrant noise makers, influencers and media channels are using to spread lies and misinformation.  Migrants are people with dreams, ambitio...

On Sunday, July 21st, Vice President Kamala Harris was endorsed by the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to run as the Democratic Party candidate for president. If nominated, Kamala would become the first person ever of South Asian descent and one of the few Black women in US history to headline a major US political party's ticket. Yes, she is a political leader in the US but...

Mr. Marc Miller has done it again. At a recent citizenship event in Calgary, Mr. Miller stated that Canada needs "more diversity, more qualified, more talented bunch of people". Putting immigrants into camps of "quality" doesn't sound like a very quality statement. We provide immigration pathways for immigrants but deny them jobs after university, deny their skills they ca...

"Horrific act." "Political violence is never acceptable." "I am sickened by the shooting at former president Trump." "I condemn in strongest terms the attempted murder of former president Trump today." From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Canada's Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae, most all of Canada's political leaders had something to say of the assa...

"The new immigrants are entitled!" People have their opinions barring when it comes to immigrants speaking up for themselves. Recently, a consumer of the internets, a browser of the socials, stated that the immigrants coming to Canada are entitled.  Hostion and Andrea? Well, we're speaking up for ourselves and for the immigrants who are used to keeping their head down, their mouths...

In a recent report conducted by Leger and the National Post , 70% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents agreed that immigrants coming to Canada should be screened for "sharing common Canadian values". What is even more interesting is that Statistics Canada also wrote a report showcasing the difference between Canadian-born and immigrants, and how they perceive these Canadian values.  Hosti...

On Canada Day this year, a large anti-immigrant protest was led by a group called 'Take Back Canada'. Their sentiment is that immigration is way out of control and that immigrants are to blame for the housing crisis and the lack of opportunities for Canadian-born people. While this group does not advocate for Indigenous rights or cultural equity, they do feel it necessary to blame immigr...

July 1st in Canada - a.k.a creation of the Constitution, a.k.a. The Chinese Exclusion Act, a.k.a. Dominion Day, or as we presently know it, Canada Day. So much painful history in this country. And so much joy at the same time. How do we make sense of this colonial holiday while making space for those who truly value the rights and freedoms they have found here?  Andrea and Hostion will unpack the...

One of our most recent TikTok posts received over 8,000 views (don't laugh, that's a lot for us). What was it about? It was about how often people will lazily call an immigrant another name because their name is just "too difficult" to say. While there were many supportive people, there were some haters, naysayers and even scientists!! Who knew! We're dishing out. A person...

Music is powerful. It draws us into places that we know and sometimes into places we have yet to be. As immigrants, sometimes music is the traveller with us, the solace when we're lonely and the means to connect in a new culture. Join Andrea and her friend Álvaro Moreno as they discuss the immigrant we rarely talk about: music. Álvaro landed as a refugee to Canada over 30 years ago. His love...

We recently were told that since we are being critical of things in Canada, then we must hate it here. Unfortunately, that kind of logic only allows for one feeling or one expression at a time. We're human!  We don't hate our partner because we criticized them for never doing their share of the housework. We can hold appreciation and criticism at the same time. It's not about one si...

It's Pride Month and your two immigrant friends are bringing you all lots of love, the history of pride and what it means to truly love. Join Andrea and Hostion as they share their own journey with pride. Hear how Hostion's journey led him to his first Pride experience in Hong Kong and how thankful he is to live his true self in Canada. Hear how Andrea's journey led her to be an all...

Did you know that Hostion and Andrea were told recently that the only reason they have anything is because white men gave them everything? It's true. And to pause, reflect and express gratitude, we're dishing it out on this episode. It's the narrative that people hold but we're not letting it stand. There is a lot that we have in which white men, honestly, did nothing. Silly pe...

Cue the cringe music because most of us have either asked someone this question OR we have been asked this question directly. It's a question that most people who are being racially profiled or who may speak with an accent get asked. And for many of us white folks, it's a question we use to displace a person (even if we think it's us being 'curious'). Why does this questio...

We are appalled that an elected official recently blamed immigrants for a hate crime that is still under investigation. Listen to Hostion and Andrea dish it out in response to the Premier of Ontario Doug Ford and his comments that hurt, hate and dehumanize immigrants. There is no room for hateful incidents against Jewish people within Canada and there is no room for hateful comments against immigr...

Usually the first thing we know about someone is their name. Names can tell all sorts of stories - stories of history, family, location or tradition. Our name is what marks us as us. Our name is how others see us. More than just letters, a name is a person. But what happens when you change your name?  Immigrants and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, historically and even today, find them...