Canada Defends Use of 'Visible Minorities' At UN

In which the UN is worried that the wording of a Canadian law that seeks to end racism is racist itself. Seriously.

The Canadian delegation to the United Nations has offered a defence of the government's use of the term “visible minorities” after the world body criticized Canada four years ago for using it in legislation. The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racism found that “visible minorities” implied that white people were the standard by which other ethnicities were judged. Canada says in the report that it is the only acceptable term that can cover the swath of people targeted as one of four groups – along with the disabled, aboriginal people, and women – in the Employment Equity Act, which seeks to end workplace discrimination for all those groups.

Related link:

Harper’s Very Cynical, ‘Very Ethnic’ Strategy