I plan on traveling to Canada, but I do have this worry.
To be more specific, I’m not kinda black, my skin’s somehow white, but I have black relatives, which means I got wavy hair and some other things.
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Yes. If you’re out east, there’s a ton of black people. Out west, less so. Either way people will be friendly.
Don’t be American or Indian and you’re fine.
I’m brazillian, so…
People shouldn’t give you problems.
Well, they do.
Stay out of Quebec and you’ll be fine.
Alright, off Qebec, off Alberta, off islands and off rural zones. This post’s getting helpful.
Not saying you can’t find openly racist people in the country, especially some very rural areas, but the chance of running into people who aren’t friendly to visiting foreigners of any appearance is extremely low. Canada is quite multicultural, especially in the major cities where you wouldn’t even garner a second glance from people.
Nobody will know you’re a traveller unless you tell them. And most likely they will welcome you if you do tell them.
We’ve got a “range” but most fall into friendly category. People will stop to help you when you’re stuck.
If they’re not, you let me know. I’ll thump 'em a good one for you.
I would say Canadians are more polite than friendly. Too polite to be really friendly a lot of the time.
I hear this all the time. What does friendly mean in this context? When you’re meeting complete strangers for a very brief time (like in an elevator or a coffee shop) do you want them to be close and intimate like a friend? I would think the best you can and should be is polite.
Stay away from Alberta and you should be safe.
alberta politics is awkward but people are friendly in larger communities. Some remote small communities may be awkward but not always.
I was frequently harassed and the rest just stood by and did nothing. I won’t be going back.
I would actually say Alberta politics are insane, but disregarding that, people here are still usually friendly enough. Yes racism and bigotry is still (baffling) a universal experience, something you could possibly come into contact with, well, just about anywhere in the world.
Are you going to get a sideways look somewhere? I mean maybe, can’t say for sure you won’t. But are you going to get run out of town by people bearing pitchforks and torches? Well no. I can almost say for certainty that won’t happen anywhere in our country. A Canadian, even the goofy ass hillbilly ones that shout at clouds and vaccines on Facebook, would file that under something pretty god damn weird. And we collectively largely ignore those ones. Behind their backs we point and laugh at them too, so fear not.
Come see our country OP. It’s beautiful, and almost universally welcoming and accessible. Don’t forget your coat this time of year, it sure is beautiful but it’s also cold as shit in certain areas. Personally I think the atmosphere adds to the beauty.
Not all of us are jerks :(
The majority are though. I didn’t feel safe when I last went there.
I’m not gonna pretend everything is fine and dandy here. Not an Alberta native, and a lot of things still shock me even after 3 years here (how dominant religion is in some segments of the population, all the fucking trucks everywhere all the time, people keep on voting conservative despite, well, everything they’re actually doing…). But I don’t think it’s as big of a majority as one would think. FPTP politics will distort reality and make the place look more conservative than it really is. All that to say - I get the negative image, and the reality on the ground will vary based on where you are and who you meet. Hopefully we can get the place into a state where people feel safe coming here.
Do they dismiss entire provinces’ worth of people as jerks based on a single experience? Because that would be a pretty awful thing for them to do, yeah.
I mean look at what the government is doing and how most albertans support them. They have the largest emissions per capita in North America.
what the government is doing
Which is?
how most albertans support them.
Let’s hear those specifics, I think you’ll find that the population’s not as supportive of whatever you’re imagining they’re supporting. And in particular the large cities, which are NDP strongholds.
They have the largest emissions per capita in North America.
This is why you think a tourist wouldn’t be safe here? Because we’re an oil-producing province?
Better advise OP not to visit Norway either, they must be monsters over there.
Better advise OP not to visit Norway either, they must be monsters over there.
The cops don’t carry guns there and the population is more accepting of other people groups.
But their emissions!
buddy I grew up in Alberta. and there’s 2 things to sum up the people.
During mask mandates I was in the Carstairs post office, and saw a woman with no mask picking up 2 boxes labeled cristianbooks.com
the second is everyone in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment.
these are two light hearted examples, with many more in the memory bank.
there’s jerks everyone. My worst bit of transphobia was in Toronto.
But Alberta does seem to have the highest concentration of jerks. at least as far as my experience has gone.
During mask mandates I was in the Carstairs post office,
Carstairs is a rural town with a population of 4900.
the second is everyone in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment.
Oh, everyone?
I happen to be Albertan and the notion of being compared to Texas fills me with anger. I’d like you to back that up with some kind of poll or statistic, please.
On the anger about Albertans being painted as lunatics and compared to Texas, I mean come on, you don’t need stats or polls to see how that is. Not when the press focuses in, rightfully, on our premier who has both a pick-me complex, and insists on (loudly) representing the most grossest, fringest interests, which are wildly xenophobic, authoritarian, science denying, treasonist and corrupt in it’s wildest extremes. Which is baffling when you consider that it’s a pretty small number of our overall population that actually is represented by this nonsense. That only have power because of our distorted ways that we vote for representation, and weird ass governments that completely rug pull and stand for mandates they refuse to acknowledge at election time, because their wackadoodle party keeps getting hijacked and controlled by these fringe unelected people.
So don’t be confused or have shocked Pikachu face or anything when people outside (or inside) the province paint us with these brushes. It’s deserved, because we keep allowing it to happen. We keep allowing these people to abuse us and control the narrative about who we are.
Oh yes, I know why people have picked up a distorted and prejudiced view of Albertans.
Should I go “oh, okay then, carry on believing that and propagating the stereotype?”
It’s true that we’ve got a terrible premier. It is not true that it’s “unsafe” for tourists to visit. It’s not true that “everyone in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment.” And so I will call those falsehoods out when they’re propagated.
if your taking things that literally on the internet, I can’t help you.
but what I can say is I didnt know anyone who understood it’s an insult was until I moved out of Alberta. So everyone I met while growing up, yeah.
for the record I grew up in Calgary.
OP is being warned to “stay away” specifically from Alberta because we’re apparently not safe to be around, how am I supposed to be taking this? So far the only solid reasons that have been given are:
- Alberta produces a lot of oil.
- Someone in a small town post office didn’t wear a mask while picking up a box of books related to Christianity, which I might add is far more widely practised in Canada’s eastern provinces.
- Apparently “everyone” in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment. Based on the fact that you personally didn’t know anyone who thought otherwise, in your particular social bubble.
So yeah, I’m rather offended. I think OP would have a perfectly fine time coming to visit Alberta.
Thanks, friend. Noted that down.
I only speak for most Canadians, but we’re the greatest fucking country in the world, and we love all colours, sizes, types…
ymmv, eh!
Seriously, though, there are assholes everywhere but you’re unlikey to encounter them. We’re an extremely polite, helpful, accomodating and accepting society, so carry on!
Most areas are a mixed bag of all colours, and nobody cares. You may still encounter a racist or two, but it is not overt racism like the USA is displaying right now.
it’s fine. The only difference I’ve seen is how some other Canadians are treating Americans now. just a bit more cold towards them. Other than that specific thing it’s not an issue.
You will be just fine. Enjoy yourself here.
Yes. If you are from the United States, you might not get welcomed as warmly as you once were. There is an occasional racist, but overall, Canadians are very welcoming.
Canada is not a progressive shangri-la that media portrays. Cities are very multicultural, but those groups hate each other. Rural Canada is all white and full of hate. Quebec is fine in Montreal and Quebec city, but the rest of the province hates immigrants.
However, you will not encounter open hate and violence like the USA shithole.
Nice blanket generalization of a whole population.
Also, the most racist anti immigrant shit I see is from Ontarians and Albertans and about Indian-Canadians.
So, in other words; fuck off, asshole.
Thanks, gonna keep an eye open.
Rural Canada is all white and full of hate.
Yeah, I’m here. We have minorities (for some reason - you crossed an ocean, why Buttfuck, AB?) and everyone seems to get along at least in public. Not sure how much worse it is than the city on race issues, honestly, although I’m white and it makes it hard to tell. You’ll have a lot more trouble if you’re gay, and I try very hard to hide my politics.
Interestingly, Evangelicalism has been hit especially hard with a demographic shift as their missionary converts come back, and their white members leave.
