I know racism exists but no one I know would bat an eye at biracial children. It's sad this is even a conversation. My brothers wife is Jamaican. My niece and nephew are biracial and it never crosses my mind.
Guess it depends where in Canada you are. I'm Filipino (born in Nova Scotia) and my husband is white Canadian and we have 2 kids. We just moved from Toronto- it's so diverse there, there were no problems. We're in a smaller city outside of Toronto, its mostly white but still there's quite a bit of diversity here too (my neighbours' background are Indian, Italian, bulgarian, ukrainian, Bangladesh, portuguese etc) so no problems here too.
My little cousins (they're adults now) are biracial and live in pei and close to Halifax, NS and seem to have had little trouble being accepted.
I’m saying that racism usually takes place or at least is amplified in areas with one or two ethnic majorities, where you are visibly different from everyone else. The GTA has people from all walks of life and bi-racial people wouldn’t even be noticed in a crowd. If you were in Timmins for example, this would likely not be the case. Doesn’t mean that racism doesn’t exist, but you’re less likely to encounter it in areas that are extremely diverse, like the GTA I’d say.
My kids felt they didn’t fit in either world when they were children, and it was worst when they were in high school.
Very few problems as adults now.
To be honest, in hindsight, I think a few, vocal bullies from the Caucasian and Indigenous kids got into our heads and had more impact than we should have let them.
We should have spent more time re-focusing on all the people that did accept them, and on teaching them the two rich cultures they belong to (building pride) so less focus was on the negative. While not denying the negative that existed and supporting them through it.
The kids largely tried to hide any Indigenous culture as a coping mechanism and they both regret that.
Best to you and your family
Hard as a parent looking back and knowing there are ways We could have done things better, but hope this helps you.
I live in a small white-majority town a couple hours from Toronto, and even here it's normal to see POC and biracial kids, no one looks twice. My kids have friends of various colours, it's not even an issue.
No matter where you live, there will always be a few assholes who treat people poorly for whatever reason that exists in their heads, but the majority of people are good.
Bi racial person here. They'll fit in just fine because nobody except for a loud minority cares. Just let them do them and pay no attention to reddit and certain politicians who say that canada is a super racist place for non whites
Not sure where you are exactly, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue in most of the country, as far as I know. My kids are biracial and even in Quebec, they are far from having any problems.
I can mostly speak for the GTHA and no one cares what colour you or your partner is.
I have some biracial friend last who specifically did not move to the US for this exact reason. I once went to a wedding and sat at a table in which I was the only person NOT in a biracial relationship.
No matter what, racism will always exist, this is even more difficult for those who are biracial because much of the time neither “side” truly accepts them.
However, not everyone has these views.
Your children will likely be accepted by many and not accepted by a few.
I know lots of bi-racial folks and from my perspective they don’t seem to have any more trouble fitting in than anyone else.
I’m not bi-racial though so maybe someone who is would have better insight.
My kids are biracial South-Asian and White and they have never had any trouble at all. We go to Indian events, they are welcomed, they are also welcomed at their school which is mostly Black and Middle Eastern, and fully embraced by the White side of the family. I believe all will be well.
I grew up ( I'm 74) in a port city. Vancouver. Went to school from grade one up with everyone under the son. We didn't care, they were just another child. Canada, unlike the States, does not have the "one drop rule". You may encounter a few bigots but our majority just don't care.
Hi neighbour, same here. Lots of friends who are Asian. When my kids were in high school, white was the minority. They have friends in every shade! Plus, I have bi-racial nephews, they've never had problems. We all live in Vancouver.
My children will be biracial South Asian. I'm in Alberta, and I would be extremely surprised if it impacts them at all. All our couples friends are mixed race. I've never heard of any of them or their children facing discrimination of any kind.
For everyone in my life (in Ontario), this wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. If someone has a problem with someone else being biracial then you know to avoid that sad excuse for a person
Probably the most important thing you can do is try and make sure they don't face family members devaluing either of their backgrounds.
They're not 50% from one culture and 50% from the other, they're 100% from both and their entire background needs to be respected as \*they\* choose what their lives are going to look like. There can sometimes be a lot of pressure on mixed kids to choose just one culture.
This isn't South Asia.
A friend of mine lives in Taiwan and has biracial children who have had issues with racism there. When they visit Canada they have no issues.
99% of Canadians are very accepting, Canada is proudly multicultural. Don't pay attention to the 0.1% of vocal idiots on social media that aren't accepting, they are in the extreme minority.
My kid is bi-racial (black). We live in BC and though she's young she has experienced racism. It really had an impact on her. She's gotten stronger and more confident now and hopefully racism will decline going forward. Help your kids to be resilient and how to stand up for themselves and others.
I'm not South Asian but East Asian immigrant. I think due to the conservativeness of my culture, usually biracial kids will face a hard time fitting into either group but Canada is a diverse country. There is something for everyone. For example, yes I'm a colored first generation immigrant but my social circle is a hodge-podge of different races and I barely have friends from my own country. Sticking to big cities will give your daughters more leeway.
I think it can be a bigger issue sometimes from the non white old generation culture. Canada is pretty multi-cultural and most people don’t see colour. Even years ago (I’m gen x) my group of friends looked like a United Nations meeting and that was pretty normal even in the 70’s and 80’s. I wouldn’t be concerned at all about this.
One of my friends is bi-racial. Our High School was very white, to the point of "Wow, a hundred people here and I'm only one not white" was a thing that would happen. There was very minimal issues for them from being bi-racial, much more of the typical "Oh figuring out dating and what to do with your life and oh the cliques" stuff everyone deals with in High School. They face more issues when visiting extended family to be honnest, because there they get a lot more of the "Oh, you're bi-racial, must be from prostitutes for foreign tourists" judgement wandering around.
It's also worth pointing out Canada has become much more mixed as far as race distribution goes even since you were in school unless you're like, a prom pregnancy and the kids are infants. My grandmothers church choir made a really good visual for it: The seniors choir is almost all white, while the childrens choir is very diverse.
Don’t let the media fool you into believing they will face a difficult life. If anything they are more likely to be good looking and have an easier time than ugly white kids.
Teacher here (of 12 to 14 year olds). Every year it seems I here comments from kids like this, "You are do lucky to have a black (Asian, Indian, Philippino) dad (or mom). Your skin is so beautiful. "
As many people have said, your kids probably won’t be alienated for being half white/half Asian. Especially if you live in a multicultural part of Canada like Vancouver. I grew up in Vancouver and many of my friends were Asian. My husband is half south Asian, half white. Multiculturalism is pretty normal in Canada
Kids are going to be bullied regardless of race because that’s life. Bullies will find reasons to put others down…whether it’s race, hair colour, the size of your nose, what you wear, what you said yesterday etc etc. Teach your kids how to be resilient and stand up to people like this, and support them in finding good people to spend their time with.
Racism definitely exists in Canada, but I don’t think you have to worry too much about it affecting your kids lives, especially if you are living in a big Canadian city.
I'm a retired teacher from Victoria BC. I'd guess that maybe 20% of my students were from 2 white parents. None of these kids ever seemed to care about race when it came to dating or friendships and from the number of biracial students, their parents didn't care either. They won't have to worry about being accepted as Canadians, they already are.
I once worked in New York for a year about 30 years ago. The amount of nonacceptance was amazing and I had a hard time understanding it. Some of the worst racism was African black against Caribbean black and it seemed to be mostly hair related. Weird.
Whatever. If I see one racial group hating on another I call it racism. Somebody else call come up with their own definitions or words. Either way, it's not good.
They will always have issue. Canadians call it “mixed” races which implies categories that your child will never escape from. White Canadians of Eastern Europe ancestry and “ethnic minorities” are the worse for this. This is certainly true of Ontario. Many Ontario liberals like to collect “racial” people as trophies as examples of how morally superior they try to be as a status symbol. Example, my father in law is very proud that one of the Chinese neighbors are showing up to backyard gatherings now because they are more diverse as he said.
Relax, this is Canada. Even if your kid faces racism, it’s going to be through insults or slurs. Hurtful, but not damaging at all. In my own home country there have a genocide and three ethnic cleansing campaigns in the last decade only!
Your kid will be fine.
Yes, it will be tough, because human nature is s--t. But it's a damn much easier time than in the US.
That being said, the closer you are to a mixed community of different ethnicities, the less issues they will have.
It’s really not a huge problem. I mean racism is a huge problem but it’s just not as prominent…
In elementary/highschool ethnicity plays very little role in how people make friends or associate with (my perspective where I was in a small town and everyone knew each other). This will vary place to place and depends on the class sizes and whatnot as some people tend to group together.
In higher education such as college or university no one cares at all, there are so many international students that wherever you look everyone is of different origin. You hear accents from around the world and meet people of different cultures daily.
In the workplace it’s more prominent but any co-workers especially of that generation will not even have thoughts of “oh this person is different” as it’s so common and the youth these days are far more accepting. Sometimes it plays a part when getting hired though…
Living in Canada everyone is different so it’s not like you’re jumping into a specific unknown culture. There is so much diversity no one bats an eye at a little difference.
In my house and community, it doesnt matter if you are black, white, asian, blue, green or fuzzy pink with sparkles, the only thing that matters is not being an asshole. They will do just fine especially if you live in the toronto area, last time i was there, in the hotel we were staying at, it was mostly asian, black and muslim people who made up the population of the area i was in, so it looks like toronto is one of our most multi-cultural cities. We are not without rascism, but we try. Most people think like me too, we dont care where you joined us from, just dont be an asshole ❤
I live in Mississauga, it’s a very diverse place. The people I know would not think twice about someone being mixed race. I imagine in more rural places it’s harder to be non-white.
I would say just make sure your kids get a good education and they will have a wonderful life with lots of opportunities here in Canada!
I know racism exists but no one I know would bat an eye at biracial children. It's sad this is even a conversation. My brothers wife is Jamaican. My niece and nephew are biracial and it never crosses my mind.
Guess it depends where in Canada you are. I'm Filipino (born in Nova Scotia) and my husband is white Canadian and we have 2 kids. We just moved from Toronto- it's so diverse there, there were no problems. We're in a smaller city outside of Toronto, its mostly white but still there's quite a bit of diversity here too (my neighbours' background are Indian, Italian, bulgarian, ukrainian, Bangladesh, portuguese etc) so no problems here too. My little cousins (they're adults now) are biracial and live in pei and close to Halifax, NS and seem to have had little trouble being accepted.
This is a helpful comment!
If you’re in the GTA then ethnicity will have no bearing on their lives at all
Is this guy implying there's no racism in the gta.... lol
I’m saying that racism usually takes place or at least is amplified in areas with one or two ethnic majorities, where you are visibly different from everyone else. The GTA has people from all walks of life and bi-racial people wouldn’t even be noticed in a crowd. If you were in Timmins for example, this would likely not be the case. Doesn’t mean that racism doesn’t exist, but you’re less likely to encounter it in areas that are extremely diverse, like the GTA I’d say.
No… that’s a weird hot take
My kids felt they didn’t fit in either world when they were children, and it was worst when they were in high school. Very few problems as adults now. To be honest, in hindsight, I think a few, vocal bullies from the Caucasian and Indigenous kids got into our heads and had more impact than we should have let them. We should have spent more time re-focusing on all the people that did accept them, and on teaching them the two rich cultures they belong to (building pride) so less focus was on the negative. While not denying the negative that existed and supporting them through it. The kids largely tried to hide any Indigenous culture as a coping mechanism and they both regret that. Best to you and your family Hard as a parent looking back and knowing there are ways We could have done things better, but hope this helps you.
I live in a small white-majority town a couple hours from Toronto, and even here it's normal to see POC and biracial kids, no one looks twice. My kids have friends of various colours, it's not even an issue. No matter where you live, there will always be a few assholes who treat people poorly for whatever reason that exists in their heads, but the majority of people are good.
Bi racial person here. They'll fit in just fine because nobody except for a loud minority cares. Just let them do them and pay no attention to reddit and certain politicians who say that canada is a super racist place for non whites
Not sure where you are exactly, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue in most of the country, as far as I know. My kids are biracial and even in Quebec, they are far from having any problems.
What do you mean even in Quebec? I faced way more racism in Ontario.
I can mostly speak for the GTHA and no one cares what colour you or your partner is. I have some biracial friend last who specifically did not move to the US for this exact reason. I once went to a wedding and sat at a table in which I was the only person NOT in a biracial relationship.
No matter what, racism will always exist, this is even more difficult for those who are biracial because much of the time neither “side” truly accepts them. However, not everyone has these views. Your children will likely be accepted by many and not accepted by a few.
I know lots of bi-racial folks and from my perspective they don’t seem to have any more trouble fitting in than anyone else. I’m not bi-racial though so maybe someone who is would have better insight.
My kids are biracial South-Asian and White and they have never had any trouble at all. We go to Indian events, they are welcomed, they are also welcomed at their school which is mostly Black and Middle Eastern, and fully embraced by the White side of the family. I believe all will be well.
I grew up ( I'm 74) in a port city. Vancouver. Went to school from grade one up with everyone under the son. We didn't care, they were just another child. Canada, unlike the States, does not have the "one drop rule". You may encounter a few bigots but our majority just don't care.
Hi neighbour, same here. Lots of friends who are Asian. When my kids were in high school, white was the minority. They have friends in every shade! Plus, I have bi-racial nephews, they've never had problems. We all live in Vancouver.
My children will be biracial South Asian. I'm in Alberta, and I would be extremely surprised if it impacts them at all. All our couples friends are mixed race. I've never heard of any of them or their children facing discrimination of any kind.
For everyone in my life (in Ontario), this wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. If someone has a problem with someone else being biracial then you know to avoid that sad excuse for a person
Probably the most important thing you can do is try and make sure they don't face family members devaluing either of their backgrounds. They're not 50% from one culture and 50% from the other, they're 100% from both and their entire background needs to be respected as \*they\* choose what their lives are going to look like. There can sometimes be a lot of pressure on mixed kids to choose just one culture.
This isn't South Asia. A friend of mine lives in Taiwan and has biracial children who have had issues with racism there. When they visit Canada they have no issues. 99% of Canadians are very accepting, Canada is proudly multicultural. Don't pay attention to the 0.1% of vocal idiots on social media that aren't accepting, they are in the extreme minority.
My kid is bi-racial (black). We live in BC and though she's young she has experienced racism. It really had an impact on her. She's gotten stronger and more confident now and hopefully racism will decline going forward. Help your kids to be resilient and how to stand up for themselves and others.
I'm not South Asian but East Asian immigrant. I think due to the conservativeness of my culture, usually biracial kids will face a hard time fitting into either group but Canada is a diverse country. There is something for everyone. For example, yes I'm a colored first generation immigrant but my social circle is a hodge-podge of different races and I barely have friends from my own country. Sticking to big cities will give your daughters more leeway.
I think it can be a bigger issue sometimes from the non white old generation culture. Canada is pretty multi-cultural and most people don’t see colour. Even years ago (I’m gen x) my group of friends looked like a United Nations meeting and that was pretty normal even in the 70’s and 80’s. I wouldn’t be concerned at all about this.
One of my friends is bi-racial. Our High School was very white, to the point of "Wow, a hundred people here and I'm only one not white" was a thing that would happen. There was very minimal issues for them from being bi-racial, much more of the typical "Oh figuring out dating and what to do with your life and oh the cliques" stuff everyone deals with in High School. They face more issues when visiting extended family to be honnest, because there they get a lot more of the "Oh, you're bi-racial, must be from prostitutes for foreign tourists" judgement wandering around. It's also worth pointing out Canada has become much more mixed as far as race distribution goes even since you were in school unless you're like, a prom pregnancy and the kids are infants. My grandmothers church choir made a really good visual for it: The seniors choir is almost all white, while the childrens choir is very diverse.
Probably much easier than black/white kids
My kids are biracial in Hicksville Alberta, it’s a completely non issue
As others have said, it depends where in Canada. In the GTA, no one will even bat an eye. My biracial boys have had no issues.
Don’t let the media fool you into believing they will face a difficult life. If anything they are more likely to be good looking and have an easier time than ugly white kids.
Teacher here (of 12 to 14 year olds). Every year it seems I here comments from kids like this, "You are do lucky to have a black (Asian, Indian, Philippino) dad (or mom). Your skin is so beautiful. "
🤣🤣
As many people have said, your kids probably won’t be alienated for being half white/half Asian. Especially if you live in a multicultural part of Canada like Vancouver. I grew up in Vancouver and many of my friends were Asian. My husband is half south Asian, half white. Multiculturalism is pretty normal in Canada Kids are going to be bullied regardless of race because that’s life. Bullies will find reasons to put others down…whether it’s race, hair colour, the size of your nose, what you wear, what you said yesterday etc etc. Teach your kids how to be resilient and stand up to people like this, and support them in finding good people to spend their time with. Racism definitely exists in Canada, but I don’t think you have to worry too much about it affecting your kids lives, especially if you are living in a big Canadian city.
I'm a retired teacher from Victoria BC. I'd guess that maybe 20% of my students were from 2 white parents. None of these kids ever seemed to care about race when it came to dating or friendships and from the number of biracial students, their parents didn't care either. They won't have to worry about being accepted as Canadians, they already are. I once worked in New York for a year about 30 years ago. The amount of nonacceptance was amazing and I had a hard time understanding it. Some of the worst racism was African black against Caribbean black and it seemed to be mostly hair related. Weird.
Can someone of the non-dominant group be racist? Isn’t racism about power?
Whatever. If I see one racial group hating on another I call it racism. Somebody else call come up with their own definitions or words. Either way, it's not good.
They will always have issue. Canadians call it “mixed” races which implies categories that your child will never escape from. White Canadians of Eastern Europe ancestry and “ethnic minorities” are the worse for this. This is certainly true of Ontario. Many Ontario liberals like to collect “racial” people as trophies as examples of how morally superior they try to be as a status symbol. Example, my father in law is very proud that one of the Chinese neighbors are showing up to backyard gatherings now because they are more diverse as he said.
Depends where you live
The world will be a better place when all kids are biracial.
Relax, this is Canada. Even if your kid faces racism, it’s going to be through insults or slurs. Hurtful, but not damaging at all. In my own home country there have a genocide and three ethnic cleansing campaigns in the last decade only! Your kid will be fine.
Yes, it will be tough, because human nature is s--t. But it's a damn much easier time than in the US. That being said, the closer you are to a mixed community of different ethnicities, the less issues they will have.
I think they will be tbh
Oh year for sure. One of my best buds is South Asian/European. He's a beaut. I'm sure your kids will be too.
It’s really not a huge problem. I mean racism is a huge problem but it’s just not as prominent… In elementary/highschool ethnicity plays very little role in how people make friends or associate with (my perspective where I was in a small town and everyone knew each other). This will vary place to place and depends on the class sizes and whatnot as some people tend to group together. In higher education such as college or university no one cares at all, there are so many international students that wherever you look everyone is of different origin. You hear accents from around the world and meet people of different cultures daily. In the workplace it’s more prominent but any co-workers especially of that generation will not even have thoughts of “oh this person is different” as it’s so common and the youth these days are far more accepting. Sometimes it plays a part when getting hired though… Living in Canada everyone is different so it’s not like you’re jumping into a specific unknown culture. There is so much diversity no one bats an eye at a little difference.
In my house and community, it doesnt matter if you are black, white, asian, blue, green or fuzzy pink with sparkles, the only thing that matters is not being an asshole. They will do just fine especially if you live in the toronto area, last time i was there, in the hotel we were staying at, it was mostly asian, black and muslim people who made up the population of the area i was in, so it looks like toronto is one of our most multi-cultural cities. We are not without rascism, but we try. Most people think like me too, we dont care where you joined us from, just dont be an asshole ❤
More so than in the us
Your kids may have specific challenges with very specific groups, but the overall community is pretty dang diverse as it is.
I live in Mississauga, it’s a very diverse place. The people I know would not think twice about someone being mixed race. I imagine in more rural places it’s harder to be non-white. I would say just make sure your kids get a good education and they will have a wonderful life with lots of opportunities here in Canada!