Country : Canada

Council : Contemporary Issues and New Media Council

Topic : Social inequality and Media Representation of
Marginalized People
Delegate : Agnes Monica & Ariel Anastasya Ratulangi

In an irony of independence, some people still face oppression despite living in their
own soil. Countless attempts have been made to defend the oppressed since then, but
marginalization still occurs, nevertheless, and discrimination plays a big role on it. Society
views marginalized people as groups who cannot contribute anything for the country,
however, normal people, such as women, the LGBTQ+ community, youths, people of color
(POC), and even veterans, are considered to be part of a marginalized group. This belief is
the result of the lack of representation of marginalized people. Media have a big influence on
how one perceive the world, so it is safe to say that the media failed to normalize the
existence of these marginalized groups. Constant discrimination from the society resulted in
less job opportunity and difficult access to the state’s facilities for the marginalized. The
exclusion of marginalized groups causes a disruption to many aspects of the world,
particularly the world’s economy. In 2019, the world’s unemployment rate was 5.52% of the
labor force for women and 12.8% of the labor force for youths. As a result, global growth
experienced a decline to 3.3% from 3.6%, 0.3% slower than in 2018 (World Economic
Outlook, 2021)

Canada is a home to Aboriginal which consist of three major tribes, the First Nations
(FN), Inuit, and Métis. The indigenous, however, are slowly being disregarded by the society.
The western media romanticized the natives to make them seems submissive and savage.
These portrayals of them creates some kind of stereotype about natives amongst the society
which led to discrimination. This created a barrier between them and the society, restraining
them to develop and blending in with the rest of Canadian. Along with other marginalized
and racialized groups, the average unemployment rate for indigenous people was 75% higher
than white Canadians in 2020, as surveyed by Sheila Block [ CITATION She21 \l 3081 ].
According to the analysis by Aaron O’Neill, Canada experienced a cutback in their annual
gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, which decreases to -5.4% in 2020, -3.54% lower
than in 2019(O’Neill, 2021). This turn of event correlates with the discrimination towards the
marginalized, correspondingly having a slight increase in the rate of unemployment for
marginalized people. It reached 9.8% for minorities and 5.8% for women’s unemployment
rate. According to the interview held by Shelby Lisk with Carmen Robertson [ CITATION
She201 \l 3081 ], Robertson implied that journalists hold the most responsibility in the
portrayal of Indigenous people in the media, as locals tend to read newspaper daily, so an in-
depth research towards indigenous people should be conducted. However, the National Film
Board of Canada could become the new alternative to portray the natives[ CITATION
She201 \l 3081 ]. They have been filming and releasing several documentaries and films
about Aboriginal. These documentaries are made with the purpose of normalizing the
existence and identity of natives in the Canadian soil. With a little bit push and promotion,
this would be the best way to clear up any assumptions and misunderstanding towards the
natives. Not only the natives, but marginalized groups such as women and the LGBTQ
community are still underrepresented in the media. Based on the research conducted by
Meghan Collie [ CITATION Meg19 \l 3081 ], women have the lowest employment rate
compare to men, with the highest percentage of 27.3% employment of women. Half of the
LGBTQ community was reported to have been living with $15,000 or less for a year, in
which the mentioned amount is not enough to fulfil their daily needs [ CITATION Les \l 3081 ]

As a Canadian, their lives and rights are protected under Canadian Human Rights Act.
This law is created to ensure that the lives of all citizens of Canada, including the
marginalized, to be treated equally and prevented any racial profiling towards citizens of
Canada. The Canadian Human Rights Act prevents any mistreatment towards anyone,
especially the marginalized, which allows everyone to carry out their obligations as a
Canadian[ CITATION Can21 \l 3081 ]. This helps the marginalized to defend themselves
against anything that hinders them from getting a job or just from getting discriminated
against. Being a part of UNHCR, Canada provides facilities for refugees under the Canada
refugee protection programs, which include asylum-seeker, refugees from another country
and the LGBTQ2 community[ CITATION Inc17 \l 3081 ]. As for the other marginalized
groups, a women’s organization based in Canada, YWCA, has proposed a recovery plan to
escalate the economic growth of Canada by addressing social issues, such as discrimination,
social inequality, and racism against Indigenous, people of color, women and
youths[ CITATION AFe \l 3081 ]. These awarenesses will then be used to promote the
inclusion of all marginalized groups as a part of the recovery journey. Previously, in 2017 to
2018, Canada have also opened an opportunity for women to occupy the position of director
in several companies, mostly located in Ontario and Quebec[ CITATION Rep21 \l 3081 ].

Law is said to be just, however, some are still being failed by the law. The Canadian
Human Rights Act cannot always ensure the rights of all its citizens, especially the
marginalized, although they have to. The false portrayal of the marginalized have always
brought nothing but misery both to them and Canada. To release them from their misery and
to treat them equally, normalization of the marginalized groups’ existence needs to happen.
Media, aware of its powerful position, needs to show a good depiction of the marginalized by
doing a thorough research and not putting stereotypical information. By doing this, the
marginalized will be more welcomed to the society, allowing them to give contribution to the
country without any discrimination. This way, it will gradually improve many aspects of
Canada, especially its economy, as it will reduce the rate of poverty, unemployment and
homelessness.

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