Moreover, there are many societies around the world where there is much less tolerance for minority groups. When I was younger, I studied abroad in Europe. As a Canadian, it took me three months to understand why I was refused banking services, why I was routinely stopped by the police when out for a walk. I simply had not experienced before the kind of overt discrimination I experienced then - it took time before I realized that my Arab roots marked me for poor treatment. Despite the tolerant society we have built, however despite all of Canada's achievements some members of visible minorities continue to have poor experiences here in Canada.
Discrimination remains a reality.
Unfair attitudinal barriers to advancement in the workplace do exist. Educating people is very important. Because it is far from clear that our history has given most Canadians a better understanding of visible-minority issues. Diversity, gender equity, fairness these terms mean different things to different people. The current dispute over pay equity in the public service is just one example of the great difficulty in reaching a common understanding on these issues.