First, let us define the term “digital diaspora” for context. We use “diaspora” here as a catchall to describe people who have arrived in Canada from other countries (and, aside from Native Canadians, that is just about everyone), usually fragile nations. Most often these people are or were refugees seeking political asylum or arrived through…
Contents: Volume 24, Issue 1 (2011)
In January 2011 The Toronto Star published a story on G. Raymond Chang, a Jamaican-born financier who has recently become a remarkable and inspiring figure in Canada’s philanthropic scene (Wong, 2011). Chang arrived in 1967, just as the Canadian government began to open its doors to mass migration flows from Asian, African, and Caribbean countries….
The other day, after I paid for my purchase at a bookstore in Vancouver, BC, the young Anglo-Canadian sales clerk wished me a “Happy Chinese New Year” and commented on how we were ending the Year of the Tiger and entering the Year of the Rabbit (as of February 3, 2011). I was momentarily caught…
Counterpoint: Don Bourgeois Litigation. It is not a word to be feared. It is not a dirty or four-letter word. We lawyers like the word. Now, some might suggest that this is because we profit from litigation. But those individuals would no doubt also point to the suggestion by Dick the Butcher in Henry VI,…
A Year Of Living Generously—Dispatches From The Front Lines Of Philanthropy by Lawrence Scanlan. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre; 2010. isbn: 978-1-55365-416-2 Peter Broder Although its title, A Year of Living Generously, echoes that of the popular Mel Gibson/Sigourney Weaver film from a few decades ago (The Year of Living Dangerously), that is about as close…
Today, engaging ethnic Canadians is seen as a key strategy for major corporations, learning institutions, politicians, all levels of governments, and nonprofit community organizations. With the continuous rise in the number of Chinese and South Asian immigrants to the country, it is no longer enough to engage only the traditional Canadian populace. Involving ethnic populations…
This article looks at the growing integration of skills and knowledge by members of diaspora communities in international development programs. Moving from the major role of financial support through remittances, the diaspora now seeks a more active role in strengthening the social and economic development of their home countries. The first part of this article…
Introduction Individuals born outside Canada make up a significant proportion of the Canadian population. According to the 2006 Census, the foreign-born accounted for 19.8% of the total population of Canada (Chui, Tran, & Maheux, 2007). Fortunately for those interested in diaspora philanthropy, the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (CSGVP) provides significant insight…
South Asians, originally from the Asian sub continent—including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—are some of the most diverse ethnic minorities in Canada as well as some of the most financially stable. Based on the work of the South Asian Philanthropy Project, this article describes the philanthropic practices of the South Asian diaspora, outlining some…
This issue of The Philanthropist focuses on “diaspora,” which became a popular term in the 1980s. Broadly defined, diaspora is the relocation of people away from their countries of origin, whether through choice or need, and for centuries Canada has seen an influx of immigrants from all corners of the globe. To orient us with…