Subject Guides: Anti-Racism Resources: Anti-Asian Racism

What is Anti-Asian Racism?

In Canada, anti-Asian racism refers to "historical and ongoing discrimination, negative stereotyping, and injustice experienced by peoples of Asian origin, based on others’ assumptions about their ethnicity and nationality" (Government of Canada, 2025)

Stereotypes about Asian people in Canada come from a long history of racist and unfair laws. These stereotypes often hide the racism that Asian communities still face today and ignore the important role they’ve played in building Canada. The term Asian encompasses a wide range of identities and community.

Reference

Government of Canada, (2025). Addressing anti-Asian racism. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/anti-asian-racism.html

Websites

Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion: Anti-Asian Discrimination Resources (PDF 186KB)
Links to information on awareness, statistics, and support resources.
Chinese Canadian National Council - For Social Justice: #FaceRace Campaign
#FaceRace is an open challenge to all Canadians to confront racism amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events in Asian Canadian History
Since the late-1700s, people of Asian descent have made important contributions to Canada’s history and identity. Each year, as part of its annual Asian Heritage Month campaign, the Government of Canada encourages Canadians to learn about how Canadians of Asian descent have and continue to help shape Canada as we know it today.
Fight COVID-19 Racism
Website platform dedicated to tracking and reporting anti-Asian racism and xenophobia in Canada. Created by the Chinese Canadian National Council and partners.
How To Start Conversations About Anti-Asian Racism With Your Family
The rise in anti-Asian hate incidents over the past year has resurfaced the need for many to have deep, often uncomfortable conversations about racism and discrimination with their loved ones. Those conversations are particularly fraught — and particularly necessary — between parents and children.
The mental health impact of anti-Asian racism
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated xenophobia and bigotry toward Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Psychologists are identifying ways to address the distress caused by that hate.
Ryerson University : Responding to Hate Toolkit
Provides information on the difference between hate crimes, hate incidents and acts of discrimination, as well as links to the various organizations people can reach out to in order to report a hate act, whether they were a victim or witness.
This Is What It’s Like To Be An Asian Woman In The Age Of The Coronavirus
A new report shows that Asian women are three times more likely than men to report racist harassment related to COVID-19.
Toronto District School Board. Addressing Anti-Asian Racism:A Resource for Educators (PDF 3.1MB)
This resource offers new learnings and innovative actions to ensure immediate changes in learning environments and partnerships with families and
communities.

Books

eBook: Landscapes of Injustice by Jordan Stanger-Ross (Editor)
In 1942, the Canadian government forced more than 21,000 Japanese Canadians from their homes in British Columbia. Landscapes of Injustice reinterprets the internment of Japanese Canadians by focusing on the deliberate and permanent destruction of home through the act of dispossession.

Video

Cityline. (2021, March 29). The historical roots of the rise in anti-Asian hate in Canada [Video]. https://youtu.be/Fmeu2khpDJw

An important and timely conversation on anti-Asian racism in Canada. Trevor Lui, Pay Chen, and Amy Go give us insight. “With the onset of the pandemic as well as the violence against seniors, we need to take a look at all of this historically.”

My Farmland. 2019. CBC Curio
(W# and password required)
My Farmland is a powerful film about how Chinese investors and immigrant farmers are changing the landscape of Canadian farming and the impact of this change on local farmers. With intimate and unique access, the film captures the subjects’ deep emotional journeys in a changing world and the challenges both cultures face in the agriculture business. The film delves into many sides of this complex, unfolding transition. Is the increase in foreign ownership resulting in xenophobia or racism? Can two very different cultures find common ground and work side by side?
Report Outlines Racism's impact on Covid-19 Outbreak in UK. 2020. CBC Curio
(NSCC W# and password required)
A new report from the British Medical Association says racism could be partly to blame for the deadly impact of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The report calls for more detailed data collection, culturally targeted education campaigns and better occupational risk assessments.