'It just strikes fear through your heart': Asian Canadian MPs speak out against racism after Atlanta shootings

Members of Parliament are speaking out against anti-Asian racism days after a white gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta.

"It just strikes fear through your heart," said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who represents the riding of Vancouver East, in a panel discussion on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday. The discussion featuring three Asian Canadian MPs coincided with International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

A 21-year-old white man was arrested and charged with murder Wednesday after shootings at three massage parlours. The attack sent terror through Asian communities across North America that have been increasingly targeted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Police have said the suspect in the Atlanta shootings told them his actions were not racially motivated, but Asian communities say the violent shooting fits a pattern that's become all too familiar since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"It is a symptom of a deeper problem," Han Dong, Liberal MP for Don Valley North, said of the Atlanta shooting. "Systemic racism on Asian Canadians and Americans has always been there."

Data from Statistics Canada released in July 2020 suggests that Canadians with Asian backgrounds were more likely to report noticing increased racial or ethnic harassment during the pandemic. The largest increase was seen among people of Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian descent.

A separate report prepared by the Chinese Canadian National Council in September 2020 found that Canadians have reported more anti-Asian racist incidents per capita than the U.S. since the start of the pandemic. 

MPs not immune to discrimination

All three MPs on the panel said they have experienced anti-Asian racism.

"Some people have even taken to calling the coronavirus, COVID-19, the 'Kwan virus,'" said Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong. "That's directly attacking me as an Asian Canadian."

Michael Chong, the Conservative MP for Wellington—Halton Hills, said he experiences discrimination regularly in emails and social media posts directed at him — racism that predates the pandemic.

"As the first Canadian of Chinese descent elected from the province of Ontario, I know full well firsthand what it is like to be subject to Asian discrimination," said Chong.

Chong said discrimination can be fuelled by rhetoric and comments from political leaders and other public figures, such as former U.S. president Donald Trump calling coronavirus the "China virus."

He also referenced comments from former CSIS director Richard Fadden in 2010, when he claimed that several unnamed Canadian politicians were under the sway of the Chinese government.

"Those kinds of comments are not helpful, said Chong. "We have to be very careful in public life about the comments and words that we use."

Dong said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers have shown leadership on the issue by regularly speaking out publicly against racism. Dong added that the Liberal government has implemented a number of programs to tackle anti-Asian racism as part of its Anti-Racism Strategy.

But Kwan said she believes more needs to be done.

"I remain shocked at the fact that across the country not every single police department has a hate crime unit. That just boggles the mind," said Kwan. "Action absolutely is needed, more than just words."

You can watch full episodes of Rosemary Barton Live on CBC Gem, CBC's streaming service.