CRRF Glossary

Title	Definition
Blacks/African Canadians	People of African descent and those who define themselves as such, who are now residents/citizens of Canada.
Bona Fide Occupational Requirement	A workplace prerequisite that is directly related to the requirements of a specific job.
Censorship	The act of implementing a policy or program designed to suppress, either in whole or in part, the production of or access to information, sources, literature, the performing arts, letters, documents or ideologies which are considered unacceptable or dangerous for political, moral or religious reasons.
Classism	The cultural, institutional and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign value to people according to their socio-economic status, thereby resulting in differential treatment.
Colonialism	Usually refers to the period of European colonization from Columbus (1492) onwards, in the Americas, Asia and Africa, and taking on different forms from settler colonies like Canada to non-settler colonies such as India during British rule. Colonialism differs also across colonizing nations and across time. For example, French colonialism had different policies from British colonialism.
Conciliation	Primarily an informal communications process aimed at getting the parties to establish meaningful dialogue, narrow down issues in dispute and suggest cooperative ways of resolving conflict. The goal of conciliation and/or mediation (see below) is to settle racial or ethnical disputes peacefully and outside the court system.
Convention Refugees	Convention refugee is “any person who, by reason of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable, or by reason of that fear, unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country; or not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of his or her former habitual residence and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to return to that country; and has not ceased to be a Convention refugee. See Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 28 July, 1951, and Protocol signed at New York 31 January 1967.
Creed	A professed system and confession of faith, including both beliefs and observances or worship. A belief in a god or gods or a single supreme being or deity is not a requisite.
Cultural Group	Members of a group having the same beliefs, behavioural norms, values, language, ways of thinking about and viewing the world.
Cultural Racism	Portrayal of Aboriginals, Blacks, people of colour and different ethnicities in the media, school texts, literature as inherently “inferior”, “savage”, “bad”, “primitive”. The premise by a host society that devalues and stereotypes minority populations.

Blacks/African Canadians

People of African descent and those who define themselves as such, who are now residents/citizens of Canada.

Bona Fide Occupational Requirement

A workplace prerequisite that is directly related to the requirements of a specific job.

Censorship

The act of implementing a policy or program designed to suppress, either in whole or in part, the production of or access to information, sources, literature, the performing arts, letters, documents or ideologies which are considered unacceptable or dangerous for political, moral or religious reasons.

Classism

The cultural, institutional and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign value to people according to their socio-economic status, thereby resulting in differential treatment.

Colonialism

Usually refers to the period of European colonization from Columbus (1492) onwards, in the Americas, Asia and Africa, and taking on different forms from settler colonies like Canada to non-settler colonies such as India during British rule. Colonialism differs also across colonizing nations and across time. For example, French colonialism had different policies from British colonialism.

Conciliation

Primarily an informal communications process aimed at getting the parties to establish meaningful dialogue, narrow down issues in dispute and suggest cooperative ways of resolving conflict. The goal of conciliation and/or mediation (see below) is to settle racial or ethnical disputes peacefully and outside the court system.

Convention Refugees

Convention refugee is “any person who, by reason of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable, or by reason of that fear, unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country; or not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of his or her former habitual residence and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to return to that country; and has not ceased to be a Convention refugee. See Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 28 July, 1951, and Protocol signed at New York 31 January 1967.

Creed

A professed system and confession of faith, including both beliefs and observances or worship. A belief in a god or gods or a single supreme being or deity is not a requisite.

Cultural Group

Members of a group having the same beliefs, behavioural norms, values, language, ways of thinking about and viewing the world.

Cultural Racism

Portrayal of Aboriginals, Blacks, people of colour and different ethnicities in the media, school texts, literature as inherently “inferior”, “savage”, “bad”, “primitive”. The premise by a host society that devalues and stereotypes minority populations.