Colour-Coded

Not long ago we Canadians considered ourselves to be more or less free of racial prejudice. Although this image has faded in recent years it has not been completely dispelled. Constance Backhouse's new book will finish the job. Looking back to the first half of the century, "Colour Coded" illustrates the tenacious hold that white supremacy has had on our legel system and underscores the damaging legacy of inequality that continues today. Backhouse presents detailed narratives of six court cases, each one giving evidence of appalling racism created and enforced through law. The cases focus on Aboriginal, Inuit, Chinese-Canadian, and African-Canadian individuals, taking us from the criminal prosecution of traditional Aboriginal dance to the trial of members of the "Ku Klux Klan of Kanada" . From thousands of possibilities, Backhouse has selected studies that constitute central moments in the legal history of race in Canada. Her selection also considers a wide range of legal forums, including administrative rulings by municipal councils, criminal trials before police magistrates, criminal and civil cases heard by the highest courts in the provinces, and a reference heard before the Supreme Court of Canada. The extensive and detailed documentation presented here leaves no doubt that the Canadian legal system played a dominant role in creating and preserving racial discrimination. That racism is a deeply embedded, archly defining characteristic of Canadian history is the central message of this book. Its subtext is the paradox that Canada has insisted on portraying itself as a raceless society.