I think the difference between Canada and US is that in the US things are more overt and clear, while in Canada it is more covert and under the surface. In Canada people are not allowed to talk about discrimination and race. When I talk about race here, my posts are marked somehow (I don't know if it's automatic or someone mark them). We need a more open and honest discussion about immigration and integration, especially of different races. The problem I see is that white people cannot see things from others perspective because they don't experience life as we do. When I stand in the line at the check-out, people distance themselves from me, and look at me suspiciously. The other day I approached a clerk at a store to help me, and he was very rude and not friendly, although I was smiling and friendly with him. Maybe he had a bad day, but maybe he didn't like me. I once approached a woman who was presenting a cause of domestic violence against women on the street, because I was curious to listen to they have to say, and while she was barely talking to me, she was looking somewhere else. I lost interest immediately, and walked away because I felt unwelcome.
These experiences make immigrants hesitant to mingle with Canadians. Of course dealing with customer service and officials is something else, but watch reports and articles how people of color and immigrants are discriminated against in Canada in renting houses, in finding a job, .... etc. The problem is many companies, for example, is that they write on their websites that they are equal opportunity, but discrimination against ethnic-sounding names is reported all the time. When you say you are immigrant from Scotland or Germany or Italy, it's not you say you are immigrant from India, Pakistan, or the middle east. Again, I understand it's not easy. It's the human nature to classify people in-group and out-group, and we see this everywhere in the world, but in North America it's more pronounced. Read comments on twitter how Canadians comment on immigration and diversity. They mock the saying that "diversity is our strength". You see them start with illegal border crossing as an excuse, and end with legal immigration. How I see things, Canada will end up with a government like the US. The far-right groups are winning these days in North America and Europe, and liberal democracy is in retreat.
