Fry Leads Canadian Delegation to Advance Canada-Us Dialogue on Ending Racism and Promoting Cultural Diversity
OTTAWA, April 27, 2001 -- Led by the Honourable Hedy Fry, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women), a delegation of distinguished Canadians representing the film industry, broadcast media, regulators, academics and community groups will be working with their U.S. counterparts as part of the United States Southern California Preparatory Conference for the World Conference Against Racism. Organized by the White House Interagency Task Force on the U.N. World Conference Against Racism and the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, the forum will be an opportunity for Canadians to speak on diversity in the media, engaging youth to fight racism and the role that governments can play in combatting hate on the Internet.This exchange is part of efforts to promote a dialogue on the human dimension of cultural diversity. It also expands U.S.-Canada engagement on diversity issues and demonstrates leadership in joint efforts in preparation for the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance to be held later this year in Durban, South Africa.
"This opportunity to share ideas and exchange lessons learned in fighting racism with such a key bilateral partner as the United States, is an important one," Dr. Fry said. "As was made clear in last week's declaration of the Summit of the Americas, our hemisphere shares a commitment to the eradication of all forms of discrimination, including racism, sexism, xenophobia and other related intolerance."
Held at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication, the conference will bring together 250 participants, including community leaders, anti-racism groups, academics and government officials, as well as leaders from the arts and entertainment industry. Secretary of State Fry will be a key note speaker at the forum and three members of the Canadian delegation have been invited to address the conference on their experiences in the media and diversity, fighting racism in schools, and community initiatives to respond to racism.
Canadian and U.S. experts will also be meeting at a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Canadian Consulate General in Los Angeles to address important issues relating to cultural diversity and the media. Representatives from industry, academia and the non-governmental sector will be discussing issues such as representation, access and portrayal.
"It is important for me as a filmmaker to be able to meet with my colleagues in the United States to talk about how we work together to ensure that all people in our society have their voices heard. Cultural industries such as film have an important role to play and a face-to-face discussion on issues of preserving and promoting cultural diversity in the Americas is key in helping us achieve that objective," said filmmaker Maria Yongmee Shin.
Information:
Pascal Charron
Communications Assistant
Office of the Secretary of State
(Multiculturalism) (Status of Women)
(819)-997-9900
Catherine Drew
WCAR Secretariat
Canadian Heritage
(819) 953-3330
Cell: (819) 712-2954
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