Canada the redeemer and denials of racism

This study examines denials of racism in Canadian citizenship guides produced for new immigrants to Canada. Using critical discourse analysis, it identifies how the guides position Canada and Canadians in terms of historical or contemporary racism and how the representations in the guides reproduce or challenge racist discourses. The study finds that citizenship guides routinely distance Canada from racism both past and present while implying that some newcomers may lack Canadians’ multicultural perspective and commitment to gender equality.