"This is Canada. English country."
A woman was filmed berating Chinese grocery employees in Toronto.
In the video, posted by Frank Hong, the woman is seen at the counter of Foody Mart in Scarborough, repteatedly shouting that the employees must “go back to China” after they could not reply to her in English.
Teenager Hong uploaded the video to prove that Canada must to do more to eliminate racism and xenophobia.
“Go back to China. This is Canada. English country,” the woman shouts. “If they’re going to work here, it’s the law to know English.”
Others attempt to intervene, trying to translate but the woman insists it is illegal to not know English. “Not one of these people speaks English,” she says.
Hong told CTV News Toronto, “It’s really my first time ever in Canada really hearing such words so it was shocking.”
“I put this video out to show the world that racism, xenophobia and bigotry still exist in Canada and we really need to work to stop it.”
Employees of the grocery store told CTV News Toronto that the woman continued to shout at them for 15-20 minutes before leaving.
There is no law for any employee of private enterprises in Canada to speak English. The Official Languages Act only applies to federal institutions.
CP24 reports that police in Toronto are not investigating the incident as hate-related as no complaint has been made to them.