Episode Description
In this episode, I'm speaking with Kumaran Nadesan, who spent 15 years in the Ontario Public Service in different roles, left to co-found 369 Global and just published a book, The Impolite Canadian.
Kumaran thinks that the best kind of citizen is the impolite kind ( I mean he's got a book just about that). And before you say it, impolite citizenship doesn't mean being rude.
It means refusing to be small. It means showing up at the council meeting you weren't invited to and not leaving until someone listens. It means putting up your hand even when you feel like the odd one out.
Simply put, it means leaning into the pain and discomfort required to help a society move forward. And yes, Kumaran and I agree that speaking up costs an immigrant more.
But no one who's weak or a victim uproots their whole life and travels thousands of miles to start again.
Kumaran and I also chat about:
Naming barriers without letting them become your whole identity
Whether a first-generation immigrant ever fully feels at home, and if that's even the right test
The safety net most newcomers don't have when taking a stand goes wrong
The connections already sitting in Canada that the country ignores
Dozie's Notes
A few things that stuck with me as I listened through this week's conversation:
Institutions don't give up what's worked well for them out of kindness. And I think that's a reality we have to accept. And while it's uncomfortable work, it's one we'll need to do as part of the process of making Canada home for us and our kids.
Impolite citizenship doesn't mean you go around looking for a fight. It's you just refusing to make yourself smaller so that the room can stay comfortable. And things can continue to go on as they always have. It's tempting to think that the way to belong here is to keep our heads down and be grateful. But that attitude doesn't help you, and it doesn't help Canada.
Belonging is like a relay race. The first generation usually builds a home without ever fully feeling at home in it. So that the next generation can feel at home without having to do the work of building it.
Official Links
✅ Connect with Kumaran Nadesan on LinkedIn
✅ Read his Cold Take with Kizito Okorowu on what the Canadian dream costs immigrants
✅ Buy The Impolite Canadian
One Ask
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