When recruiters from the Canadian Armed Forces looked at scrawny, 18-year-old Chinese-Canadian, Albert Wong, they voted that he would be the first person to fail basic training. He ended up serving for 39 years, and today he is a Citizenship Judge in the Greater Toronto Area. During this episode, Albert talks about the discrimination that he faced during his career as a result of his heritage and the color of his skin, and how he is using what he has learned from his experiences to effect systemic change with regard to diversity and inclusion. Albert shares why Canada’s approach to treating its citizens is one that the rest of the world would do well to emulate, why empathy is one of the most important qualities in a leader, the factors that are essential for social cohesion, and the sacred obligation of all Canadians. This Remembrance Day, take the time to honor the unsung military heroes!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Stories of some of the Canadian military’s unsung heroes.
- How the sacrifices made by men like Hasan Amat and Buckam Singh opened doors for minority populations in Canada.
- An overview of Judge Albert Wong’s career in military service.
- Awards that Albert has been awarded.
- Albert shares what motivated him to join the Canadian Armed Forces at the age of 18.
- Challenges that Albert faced as a Chinese Canadian soldier.
- A memorable moment from the early days of Albert’s military career.
- Albert’s approach to mentorship.
- The culture of the Canadian Armed Forces.
- Why Albert always constantly felt like he had to prove himself while working in the military.
- How Albert practices active allyship.
- Why Albert believes Canada is an example to the rest of the world of how to treat people fairly.
- Albert's advice for how to be a better leader.
- Why Albert admires Thomas Bata.
- Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- What Albert believes to be the key factor that enables social cohesion.
- Albert’s thoughts on how to integrate veterans into the workplace.
- What citizenship really means.
- The inspirational determination of Nav Bhatia.
- The sacred obligation of all Canadian citizens.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
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