In Canada, common sense should tell you not to assign a person to a political faction based solely on their ethnicity. There is no way, in a democracy like Canada, that a political leader can claim jurisdiction over an ethnic community.

But that is what is routinely happening in Canada when it comes to Canada's Vietnamese community. Politicians and media routinely refer to Vietnamese Canadians in partisan political terms that puts them under the jurisdiction of the political ARVN organizations in Canada.

The following are excerpts from two media style guides that, if they were followed, would stop this practice.

New Canadian Media

This excerpt is from New Canadian Media, Ethnic Media Style Guide.

Be aware of hidden agendas and divisions among members of an ethnic community and the danger of assuming that leaders of one faction speak for all.

The activities of individuals should not be connected to the entire ethnic group.

Don’t always turn to the same minority spokespeople and organizations for reaction. This can give unwarranted standing to groups that don’t necessarily reflect the full range of views of their communities.

(New Canadian Media, 2016).^[371]

Associated Press

This excerpt is from Associated Press: Behind the News In this excerpt they were talking about writing about extremist groups, but the advice seems relevant to writing about the present situation in Canada.

Avoid using the term [the name the group calls themselves] generically and without definition ... the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters’ actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience.

We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them.

(Daniszewski, 2016).^[373]