Representations of Environmentally Displaced People in Canadian Print Media Bianca Stumpf Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Master of Arts degree in Sociology Supervisor: Dr. Nathan Young School of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Bianca Stumpf, Ottawa, Canada, 2019 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. iv Résumé ................................................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction of the Topic ..................................................................................................................... 1 Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter Two: Context ............................................................................................................................. 6 Definitions........................................................................................................................................... 6 Overview of Recent Statistics .............................................................................................................. 8 Canada’s Role ................................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter Three: Background and Rationale ............................................................................................. 14 Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 14 i) History of Migration and the Classification of EDP ............................................................. 14 ii) Debate over Terminology .................................................................................................. 16 iii) Literature on Climate Change and Migration ..................................................................... 19 iv) Political and Security Concerns Surrounding Migration..................................................... 22 v) Literature on Media Representations of Climate Issues ....................................................... 23 vi) Media Representations of EDP and Refugees .................................................................... 26 Research Objectives and Rationale .................................................................................................... 28 Chapter Four: Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................... 31 Chapter Five: Methodology ................................................................................................................... 40 Search Strategy .................................................................................................................................. 40 Analysis Procedures .......................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter Six: Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 49 Part A: Results Pertaining Specifically to EDP ................................................................................... 49 i) Uncertainty Surrounding EDP Terms .................................................................................. 49 ii) Definition of EDP .............................................................................................................. 55 iii) EDP’s Country of Origin .................................................................................................. 57 iv) Description of the Event(s) leading to/causing displacement .............................................. 60 v) EDP as Quantitative Numbers ............................................................................................ 63 ii vi) Security Concerns ............................................................................................................. 67 vii) EDP as Active or Passive ................................................................................................. 69 viii) Tone of Articles .............................................................................................................. 72 ix) Frequency of EDP Coverage ............................................................................................. 73 Part B: A More General Analysis of the News Articles ...................................................................... 76 i) Consulted Sources and Experts ........................................................................................... 76 ii) Climate Change Solutions .................................................................................................. 77 iii) The Political in the Environmental .................................................................................... 81 Part C: Discussion ............................................................................................................................. 83 i) Canadians’ Perceptions of EDP ........................................................................................... 83 ii) The Victimization and/or Devictimization of EDP in Canadian Printed News Media .......... 88 iii) Critical Analysis of Coverage on EDP .............................................................................. 93 Chapter Seven: Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 100 Limitations of the study ................................................................................................................... 102 Future Implications and Steps .......................................................................................................... 104 References........................................................................................................................................... 107 Appendix A ......................................................................................................................................... 117 Appendix B ......................................................................................................................................... 128 iii Abstract Context: This thesis analyzes media coverage in Canada of environmentally displaced people (EDP) due to their recent prominence in political discussions on a national and international level as well as in the literature. Objectives: This thesis has three goals, notably (1) to raise awareness of EDP as a social phenomenon; (2) to understand how EDP are currently constructed in the public sphere; and (3) to analyze whether Canadian media characterizes EDP within discourses of victimization and/or devictimization. Ultimately, this thesis investigates: How does Canadian print media represent environmentally displaced people? Methodology: A total of 149 (132 English and 17 French) Canadian news articles, appearing from 2000 to 2017, were selected for analysis through a search strategy that included specific key words. The articles selected appeared in the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Vancouver Sun, Le Journal de Québec, La Presse, and Canada Newswire. Results: The results were analyzed by using a frame analysis. Based on this analysis, a few key points were commonly used to represent EDP, including the uncertainty over which terms to use, their quantification, as well as a scare tactic to entice action towards climate change. Overall, the media tended to portray EDP using themes of devictimization. Conclusion: Future research should be conducted to continue to analyze media representations of those displaced. It is also imperative to collect more data on EDP in order to resolve the debate around their definition and officially recognize one term to help facilitate research and increase the legitimacy of those displaced - whether they are recognized as migrants or refugees. iv Résumé Contexte : Cette thèse analyse les reportages médiatiques au Canada des personnes déplacées par l’environnement (PDE). Ce sujet a récemment attiré attention à cause des discussions politiques nationaux et internationaux, ainsi que des publications dans la littérature. Objectives : Cette thèse a trois buts, notamment (1) d’apporter attention à ce phénomène social, (2) de comprendre comment les PDE sont construits dans le sphère publique, et (3) d’essayer d’analyser si les médias canadiens caractérisent les PDE par des discours de victimisation et/ou de dévictimisation. Cette thèse examine : Comment la presse écrite canadienne représente-t-elle les personnes déplacées par l’environnement? Méthodologie