Multiculturalism in Canada

1122 Words3 Pages

Multiculturalism has become a controversial topic in the US and Canada as a result of increasing the number of immigrants from various backgrounds. Multiculturalism is a government policy such as the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. This policy has been established to manage cultural diversity which helps people to have deeper understanding of different cultures, races and religions in order to generate better interaction among different races in Canada and the US. This essay will discuss the advantages of North-American multiculturalism in terms of general tolerance and integration and economic development. Moreover, it will explore the disadvantages including socioeconomic discrimination and inequality, and less social and commercial engagement among different races.

In multicultural societies, there is a promotion of general tolerance and integration which allows people to be welcoming and accepting of various cultures. First, Canada and the United States are such welcoming environments where people can easily adjust and integrate with the locals due to multiculturalism. In other words, the adjustment to new living environment are more likely to be in more multicultural countries or cities. Study done by International Comparative Study of Ethnocultural Youth (ICSEY) reveals that multiculturalism policies have a good consequence in promoting the development of cultural integration (Berry el , 2006, cited in Banting & Kymlicka, 2010, p.61). For instance, Portuguese immigrants have integrated more effectively with the locals in Toronto where there are more various cultures than in Boston (Banting & Kymlicka, 2010, p.62). In addition, mixed marriage is the second result of better understanding and acceptance across different racial ...

... middle of paper ...

... and tourism play a significant role in the development on the Canadian economy. On the contrary, diverse cultural countries not only have some challenges in terms of treating some groups inequality in workplaces and society, but it could also lead to less social interaction and commercial engagement among different races. It seems that the government should promote the integration among different cultures more effectively and less discriminately on both a social and commercial level by having more multicultural events and multinational companies. Thus, the country might have a powerful construction at a national and international level.

Works Cited

Banting, K.& Kymlicka, W. (2010). Canadian Multiculturalism: Global Anxieties and Local Debates. British Journal of Canadian Studies, 23(1), 43-72. Retrieved 2th November, 2011,from ProQuest Central database.

Open Document