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Impact of multiculturalism in canada
Impact of multiculturalism in canada
Personal essay in Canada's assimilation
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Canada’s multicultural dynamic presents the country with a unique perspective unlike no other. The nation is made up of citizens with different heritages, traditions and practices that have positively integrated into Canadian society ever since the government began to acknowledge diversity within the country. This paper will argue that multiculturalism represents a qualitatively better approach to ethnic diversity than did the Canadian immigration and cultural policies that preceded it. Restricted immigration and aboriginal assimilation negatively affect the larger picture of Canadian culture in comparison to public policy supporting multiculturalism.
The idea of Canada being a “multicultural” society has arguably been around since the country’s early origins, despite varying understanding of the term itself. Notably, George-Étienne Cartier, who was a Father of Confederation, conceptualized Canada “as a political nation, encompassing different cultural nations” (Davis 68). Cartier’s ability to see politics as a framework that incorporated multiple cultural nations under the assumption that they would be working together for a greater common good speaks volumes about what the Fathers of Confederation had envisioned for Canada. His initial understanding of multiculturalism in the 1860s outlines keys values which if maintained would have positively influenced the further development of Canadian public policy. Year’s later, between World War I and World War II, novelist and folklorist J. Murray Gibbon used the term “mosaic” to best describe the concentration of the Canada population. The word suggests that people are greater when brought together; given that, various ethic groups have distinctive qualities that can be both learned a...
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...t. Issues of race, ethnicity, gender and economy dictated the early immigration policy is an important historical indicator of who the government thought belonged in the nation and on what terms. There is no way to see the restriction on immigration and aboriginal assimilation in a positive light in the twenty-first century. Both were based on historical assumptions, which ignited the hierarchical process that was put in place to ‘deal’ with that the government thought were major issues at the time. A shift towards multiculturalism began to value everyone for what they could bring to the table. It also allowed Canadians to establish national as well as cultural identities that reflected the new policies put in place by the government. Multiculturalism today continues to support a dynamic that is unique to Canada, one that virtually all Canadians have come to value.
In the year 1957, Canada elected its first Prime minister without English or French root, John Diefenbaker. While growing up in the city of Toronto, because of his German name, he was often teased. [1] He grew up as an outcast, and so he was able to relate to the discrimination and inequality many of the minorities in Canada felt. This essay will attempt to answer the question: To what extent did Prime Minister John Diefenbaker help promote equality to the minority communities. . The minorities in this time period were the women, aboriginals, and immigrants. During his time as the Prime Minister, he was able to help protect the rights of this group because many of their rights were being abused by the society. Diefenbaker also helped the minorities to stand up for themselves and other groups. Diefenbaker was able to bring positive change to the minority communities by making an official Bill of Rights and appointing people of discriminated groups to the parliament while other members did not.
Canada is an ethnically diverse country. The notion of "multiculturalism" began circulating in Canada in 1971 and is a word that is now commonly used to define this country, unlike the word "melting-pot" which is used to describe Americans' loss of ethnic identity. The broadcasting system in Canada is pressured by the government to acknowledge the culturally diverse society by broadcasting a fair representation of the population in terms of ethnicity. This is achieved through the many acts that have been passed through parliament: the multiculturalism policy of 1971, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982, the Ethnic Broadcasting Policy of 1985, and most recent, the Broadcasting Act of 1991. These legislative and policy frameworks have provided guidelines for the management of Canadia...
“Multiculturalism” entered public speech in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Canada that focused on unique cultural diversity, nationalities, and ethnicity across the nation. Multiculturalism and Immigration are important factors in the development of Canada to attain a strong multicultural example of economic stability, social and political growth which leads to the emergence of Canada’s identity and culture.
Ninette Kelley and M. J. Trebicock, The Making of the Mosaic: a history of Canadian immigration policy. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998). Immigration Policy in Canada: History. Administration and Debates. “Mapleleafweb.com.”
British citizens were the preferred immigrants because they embodied the ideal citizen of the nation-state (white, Anglo-Saxon). It was a known fact that the Canadian government “would seek only those vigorous northern races who were culturally sound and who could quickly conform to the norms of Anglo-Canadian life” (Avery 93). This racial advantage allowed them much power to influence work, social and political life” (Avery 95).
Every year, over 250,000 people make Canada their new home. Attracted by its education system, economy and universal healthcare system, there are few other places in the world like it. All Canadians are guaranteed equality before the law and equality of opportunity, regardless of where they are from. However, some might argue that Canadian policy has not been put into practice as well as it should be. Is the concept of true equality a far-fetched idea? It seems that Canada has taken great measures to promote the integration of immigrants socially, but can the same be said for their integration economically? Politically? To judge whether or not Canada has been successful at promoting the integration of immigrants in these realms, a deeper understanding of Canadian policy must be considered.
However, in this era of multiculturalism, could the current immigration flow help us determine what is a Canadian and, to an extent, what is Canada? Is multiculturalism a core part of Canadian identity? In the 1970s, Pierre Elliott Trudeau decided to use multiculturalism as a “way of dealing with discontent over the report of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism1.”. According to some groups, this report dealt primarily with French and English linguistic issues and did not pay enough attention to issues referring to other groups within the Canadian population. To a more general extent, “multiculturalism policies in Canada have attempted to assist cultural groups in overcoming barriers so as to allow them to integrate more fully in society”.
...ans and the British settlers. So, why are we forcing ourselves to define what a “Canadian” truly is, when Canada has never been a country with one prevalent cultural group? But this is not to say that Canada will never be a unified country. South Africa is an example of the unification of a country that has torn itself apart by apartheid policies. Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to this struggle, seeking equality for all races, finally achieving his goal in 1995. If Mandela unified a country that was deeply racist and apartheid for such a long time, who are we to say that we cannot someday unify a country simply divided because of deferential to authority and differing arrangements of party systems? Canada and its citizens will one day realize the many deeper things they hold in common that unify them, which will help us in making strides towards true unification.
“inquire into and report upon the existing state of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada and to recommend what steps should be taken to develop the Canadian Confederation on the basis of equal partnership between the two founding races, taking into account the contribution made by the other ethnic groups to the c...
Tensions that exist between distinct groups of people or races break relationships and connections going on to create a rupture in Canada’s continuity. These cases are downplayed and the negative impacts of such tension on individuals are often subliminal. A recurring example of strain includes the Canadian government’s relationship with Aboriginals and the native peoples of Canada. Through the historical use of residential schools, cultural genocide, institutionalized and ongoing racism, and lack of support for Aboriginal communities, First Nations have been continually put at a disadvantage compared to other ethnic groups in Canada. The list of problems expands to encompass the lack of Aboriginal representation in the community and House of Commons, and the lack of input methods for those who voice their concerns. This is especially apparent for Aboriginal communities in Manitoba that have been on a boil water advisory for many years. These facets of our interaction with Aboriginals have slowly broken our connection with them. Throughout the years, the Canadian government repeated demonstrated a lack of respect and refusal to cooperate with Aboriginals. This lost voice in Canadian society has caused a divide in Canada. However, not all conflicts take place in such a large geographic area, but instead are centralized in certain places. In British Columbia and the West Coast of Canada in the early 1900’s, discrimination and racism was rampant against new Asian and Chinese immigrants. This led to the formation of the Asiatic Exclusion League which organized riots and reinforced the ideology that the Chinese were dirty, “bred like rats”, and took jobs away from the locals. As a result of their peculiar custom, habits, and ways of life, they were treated subpar to other Canadians and discriminated against by the local population. This led to the Chinese
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914.
35 Fleras, Augie, and Jean Leonard Elliott. Engaging Diversity: Multiculturalism in Canada. Toronto: Nelson, 2002: 164.
The mention of the abolition of multiculturalism for a “new” post-multiculturalist approach becomes difficult to understand. It claims, “to avoid the ‘excesses’ of multiculturalism” (47), however where does this notable governmental and social switch take place? How is the term coined, and how is it understood in theory versus in practice? How is it different from its predecessor? Even the classification of history struggles to define what is considered to be modern, let alone post-modern, and yet the term suggests a positive approach to alleviating difficult assimilation projects similar to those faced elsewhere (47). This notion may developed on the grounds of “someone else’s problems” ¬– in regards to its Canadian context – as a means to label, or justify, miscellaneous aspects of multiculturalism. However, with the government-wide commitment to policies and programs, in conjunction with social understanding, it naturally becomes subject to a wide array of differing opinions. As both immigration and citizenship policies change, its public reception often shifts as well. Especially since the channels referred to within the ‘multiculturalism...
Mordecai Richler. These writers are not meant to represent any ethnic group as a whole,
Growing up with a diverse community makes you realize that Canada is growing and slowly becoming a Multicultural society. Multiculturalism as stated in the textbook, is defined as allowing and accepting different cultures and providing them encouragement and support to keep their culture and diverse traditions (Mintz et al. 2015, 34). In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adapt the official policy of multiculturalism. (Government of Canada. “Canadian Multiculturalism: An Inclusive Citizenship” 2012). Canada grants all residents of Canadian citizens regardless of their “racial or ethnic origins, their language, or their religious affiliation”. (Government of Canada. “Canadian Multiculturalism: An Inclusive Citizenship”