Multiculturalism Essay

Pierre Trudeau`s legacy presents evidence that indicates he was the most influential figure in Canadian history. Throughout his career, his belief of a distinct Canada apart from Britain has grown and has developed into many important decisions for Canada to solidify Canada`s reputation among the world (Bibliography par. 1). Moreover, he strongly believed in a unified country with Quebec, thus completely rejecting the idea of Quebec separatism, which helped develop Canada`s multiculturalism (1980 Referendum par. 3). Lastly, he believed in full acceptance of culture and language, therefore he played a significant role in the creation of official bilingualism. (Bibliography par. 1). Clearly, Pierre Trudeau has powerfully impacted Canada by prominently

As a result, others who came were often considered "foreigners" because their race, color, religion, or customs were different from those of the majority of Canadians (_Attitudes Towards Immigrants_). Trudeau was the first to imply Multiculturalism in Canada. By implying it, it allowed Canada to be a much more diverse and equal place. It also promotes respect for peoples’ distinct cultural identity. Implying multiculturalism to Canada was one of Trudeau’s greatest accomplishments.

Canada is a nation built on immigration, and as the world becomes an ever increasingly hostile place more and more have chosen to try and make Canada their home. This melting pot of different cultures has created an overall atmosphere of acceptance, and is teaching younger generations a sense of community, empathy, and togetherness. Sharing our space and learning to grow with different ethnicities has perpetuated our status as a friendly, caring, and loyal nation, that many are willing to risk everything for in exchange for becoming a part of it.

Canada is internationally renowned for its commitment to multiculturalism. In fact, Canada was the first nation to officially adopt a multicultural policy. However, while the Canadian government has developed a broad-based multicultural mandate that includes a national human rights code and increased penalties for hate-motivated crimes, and most Canadians oppose overt forms of discrimination and hate, racism continues to exist in Canadian society, albeit in a subtle fashion.

The monograph that is being reviewed is Adrienne Clarkson’s Belonging. This book is a non-fiction, philosophical, mostly journalistic work, with an element of the polemic, or advocacy. The rationale for describing this book the way I have done is that Belonging provides an insight into Clarkson’s thinking about the moral framework of the Canadian society, the relationship between people in the society, and the relationship between the people and the country. What is stressed is the importance of cooperating, and being part of a community. At the same time, the latter part of this book goes into greater detail on how people should act. Clarkson recognizes the paradox of citizenship, where while striving for individuality, one becomes part of

Multiculturalism is one of the aspects that makes Canada a unique, contrasted country. Canada is set apart from other countries because of its collective rights that reinforces language and culture. Collective rights are rights that are given to groups of people who have helped mould Canada into the place it has become today. The First Nations have received collective because their culture has helped shaped Canada and their people are deeply embedded into the Canadian history. Explorers from the east have also helped create Canada, which is why the Francophone obtained their own set of collective rights.

Canadian and American cultural views were different which was proved because one is multicultural and the other is not. Canada was known as “mosaic” which means immigrants from any ethnic group were accepted here and were allowed to practice their religion. Therefore, they have a double identity ,meaning they are their ethnic group before a Canadian citizen as in Japanese-Canadian, Asian Canadian and so on . Whereas ,American culture was known as the “melting pot “, where they accept other cultures however they encouraged their citizens to give up their original culture ( Wells ,10 and 11 ). Canadian’s usually describe themselves as “NOT AMERICAN“(Wells,35) . Many Americans view Canada as a positive nation and as a better environment to live in then the United States . A legal sectary from Gastonia ,North Carolina said “Canada’s such a terrific place, I’d move there tomorrow if I could” (Wells, 35). This proves that Americans want to come to Canada since it is a safer environment due to it’s unique culture. Canadians are recognized as more modest, less aggressive and more down to earth then their southern neighbors (Wells,35).

The importance of diversity can sometimes be taken for granted. But there is no doubt that Canada is a better and more successful country because of it. The ability and readiness of a majority population and the way they accept immigrants has been proven to have a high impact on how well these immigrants can adapt to their new environment (Tirone, S., & Pedlar, A., 2000). Distinct cultural identities of ethnic minorities can be persistently challenged. Even with discrimination and segregation almost eliminated from our society there are still a few constraints that can hinder adaptation and feel more like acculturation. Acculturation can refer to the ways in which immigrants accept and follow dominant values because of pressure exerted from the

A country built on immigration, Canada has long had a reputation of being culturally and ethnically diverse. While multiculturalism is meant to be built on equality and appreciation of different cultures, its concept has gained both support and opposition. On one hand, it allows for more assortment and the voices of minorities have a higher chance to be heard. On the other hand, loss of unity and conflicts may occur due to contrasting worldviews of the citizens. All in all, multiculturalism is a controversial policy that has both advantages and disadvantages, but has proven to be a successful strategy in Canada.

The government of Canada decided that the country could be a mosaic of cultures where people from different countries could keep their nationalities and still be called canadian therefore allowing an influx of different cultures. The royal commission came up with the idea of "cultural pluralism" and encouraged the government to reflect this in their policies. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the prime minster in 1917 accepted this policy called the multiculturalism policy. In 1988, the governement of Canada also imposed the "Multiculturalism Act" . The factors influencing these two policies/acts were quite similiar to one another. In mid-1960s, the troubled English-French realtions in Canada desperately needed a solution. They preferred the idea of a cultural mosaic. After establishing this policy racism reduced significantly as every ethnic group was to be treated the same way, allowing canada to be a cultural hub. In the context of theory so far everything seems to be working smoothly but the real question that we need to ask ourself is whether multiculturalism is working in our society or not ? Do we feel comfortable living amogst all the different kinds of people and are content with our lifestyle? Take education for an example. A university in North America called Stanford had a program in which the curriculum was designed

What is Canada? What is a Canadian? Canada, to employ Voltaire's analogy, is nothing but “a few acres of snow.”. Of course, the philosopher spoke of New France, when he made that analogy. More recently, a former Prime Minister, Joe Clark, said that the country was nothing but a “community of communities”. Both these images have helped us, in one way or another, try to interpret what could define this country. On the other hand, a Canadian could be a beer, a hockey-playing beaver or even a canoe floating in a summer day's sunset. A Canadian could also be a “sovereigntyphobe”, refusing to see the liquefaction, albeit political, of the second largest country in the world.

In the essay, “No Place like home” by Neil Bissondath argues that although multiculturalism has emphasized differences it has also created a divide. Canada is seen to have a record of racism, that shows an ongoing separation in Quebec. This would also include sexism, and various forms of discrimination that are tied in with racism. Till today, people are discriminated on their physical appearance. As multiculturalism grows in Canada racism becomes to be a problem to some. Bissondath goes on to say that although there is a damage of multiculturalism, many Canadians need to, “pursue acceptance of others-not mere tolerance of them” (Bissondath, Page 307). What is meant to be said by that quote is, Canadians need to learn to accept other’s rather than parting ways due to someone’s color, race, or their appearance. However, Will Kymlicka says in his essay, the more multiculturalism the better. Kymlicka says that immigrants are supportive and that they have

Canada is routinely defined as the exemplar multicultural society with the most diverse cities in the world such as Vancouver, Toronto and Quebec. The concepts of integrity and complexity are being shaped in Canadian society because of its co-existence of different cultures. Indeed, multiculturalism has been a keystone of Canadian policy for over 40 years with the aim of pursuing Canadian unity (Flegel 2002). Accordingly, Canada is generally estimated a country where people are all equal and where they can share fundamental values based upon freedom. Diversity is sustained and promoted by governmental policy, however, there are still racist interactions, which are destructive to minorities integration, especially recent ethnic groups’ arrival (Banting & Kymlicka 2010). This paper will examine challenges that multiculturalism has brought society and residents of Canada.

Canada’s identity comes in many shapes and forms. Multiculturalism has been adopted and is at the forefront of Canadian identity. Following the Second World War, Canada’s multiculturalism policies became more acceptable and even successful in, not only accepting, but inviting multiple ethnic cultures in. In contrast to other countries, multiculturalism adaptation works for the Canadian culture. Canadian policies on multiculturalism have shifted over the past few decades; policies are now implemented for integration, not discrimination.

Multiculturalism is the preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation (Dictionary.com, 2013). Canada is a country full of many different ethnicities and cultures, but even though Canada is housing them, it’s just not working. Problems in multiculturalism are most prominent in three areas, the communities, the schools and the workforce. Multiculturalism in the communities are facing struggle because of the cities’ appeal to new immigrants and because of the segregation in ethnic enclaves. Multiculturalism in the schools is evident when unfair religious accommodations are made and when schools are stereotyped based on the racial majority. The workforce faces problems in multiculturalism because of the employers employing visible minorities which creates segregation and because many immigrants’ credentials are being looked over and given worse positions. Multiculturalism is not working in Canada based on the discrimination, stereotypes and segregation evident in the communities, schools and the workforce.