multiculturalism or assimilation

[juliastinson]

Why is Canada the only Multi cultural nation? Is Canada just the place to go if you are looking to keep your cultural heritage? Do most people move to Canada? Or do the other nations just assimilate the people that move into their countries? How is that working for them? What sets Canada apart from the other countries so that it sees the importance of people keeping their cultural identities? Back when Canada had residential schools, Canada must have had a much different mind set about multi culturalism. What has changed in the way Canada views that? Is assimilation the government’s decision or is assimilation the decision of the people who live there and how they pressure the new cultures to be like them? The French English wars must have had something to do with our cultural diversity but how much does that actually effect what Canadians think about valuing other cultures and accepting them now?

[Mr. Delainey]

The origins of multi-culturalism in Canada are pretty recent, Julia. I wouldn't look much earlier than early 1970s.

The demographics (population) of Canada was changing remarkably following World War II. We had a significant influx of non-English speaking immigrants from war torn Europe; moreover, immigration from Asia and Africa accelerated.

Prime Minister Trudeau, partly in an attempt to acknowledge Canada's changing demography and also in an attempt to pacify the French, officially established multi-culturalism in the mid 1970s. Trudeau's hope was multiculturalism would encourage the French to want to remain in confederation. He also was hoping this policy would help Canada accomodate its new arrivals. Multiculturalism was an official move away from the British-French only dynamic; it was a move towards British-French-First Nation-Chinese-African-Eastern European dynamic that we now know.

Recap:
-multiculturalism is the federal government's acknowledgement of the changing demography of Canada
-multiculturalims is an attempt to make the French feel as though they can be unique and distinct within Canada (and not have to separate)

Has multiculturalism been successful?

[francine]

when i came to canada in gr5 i was forced to see a speach therapist to learn not to speak with an accent.... just saying.

[Mr. Delainey]

"Forced" probably should be replaced with "encouraged".

They were helping you adapt is all (though I suppose at the time you were none too pleased).