Multiculturalism - The Canadian Encyclopedia

Multiculturalism, as a term, first came into vogue in the 1960s to counter "biculturalism," a term popularized by the Royal Commission on BILINGUALISM AND BICULTURALISM. It has to a considerable extent replaced the term "cultural pluralism," although that term is still favoured in Québec. Its use has spread from Canada to many countries, notably Australia. The term is used in at least 3 senses: to refer to a society that is characterized by ethnic or cultural heterogeneity; to refer to an ideal of equality and mutual respect among a population's ethnic or cultural groups; and to refer to government policy proclaimed by the federal government in 1971 and subsequently by a number of provinces. In July 1988 the Conservative government passed a bill to introduce the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, which set forth the government's multiculturalism policy: "to recognize all Canadians as full and equal participants in Canadian society."


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	Ethnic Groups

It was with the advent of the British in the 18th century, the gold rushes of the 19th century, and the settlement of the West in the late 19th and early 20th century that Canada became one of the world's main immigrant-receiving societies, a position it retained through the 1920s and after WWII (see IMMIGRATION; IMMIGRATION POLICY). Except in French Canada, ethnic and cultural groups were, ideally, to be assimilated by the English majority. This ideal was replaced first by the ideal of the "melting-pot," ie, the creation of a new ethnic or cultural group out of the combined elements in the population, and then by the ideal of the "mosaic," ie, the collaboration of all ethnic and cultural groups, which would nevertheless retain their distinctive characteristics. The mosaic was the precursor of multiculturalism.

It was only after the turbulent 1960s that the provincial and federal governments adopted explicit policies of multiculturalism, although, in the first decade, the federal government allotted these policies far less money than the policy of French-English bilingualism, which had been formalized 2 years earlier. Federally, there has been a minister responsible for multiculturalism since 1972, and since 1973 there has been a Canadian Multiculturalism Council and a Multiculturalism Directorate within the Department of the Secretary of State.

Government policies of multiculturalism have been viewed with hostility and suspicion by many. French Canadians and others have regarded them as injurious to the French-Canadian position as one of the 2 linguistic communities of which Canada is composed; some scholars have decried them as a means of buttressing Anglo-Saxon dominance, by diverting the efforts of the non-French and the non-English from political and economic affairs into cultural activities and excluding other ethnic groups from power and influence; some spokesmen from ethnic groups have viewed government multiculturalism policies as unacceptable substitutes for substantial aid; many have considered them bribes for "the ethnic vote."

The hostility and suspicion against multiculturalism have resulted from ambiguities in policy statements and in the term multiculturalism (it has been pointed out that a curious presumption of "multiculturalism" is that ethnic groups are outside the mainstream of society, whereas they can be more accurately described as cultural fractions that integrate unequally to form Canadian society). Social scientists have not adequately classified and communicated to politicians, bureaucrats and the public the subtle but necessary distinctions between cultural and structural assimilation, culture and ethnic group, etc.

Multicultural policies in the 1970s may not have met the needs of immigrants, especially the growing numbers belonging to "visible minorities," designed as they were for long-established ethnic groups of European background. Nonetheless, the introduction of the term and what has been called the multicultural movement have been important in calling attention to an important type of diversity within society and in engendering political recognition of it.

Diversity, heterogeneity and multiculturalism have increasingly been recognized by Census Canada, when in the 1981 census they allowed multiple ethnic designations which 1.2 million chose. By 1996, 10.2 million respondents reported multiple ethnic group heritages. In the 1990s there was considerable discussion about the extent to which "Canadian" is the most appropriate identity for many, and researchers have explored the extent to which this option is appropriate.

Author JEAN BURNET

Links to Other Sites

Canadian Ethnocultural Council
The Canadian Ethnocultural Council is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of national ethnocultural umbrella organizations which, in turn, represent a cross-section of ethnocultural groups across Canada.

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

Highlighting Human Rights in Ontario
This Archives of Ontario virtual exhibit focuses on the evolution of human rights issues in Ontario prior to the establishment of the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 1961.

The Metropolis Project
An international public policy research organization. Search this site for reports and data concerning immigration, settlement, and cultural diversity in Canadian urban centres.

Historica Encounters
Historica Encounters is a one-week program of Canadian studies held at The Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre, in Ottawa. From mid September to early December and from late January to early May, more than 138 high school students per week, aged 14 – 17 come from across the country to our Nation's Capital for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Immigration Diversity
Watch a series of CBC News videos that explore how culture, race, and religion both benefit and challenge Canadian society. Also included are stories about the refugee experience, in dangerous home countries, and on arrival in Canada.

Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada
This website offers Canadian population data (2006) by ethnic origin. Also, find information for individual provinces and territories by clicking the "Select a view" window above the chart. For more information, click on the "Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada" link at the top of the page. From the website for Statistics Canada.

Diaspora Dialogues
The website for "Diaspora Dialogues," which promotes the production of new fiction, poetry, and drama that reflect Canada's complex cultural diversiy.

Scoping the Role of Canadian Diaspora in Global Diplomacy and Policy Making
A detailed paper that examines Canada's utilization of the resources of our Diaspora communities and their global communications networks. From the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation website.