Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
the benefit of multiculturalism in Canada
topic about multiculturalism in Canada
multiculturalism in canada essays
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: the benefit of multiculturalism in Canada
Cultural Change in Canada
Pierre Trudeau stated that English Canada didn't have a culture and he wanted to give it one. He wanted Canada to be a strong country when Canadians of all provinces felt at home in all parts of the country, and when they felt that all Canada belongs to them (Trudeau, 1971) Trudeau encouraged immigration and thought these immigrants will assimilate and strengthen Canada. He wanted Canada to be a society where people were all equal and where they can share some fundamental values based upon freedom. After 1971, the government proclaimed a policy of multiculturalism and Canada went from an all Caucasian community to a multicultural community. Because of Canada’s different cultures and ethnic groups, it was often referred as a mosaic community. Culture is defined as the way of living of a group of people, including their traditions, inventions and conventions (Bain et al., 2002, pp.49-50). Canada has been shaped by migration that has combined to form a unique blend of customs, cuisine, and traditions that have marked the socio-cultural development of country. Throughout the20th century, many cultural changes have taken place in Canada resulting diffusion, enculturation, and acculturation due to the change in the immigration policy. From the beginning of the 20th century until the present Canada’s culture has undergone and some state that Canadian culture doesn't exist.
Canada’s cultural diversity created an accepting environment for people but Canada was not always a diverse country and it did not always accept non-white immigrants. Canada was an ethnically divided place, Chinese immigration was excluded, Japanese Canadians were put in camps and Jews and blacks were discriminated. In 1900, the Federal i...
... middle of paper ...
... culture is rich and unique culture and it can’t be defined. Stephen Harper states that, “there is a Canadian culture that is in some ways unique to Canada, but I don't think Canadian culture coincides neatly with borders”. The culture of Canada is a working progress and it can’t be predicted because there’s a lot to be done. The immigration policy has resulted many cultural changes in Canada such as diffusion, enculturation and acculturation. Languages, music, food, fashion and media has changed because of this massive shift. The country went from an all white community to mosaic community and the society has become more accepting for the newcomers. People often ask, “Is there a Canadian culture?” the answer to this question is there is no such thing as Canadian culture. The languages and religious differences with the different countries make our culture unique.
A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people. Many countries have been influenced by various things such as immigration, media, news, as well as trends and fads from both in and out of the country. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, there was mainly news and word of mouth. Many had argued that Canada should establish its own culture to have an identity separate, later growing into a concern of the government. Most would think that the cultural influence was negative as the influences of other countries would take away from the country’s own culture and identity, but it was not the case. The influence of American culture in the 1950s and 1960s in Canada was positive. American music, Hippie culture, and the impact the American
35 Fleras, Augie, and Jean Leonard Elliott. Engaging Diversity: Multiculturalism in Canada. Toronto: Nelson, 2002: 164.
Multiculturalism in Canada is actually a beautiful element. Through different texts such as “I am not racist” and “I’m a Banana and proud of it” multiculturalism may not be a beautiful thing after all. The stereotyping, that is describing people shape, colour and language they speak. In Canada, stereotyping and racism occurs even if we think it’s not as we are multicultural country.
Multiculturalism policy was first adopted in Canada in 1971, which reaffirms the dignity and value of all its citizens regardless of ethnic origins, race, religious affiliations, or language. Part of this policy, Canada confirms the rights of all the aboriginals along with the recognition of two official languages. Indeed, multiculturalism has great importance since its main purpose is to give equal treatment to all the citizens (Daniel, 2010). It ensures that all individual citizens could still maintain their identities, and have pride with their ancestry. Through this initiative, the Canadian government was able to give their citizens a feeling of self-confidence, making them more open to their diverse cultures. The multiculturalism policy
“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.
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Overtime, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms , media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada. In other words,
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. In a more general extent, “multiculturalism policies in Canada have attempted to assist cultural group in overcoming barriers so as to allow them to integrate more fully in society.2”. However, the notion of multiculturalism itself was criticized by the Spicer Commission on National Unity. This commission was put forward by the Mulroney government, as a response to the popular perception that the country's unity was vuln...
It can be said that Canada has a reputation as a culturally accepting nation. Unfortunately, in it’s past there were many mistakes made. For instance, in the 1920’s not all Canadians were free from discrimination. Although most people were embracing this time of prosperity with new inventions and exciting lifestyles, others were struggling to avoid the the overbearing push of cultural genocide. These were the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The government of Canada has made great mistakes forcing the policy of assimilation upon the indigenous communities and now want to be reconciled with those who were affected. For instance, the policy of assimilation was put into place beginning in 1878 to humanize all young Native Canadian children. However
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.
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 is a significant fabric of Canadian society that defines its unique identity among the rest of the world. Enactment of the Canadian multicultural policy (1971) affirmed government position and recognition of multiculturalism as a vital element of Canada. It is imperative to understand that multiculturalism is a static concept that keeps changing overtime and has a multidimensional entity. Canadians have always and will continue to revise the concept of multiculturalism to suit the ever expanding needs of Canadian society. In this paper, I will evaluate the reasons behind Canada’s adoption of multicultural policy and assess whether the policy should be maintained or not. I will defend the thesis that Canada’s multiculturalism
One of the core values of Canada is diversity. Canada has very diverse cultures that have
“ Canada 's national obsession seems to be its own identity.” For many years Canada has feared the increasing influence of its North American neighbors on its culture - the United States . It has become a matter of growing concern for the people of power and influence in Canada to maintain their separate cultural identity and to promote their own cultural norms. Gaetan Tremblay presents his views on this topic and does this from the perspective of a person living and working in Quebec.
Canada’s own identity starts with our remarkable sense of culture and customs. For the native peoples, the Canadian identity stretches thousands of years into the search of struggles to retain elements of their ancient culture. From a colonial perspective, the traditions which surface in Canadian culture seem to be born of an earlier time, of different origins and places, of old-fashioned rituals, and customs. Unlike the United States, its senior neighbor, Canada’s aged-like identity is more reserved and skillful, unwilling to commit it self to anything specific. Within each region of Canada-
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”