Mullticulturalism in Canada

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Canada is renowned world wide for being a multi-cultural mosaic of people. The entire nation is built on centuries of immigration. In the world spotlight Canada is seen as a nation of peacekeepers, smiling faces, and immigration welcomers. Immigration changes more than just the amount of people in the country, it influences many different facets of the Canadian lifestyle, everything from education, to economics is altered in some way by bringing in new people. The changes that arise from immigration are speculated by some as either problematic or beneficial. It can be perceived that immigration stimulates the growth in the workforce thereby having a positive effect on the economy, alternatively, during times of economic duress, immigrants are often resented as being the source of job shortages.

One of the biggest issues surrounding immigration is the integration aspect. Immigration brings about increasing ethnic diversity, incorporating new people into Canadian society adds to the richness that is Canada. In major metropolis areas across the country, different ethnicities are intermingling, different cultures are emerging, and new ideas about multiculturalism are coming to life. The level of integration within Canada is dependent on increasing the amount of different cultures, while avoiding a cultural segregation and overall separation.

A common phenomenon related to introducing new cultures into a society is the idea of common spaces, what this entails is the trend that newly arriving immigrants tend to segregate together and create a subculture within Canadian culture. What this implies is a separation within society, and a hinderance on inclusion. This type of trend is usually influenced by the housing issues that ari...

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...e of acceptance and tolerance in order to facilitate its evolution.

References

Champion, C.P. (2006). Courting "our ethnic friends": Canadianism, Britishness, and new Canadians, 1950-1970. Canadian Ethnic Studies. 38(1) 23-46

Cho, S. (2007). New Canadians, new attitudes. Marketing Magazine.112, 10-16.

Dib, K., Donaldson, I., Turcotte, B. (2008). Integration and identity in Canada: The importance of multicultural common spaces. Canadian Ethnic Studies. 40(1). 161-187.

Nakhaie, M. R. (2006). Contemporary realities and future visions: Enhancing multiculturalism in Canada. Canadian Ethnic Studies. 38(1), 149-158.

Teixeira, C. (2010). Housing new canadians in the central Okanagan, British Columbia. B.C. Studies. 168, 45-63.

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