Multiculturalism in Canada Our peoples and Policies

Multiculturalism in CanadaPeoples and Policies2011 Study Canada Summer InstituteFor K-12 EducatorsPierre Anctil - University of Ottawa

11HISTORY IS DESTINYThe are major historical differences between the U.S and Canada that can easily be overlooked in the present

The US opted for revolution, Canada negotiationsNo plantation agriculture in Canada, no slavery Canada remained part of the British EmpireLanguage a key component of Canadian historyA Canadian national identity developed over a much longer period historically

2CANADIAN COLONIAL HISTORYCanada the political product of two competing empires in North America one superposed on the other historically1763 Treaty of Paris end of the French Regime60,000 French speakers remain in North America, mostly concentrated in the Saint-Lawrence ValleyIn 1763 French Canadian have been rooted in Canadian soil for 150 years they cannot be assimilated.3Champlain map of 1632

4Notre hritage commun ? The Qubcois and the Franco-Americans of New England41867 CONFEDERATION Allows the use of French in the Federal parliament and the publication of laws in French (article 133)Allows the use of French in courtsIn Qubec a provincial Parliament is created which is under the control of a French speaking majority.Francophones are 33 % of Canadian population5Dominion of Canada map of 1902

6Notre hritage commun ? The Qubcois and the Franco-Americans of New England6The great migration of 1905-1914Until the twentieth century Canada is made ESSENTIALLY of two founding peoples, Francophones and Anglophones

2 million immigrants settle in Canada mostly from Southern and Eastern EuropeCanada has a population of 5 millions at the timeThe population of Canada is tiny compared to the U.S.

7Galician Immigrants in Qubec city , 1911

8Reasons for the Great MigrationSustain the growth of the country economicallyCreate an internal consumer marketSettle the enormous territories west of Ontario and protect them from direct American influenceCultural diversity is introduced in Canada for the first time

9Post war unrest The end of WWII brings sweeping changes to Qubec societyQuiet Revolution Anger at the lower social status of Francophones public rallies and demonstrationsAppearance of the INDEPENDENCE movementViolence in Montral the form of the Front de libration du Qubec (1963-1970)10Pierre Bourgault, Rassemblement pour lindpendance rally, early 1960s

11ROYAL COMMISSION of 1963-69Andr Laurendeau and Davidson Dunton chair the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism

French minority educationImproved teaching of French as a second languageOfficial languages act of 1969Declaration on Multiculturalism 1971

12Main goals of the CommissionInstitutional support for all Canadians to become fluently bilingualBilingualism in the federal administrationIncreased role of public and private organisations in the promotion of official languagesEqual opportunity for Francophone Canadians13OUTCOME of the COMMISSIONOfficial Bilingualism YESBiculturalism NOCanadians are invited to welcome bilingualism as a central element cementing the country together But they are free to remain attached to their culture and language of originsMulticulturalism introduced as a political notion and supported by Canadian Ethnic leaders

14Elements of MULTICULTURALISMCelebration of the culture and language of immigrant communitiesEducation with regards to RACE related issues of discrimination and prejudicePromotion of Canadian citizenship as a unifying factor across cultures and languages

15DEFINITION OF MULTICULTURALISMThe Government of Canada is committed to reaching out to Canadians and newcomers and is developing lasting relationships with ethnic and religious communities in Canada. It encourages these communities to participate fully in society by enhancing their level of economic, social, and cultural integration.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 201116Migration to Canada - 2006Proportion of foreign born highest in 75 years: 19.8 % of the total Canadian population70 % of newcomers are allophones (do not speak French or English as a mother tongue)20 % of Canadians are allophones58.3% of recent immigrants from Asia - Europe accounts for only 16 % of total1 million persons speak a Chinese language in Canada mostly in the Canadian West

17Challenges of Multiculturalism250,000 immigrants to Canada per year one of the highest rate of acceptance in the worldTORONTO, MONTREAL and VANCOUVER welcome 70% of recent immigrants to CanadaMore than 200 different ethnic origins reported in 2006 censusVISIBLE MINORITIES 16 % of the Canadian population in 2006 or 5 million persons

18Carifesta, Montreal, 2009

19Consequences of MulticulturalismIn English Canada the concept has had enormous influence A defining element of Canadian identity, especially in the younger generations1988 Canadian Multiculturalism ActA Canadian answer to a Canadian problem of balancing the various national origins of the country within a bilingual frame of reference.20Problems with multiculturalismLeaves out the First Nations completely who fall under a different set of laws and rulesHas tended to insist on the folkloric and ancestral aspect of culture and languageFailed to be accepted by Qubec where it has been seriously criticized as a ploy by the federal government to marginalize the historical contribution of French-Canadians21Problems of Canadian governanceLanguage has been and is the key political issue in Canadian society to this day

Multiculturalism is language blindIt has largely failed to sway Qubec FrancophonesConstitutional patriation of 19822011 Federal census questions

22Qubecs responseCreation within the Qubec state of a parallel set of values promoting the integration of immigrants to the French language, officially calledINTERCULTURALISMEAppears in the early 1990sKey issue in the maintenance of the French language in Montreal23Young Muslim women speaking at the Bouchard-Taylor Commission, Montral, 2007

24Definition of InterculturalismeLa socit qubcoise, qui vit l'heure de l'interculturel, profite pleinement de la richesse sociale, politique, culturelle et conomique de son ouverture au pluralisme, la diversit et la multiplicit des appartenances

Ministre de lImmigration et des Communauts culturelles du Qubec, 201125Elements of InterculturalismeFrench as a common language for all citizensBasic freedoms and rights as based on Qubecs Charter of human rights and freedoms of 1975Acceptance of cultural diversityRule of law and application of the principle of lacit (separation of Church and State)Equality between men and womenSelection process geared to Qubec need and administered by the province

26CONCLUSION Multiculturalism is a Canadian ideology reflecting an increasingly DIVERSE society in a bilingual frame of referenceQuebec forms within Canada a distinct society with its own parallel language policy and cultural symbolismBecause of history, LANGUAGE not race is the key issue to be resolved in Canadian societyCanada has adapted well - for the most part - to the complex issue of multiple identities

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