Canadian Multiculturalism
21 / 04 / 2009
The concept of Canada as a “multicultural society” can be interpreted in different ways: descriptively (as a sociological fact), prescriptively (as ideology), from a political perspective (as policy), or as a set of intergroup dynamics (as process).
As fact, “multiculturalism” in Canada refers to the presence and persistence of diverse racial and ethnic minorities who define [...]
The concept of Canada as a “multicultural society” can be interpreted in different ways: descriptively (as a sociological fact), prescriptively (as ideology), from a political perspective (as policy), or as a set of intergroup dynamics (as process).
As fact, “multiculturalism” in Canada refers to the presence and persistence of diverse racial and ethnic minorities who define themselves as different and who wish to remain so. Ideologically, multiculturalism consists of a relatively coherent set of ideas and ideals pertaining to the celebration of Canada’s cultural diversity. Multiculturalism at the policy level is structured around the management of diversity through formal initiatives in the federal, provincial and municipal domains. Finally, multiculturalism is the process by which racial and ethnic minorities compete to obtain support from central authorities for the achievement of certain goals and aspirations.
This study focuses on an analysis of Canadian multiculturalism both as a demographic reality and as a public policy.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
A. Multiculturalism as a Sociological Fact of Canadian Life
Canada can be described as a multicultural society whose racial and ethnic diversity is expressed in different ways. In recent years, a vigorous immigration policy has attracted a growing number of applicants from non-traditional sources such as Asia, Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean. It is noteworthy that much of this diversity is concentrated in Ontario, particularly in the metropolitan region of Toronto, as well as in the metropolitan areas of Vancouver and Montréal.
Some analysts suggest that, demographically, Canadian society can be divided into three major “forces.” The first force consists of Aboriginal peoples and includes status Indians, non-status Indians, Métis and Inuit. The Constitution Act, 1982 defined all natives as Aboriginal peoples. Their proportion of Canada’s total population is increasing. In 2001, just over 1.3 million people reported having at least some Aboriginal ancestry, representing 4.4% of the total population. By comparison, in 1996, people with Aboriginal ancestry represented 3.8% of the population.
The second force consists of the colonizing groups that eventually defined themselves as the founding members of Canadian society. Known as the Charter groups, both the French- and English-speaking communities constitute this force. The third force in Canadian society comprises those racial and ethnic minorities that fall outside the Charter groups; that is, native and foreign-born Canadians with some non-French and non-British ancestry.
Members of Canada’s three major forces entered this country in trickles and droves over the years, beginning with the arrival of the ancestors of the Aboriginal peoples from Asia, followed thousands of years later by the French and the British colonizers, who appointed themselves the official founders of Canada. At the turn of this century, the gates opened to allow immigrants from other Europeans countries into Canada, although not without hostility from a substantial portion of the public. In percentage terms, the influx peaked in 1912 and 1913, when annual arrivals exceeded 5% of the total population.
In recent years, the number of immigrants coming into Canada has risen to all-time highs. Between 1991 and 2000, 2.2 million immigrants were admitted to Canada. In percentage terms, the annual intake ranged between 0.6% and 0.9% of the total population during this period. Patterns of immigration have also shifted toward non-traditional sources such as Asia, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. Equally significant has been the unprecedented influx of landed refugees – many of them from Third World countries – who have requested entry into Canada.
Canada’s cultural diversity is manifest at the level of ethnic and immigrant composition. At the time of Confederation, Canada’s population was chiefly British (60%) and French (30%). By 1981, the combination of declining birthrate and infusion of non-European immigrants saw the British and French total decline to 40% and 27%, respectively. By the beginning of the 21st century, the proportion of people with British, French, and/or Canadian ethnic origins had dropped to below one-half of the total population (46%). (The term “Canadian” ethnic origin was first introduced in the 1996 census.) An ethnic diversity survey published by Statistics Canada in 2003 showed that 21% of the population aged 15 years and older was of British-only ancestry, while 10% reported only French origins, 8% were Canadian only, and 7% were a mix of these three origins.
This increased diversity was evident in the 2001 census, in which more than 200 different ethnic origins were reported. After Canadian, British, and French ethnic origins, the most common ancestries were German, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, and North American Indian. The 2001 census also found that 18.4% of the population was born outside Canada – the highest proportion in 70 years – and that immigrants were increasingly from Asia. The visible minority population accounted for 13.4% of the population, up from 4.7% in 1981.
Language diversity is also at the core of Canadian pluralism. In 2001, according to census data, English dominated as the first language (mother tongue) in 59.1% of the population. French came next at 22.9%, while the allophone category (having a mother tongue other than English or French) was 18.0%. The number of allophones has risen quickly – between 1996 and 2001 it increased by 12.5%.
The degree of diversity diminished somewhat with regard to the language used at home. The 2001 census figures indicated that English predominated in the homes of 67.5% of Canadians, compared with French at 22.0%, and “other” at 10.5%. With respect to the other languages, Chinese was the third most common mother tongue, followed by Italian and German, and then by Punjabi and Spanish. The three largest Aboriginal language groups were Cree, Inuktitut, and Ojibway.
Source: Canadian Multiculturalism
21 / 04 / 2009 | Tags: Canada, MULTICULTURALISM, THE AMERICAS |
Ανεξάρτητο κίνημα ελεύθερα σκεπτόμενων πολιτών με ένα κοινό όνειρο: ένα καλύτερο κόσμο εμπνευσμένο από τα Ελληνικά ιδεώδη που γέννησαν πολιτισμούς: την Ελευθερία, την Άμεση Δημοκρατία, την Δικαιοσύνη, τον Ανθρωπισμό, την Λογική και την συνεχή Επιδίωξη της Αριστείας.
