Multiculturalism in Canada

Immigration in Canada

1879 Prime Minister John A. MacDonald (Conservative Party) won election with promise of National Policy

3 components of national policy:

1) High tariffs (taxes on imported goods) to try and build a national economy

2) Try to build a railroad across (ties north/south to move goods/ people) sponsored by the government

3) Encourage immigration to fill up space (claim it with bodies)

• Black Americans
• Southern Europeans
• Asians
• Head tax on Chinese immigrants
• $50 in 1885, $100 in 1900 and $500 by 1903
• 1908 limitations on Japanese immigration
• 1908 Continuous Journey regulation

Education

Current State of Multiculturalism in Canada

Why Multiculturalism Fails in Other Countries

Shad (Rapper)

The War of 1812

Multiculturalism in Canada

• Born (Shadrach Kabango in 1982) in Kenya

• Nationality: Canadian

• Socially conscious lyrics

• Speaking on the corruption in the music industry, Rwandan Genocide

Source:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shad-mn0002096752/biography

• Prior to, Canada had been divided into: Upper and Lower Canada
• Louis Riel fought for rights of Metis and French-Speaking People
• The war united the French-speaking and English-speaking colonies against a common enemy
• The United States had planned to take over Upper and Lower Canada in a single mass attack
• Had they been successful, it is likely that Canada would not have evolved as a separate country

Bibliography

National Policy

Push - Pull Factors

Little success in settling the West until 1896

From 1896 to 1914 more than 1 million people immigrated to Western Canada

“Multiculturalism in Canada refers exclusively to a concern with cultural diversity, thus addressing issues of immigrant integration, cultural identity, racism, religious diversity and linguistic diversity” (Joshee et al, 1)

Emigration - Who left and where did they go?

Who was welcomed?

Push – Factors that push you to emigrate and leave your country of origin

Pull - Factors that pull you into a particular country over another

Push Pull

Lack of jobs - economic opportunities Availability of jobs, work, land

Warfare Chance for economic advancement

Other forms of oppression (religious Free land

discrimination)

American border closed after 1890 Last Best West

The Great Debate

• Between 1871-1921 5 million immigrants arrived in Canada but 4 million people left - primarily for economic reasons

• Canada does well economically during this period but the US does better and because of its size has more jobs to offer

• Because of geography movement often north to south rather than east and west

Komagata Maru, May 1914

• Arrived in Vancouver harbor with 376 passengers abroad
• It's passengers, mostly Sikhs from Punjab, India and all British subjects
• Challenged Canada's Continuous Journey clause
• Canadian government denied their entrance to Vancouver due to the Asian Exclusion Act
• Stayed at the dock for 2 months before being sent back to India, during which they were denied food and water
• In a subsequent clash with British soldiers, 19 passengers died

Dixon,Gregory C and Jennifer Byrne. “Reevaluating American Attitude towards immigrants in the twenty-First century: The Role of a Multicultural National Identity.”Politics and Policy,41.1(2013): 83+ Academic one file. Web.28 May 28, 2014

Joshee et al. "From Getting along to Democratic Engagement: Moving toward Deep Diversity in Citizenship Education." Citizenship Teaching & Learning 6.1 (2010): 61-75. Intellect Ltd. Print.

Trebling,Diana. “Multiculturalism in contemporary societies: perspectives on difference and trans difference.” Canadian ethnic studies journal 36.1(2004).

Excerpts from Hansard, House of Commons Debate, 1923, regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, officially known as "An Act Respecting Chinese Immigration."

FARRELL, ROBERT R., and SAMUEL C. BAXTER. "Europe's Culture Clash – Has Multiculturalism Failed?" Europe's Culture Clash – Has Multiculturalism Failed? N.p., 16 May 2011. Web. 28 May 2014.

Todd, D (September 11, 2010). "Growing Ethnic Enclaves Hurt Sense Of Canadian "Belonging". (The Vancouver Sun) Immigration Watch Canada.

R. v. Keegstra [1990] 3 S.C.R. 697

Zucchi, John. A History of Ethnic Enclaves in Canada. Ed. Roberto Perm. Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association, 2007. Canada’s Ethnic Group Series. Government of Canada.

Lopašovská, Dominika. "Anti-multiculturalism in Quebec – Backlash on the Allophones."Master’s Diploma Thesis, Masaryk University (2013): 1-62. Center for North American Studies.

Clifford Sifton and "The Last Best West" (1896-1914)

Who was welcome?

Europe

• Immigrants are not integrating into the western societies
• lead a segregation life style and establish closed communities with their own rules.
• religious and cultural tensions
• concerns about crime
• threat of terrorism

Criticisms

Multiculturalism and Integration: Why it Works

United States

the process of immigrant and minority integration is working better in Canada than in other countries

*multiculturalism plays a positive role in this process

• Strong model of assimilation into American culture, often referred to as the "melting pot"

Sifton increased immigration by:

Promotional campaign, featuring the slogan "Canada: The Last Best West." (This was a reference to the fact that American land on the Plains was becoming less available and more expensive to settlers by this period)

• Immigration essential to populating Canada – natural birth rate too low and many people left Canada

• Promoted Canada widely because many countries competing for immigrants

• Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior actively promoted Canada as a destination for immigrants

• 1896 his department printed 65,000 pamphlets and in 1900 it printed 1 million

• Promoted through pamphlets, posters, lectures in US and overseas

Freeing up unused land owned by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); offering "free" land to settlers.

•Ideal Canadian society at time as closely modeled on Britain as possible – cultural diversity not good

•Anglo-Saxons believed they were at the pinnacle of civilization – rejected notion even of bilingualism and biculturalism (ie. Quebec)

•British culture, English language – inculcated in schools, by churches

•Like with natives, aim is to acculturate – by abandoning their own culture and customs could become Canadian

•Clear racial hierarchy and believed some groups able to assimilate and some not

• Some argue that multiculturalism "emphasizes the differences between groups rather than their shared rights and identities as Canadian citizens" (Government of Canada)

• Supports the idea of society being broken up into ethnic enclaves, which are “ethnic neighborhoods or districts that retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area” (Eckardt 311) e.g. Chinatown or Little Italy

Social Cohesion: is the sociology, political science and social policy that describes the bonds or glue that bring people together in society, especially in the context of cultural diversity.

• economic integration into the labour market;

• political integration into the electoral process and other forms of political participation;

• social integration into the networks and spaces of civil society, from informal networks of friends and neighbours to membership in more formal organizations

The Multicultural Act

Multicultural education is an approach to teaching and learning that reflects the diversity of Canada.

R. v. Keegstra

A public school teacher charged for "promoting hatred against an identifiable group by communicating anti-Semitic statements to his students"

o Described Jews as a people of profound evil

o Promoted biased and negative opinions of Jews

o Tested students in exams on his theories and opinions of Jews

1971: Canada was the first country in the world to adopt a Multicultural Policy

Confirmed rights of Aboriginal peoples

Established Canada's two official languages: English and French

Two fundamental principles of the Act are:

• All citizens are equal and have the freedom to preserve, enhance, and share their cultural heritage.

• Multiculturalism promotes the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in all aspects of Canadian society.

What measures have been taken to prevent this from happening again?

Important for educators to learn about different cultures to understand the perspectives and learning styles of students

Cannot have a personal biased or promote ideas of hatred towards one group

Multicultural Policy sets up ways for teachers to get proper training of how to handle their own beliefs surrounding people of diverse backgrounds

Canada's education system is designed within the boundaries of Canada's Multicultural Act, Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canada's Multicultural Policy

• Helps us to gain a better understanding of differences between people
• Creates an environment that promotes respect and fairness
• Allows us to communicate better with people of different backgrounds and form positive relationships with them
• Helps to combat racism and eliminate stereotyping, prejudices and bigotry
• Removes “systematic barriers that impede full participation in Canadian society” (Hyman et al 1).
• Create more opportunities for students and allows them to achieve higher success

Multicultural Policy helps us create policies to prevent discrimination and to gain a deeper understanding of the differences between people

After school programs/clubs/courses that recognize:

 Gender roles

 Sexual orientations

 Religions

 Language barriers (ESL)

Reflects Canada's Diversity

Maintain our individual culture while assimilating into the mainstream culture

Celebrates Diversity:

- Black History Month

- Asian Heritage Month

- Chinese New Year

Diversity: The differences between people

Multiculturalism: The idea that different cultures can come

together in a society

The development of policies, programs and practices in response or that reflect Canada’s multicultural society

E.g. courses such as World Religions, prayer rooms for Muslim students, acknowledging holidays and allowing religious wear (head wear and other), festivals