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Introduction
The Canadian government adopted multiculturalism during the 1980s because it was an ideology that emphasized the importance of immigration. Multiculturalism can result from a sociological fact, ideological outlook, and political policy. The ideological perspective describes multiculturalism as a coherent set of ideas affiliated with Canada’s celebrative cultural diversity. Multiculturalism refers to the diversified management of formal initiatives on political policy at municipal, territorial, provincial, and federal levels. Sociological facts and national public policy idealized the chronology of multiculturalism in Canada.
Multiculturalism Policies
The patterns of settlements and colonization align Canadian history to have a multicultural society. The society was made up of its founding community: the French, British, indigenous, and other ethnic groups. The indigenous were the status and non-status Indians, Metis, and Inuit. The French and British colonizers arrived in the 1600s during the time of Confederation. By the 20th century, the Canadian population had 60% British and 30% French (Veresiu and Giesler 101). The 2016 census done by the Canadian Statistics department showed an increase in diversity. The statistics show that Canada has over 250 ethnic ancestries, and about 21% of its population was born outside Canada. The majority of the 2016 statistical analyses were Asians, who topped at 48.1% (Veresiu and Giesler 116).
The country registered linguistic diversity with English as its first language. The immigrant languages were Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Punjab, Arabic, and Tagalog. The indigenous language speakers include Inuktitut, Cree languages, Oji-Cree, Montagnais, Dene, and Ojibway. Federal multiculturalism has evolved in three developmental phases: the incipient stage, the formative period, and the institutionalization period.
The incipient stage that is also known as pre-1971 enabled Canada to gradually accept ethnic diversity as a legitimate integral part of their society. The main aim was to build the nation and cultural sense to replicate the British societal outlook (Thurairajah 136). Culturally, this was the realism behind Canada’s political, social, and economic institutions. British subjects defined many Canadian nationals until the “Canadian Citizenship Act” in 1947. The act legitimized British underpinnings as a culturally English-speaking nation. Canadian central authorities dismissed cultural heterogeneity because of racial and ethnic differences. The friction was stabilized when the influx of World War II immigrants made prominent Canadian leaders rethink other ethnic groups to evolve into Canadian Dynamism (Thurairajah 140).
In 1960, Canada adopted an assimilation policy and subsequent multiculturalism. It also influenced the assertiveness of Canada’s Quebecois nationalism as part of their minority society. The formative period happened between 1971 and 1981 when the Royal Commission on Biculturalism and Bilingualism published a report that contributed to non-Indigenous, non-English, and non-French ethnic societies enriching Canadian culture (Thurairajah 142).
According to the commission, Canadian authorities should have integrated into Canadian society and granted full citizenship. Full citizenship was to enable multicultural society to take part in Canada’s institutional structure. It took ten years for the government to achieve the Royal Commission report. The Multicultural Directorate was tabled to the Department of the Secretary of State in 1972 for implementation (Thurairajah 147). The government-funded nearly $200 million to sponsor ethnic minorities to achieve their humanistic rights, get citizenship, freedom from racial discrimination, synchronize into cultural diversity, and reach immigration settlement.
In 1973, the Ministry of Multiculturalism was created to monitor all government initiatives to achieve multicultural ambitions. For instance, the Canadian Consultative Council was renamed to Canadian Ethnocultural Council in 1973. The Canadian government sensitized its population to focus on equality and distancing itself from racial discrimination by combating it in institutions (Berry and Hou 159). Every minority group was given a chance to air out their concerns and ways of neutralizing its negativity.
Institutionalization of multiculturalism
Institutionalization started in 1980, and it has grown because of various multicultural policies. The shifts in policies coincided with the difficult times that Canada in absorbing multicultural impacts (Berry and Hou 162). The government started by helping their institutions to adapt and accept the presence of immigrant groups. This was done by introducing anti-discriminatory programs to sensitize cultural and social barriers that separated the majority and minority in Canada. The country adopted the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 (Berry and Hou 166). The charter recognized multicultural heritage in the constitution, and the Canadian courts had the mandate to ensure people lived in harmony. The interpretative prism eliminated the discriminative prism by guaranteeing fairness and equality under the law.
According to the Canadian parliament, the Multiculturalism Act was meant to shape society and ensure the full participation of everyone in the social, economic, and political spheres. The eradication of racism and other discriminatory barriers fulfilled human rights commitments. In 1991, the Canadian Heritage Language Institute Act was adopted in Edmonton to develop national standards for teaching ethnic minorities. The legislation-fledged multiculturalism and citizenship ensured that race relations promoted institutionalized appreciations, preserved heritage cultures, and community support enabled equitable support for Canadian life (Berry and Hou 169).
In 2008, the federal government created Paul Yuzyk Award to recognize multiculturalism contributors. The awards encouraged individuals and various ethnic groups to integrate into the Canadian system. It also made newcomers integrate easily into Canadian culture. In 2010, Canada hosted Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism (ICCA). The ICCA made Canada sign the Ottawa Protocol that was made to combat antisemitism (Berry and Hou 170. In 2015, parliament passed the Journey to Freedom Day Act that enabled Vietnamese refugee acceptance in Canada after Saigon’s fall.
Conclusion
Canada has grown to accept multiculturalism to enable it to grow as a block towards prosperity. When a country supports religious backgrounds and makes it open for everyone to practice their cultures openly, the government is working towards ensuring everyone is comfortable. At present, six Canadian provinces have enacted multiculturalism legislation. These provinces are Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The state transitions and enactments have influenced how people interact with each other. Overlooking the biasness nature of traditionally marginalized tribes and ethnicities, the current spectrum connects cultures and their narratives towards posterity.
Every departmental head in Canada ensures that citizenship and immigration transitions promote social inclusion, community engagement, and civic recognition. As much as territorial governments lack multicultural policies, they incorporate human rights Acts to prohibit discrimination on race, ethnic origin, ancestry, religion, or place of birth. The current state of the Canadian economic matrix has been shaped by the mode of synchronizing their multicultural differences and learning to appreciate them. When the population feels welcomed and settled, they tend to focus on economic empowerment.
Works Cited
Berry, John W., and Feng Hou. “Multiple Belongings and Psychological Well-Being among Immigrants and the Second Generation in Canada.” Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, vol 51, no. 3, 2019, pp. 159-170. American Psychological Association. Web.
Thurairajah, Kalyani. “The Jagged Edges of Multiculturalism in Canada and the Suspect Canadian”. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, vol 12, no. 2, 2017, pp. 134-148. Informa UK Limited. Web.
Veresiu, Ela, and Markus Giesler. “Beyond Acculturation: Multiculturalism And The Institutional Shaping Of An Ethnic Consumer Subject”. Journal of Consumer Research, 2018. Oxford University Press (OUP). Web.
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