Multiculturalism and Diversity in Canada

C

ANADIAN APPROACHES TO DIVERSITY NATURALLY REFLECT CANADIAN REALITIES. THE

starting point is that Canada is one of the most multicultural countries in the

world. Among OECD countries, it is virtually unique in the coexistence of three

dimensions of difference: the historic divide between English- and French-speaking

communities, which represents the central reality of Canadian political life; the

presence across the country of indigenous peoples, many of whom assert traditional

claims to self-governance; and large immigrant communities, with over 18

percent of the people living in Canada having been born outside the country.

Moreover, in contrast to some host countries whose immigrants come predominantly

from one part of the world, creating a relatively homogeneous “Other,”

Keith Banting, Thomas J. Courchene

and F. Leslie Seidle

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Belonging? Diversity, Recognition and

Shared Citizenship in Canada

26 Conclusion 9/18/07 9:50 AM Page 648

immigrants to Canada have come from many different parts of the world, creating

a “diverse diversity” composed of a wide range of ethnicities, races and religions.

Canadian approaches to diversity are also shaped by the country’s larger

geopolitical position and the traditional nation-building strategies on which it has

relied since 1867. Immigration was a key ingredient in Canada’s first National

Policy, which settled the West and secured Canada’s territory from “sea to shining

sea.” From the very beginning, therefore, immigration has been central to our

existence — geographically, economically and politically. Immigrants are us. In

addition, geography insulates the country from some of the pressures of the twenty-

first century. Buffered on three of its borders by oceans and on its southern

border by the United States, itself an immigrant destination, Canada has not had

to cope with high levels of illegal immigration. We are, as a result, less prone to

concerns that immigration policy is “out of control,” a fear that has contributed

to the politics of backlash in some other countries. The buffering effects are not

absolute, to be sure. Anxieties about a “clash of civilizations” and about Muslim

extremism have washed over our borders, contributing to a heightened security

agenda and tensions with the United States over border management. However,

Canada has been fortunate: Islamic radicalism is a small element in the Muslim

community here, and Canadian foreign policy, especially the decision not to join

the Iraq war, has eased the heightened tensions existing in some countries.

These multiple forms of diversity and historic geopolitical strategies have

informed the ways in which Canadians think about both recognition and integration.

Recognition of Diversity

The recognition and accommodation of diversity have been central features of

Canadian political history, and contemporary debates over multiculturalism are simply

the continuation of an ongoing Canadian conversation. This tradition is grounded

in historic commitments to French Canada and to the Aboriginal peoples, who

both see themselves — and are increasingly seen by others — as distinct societies or

“nations” within the Canadian state. These accommodations framed the cultural context

in which Canada responded to new forms of diversity resulting from immigration

during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Indeed, as Stuart Soroka and his colleagues

observe in their chapter, the “thinner” sense of Canadian culture resulting

from accommodations among the historic communities “may actually have benefits

in a multicultural era, making it easier for new Canadians to feel comfortable here.”... Read more

Conclusion: Diversity, Belonging

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