Identity and Multiculturalism in Canada

Web Discussion 1: Identity and Multiculturalism in Canada, Topic 2

Multiculturalism in Canada has been accused of disuniting the country (producing ghettoization and Balkanization) because it encourages ethnic groups to keep a strong identity from their place of origin. According to this position, the policy of multiculturalism does not emphasize enough the shared rights, history, and values that define Canada. Do you agree with this criticism of Canadian multiculturalism policy? Why or why not?

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Non-tolerance in Canada

by Nichole Cambridge – Friday, 25 October 2019, 3:08 PM

Canada is multicultural in some aspects definitely, but with the current political climate and events taking place in the United States I have seen more intolerance of others than ever before in my life. Or maybe expanding my knowledge on these events, is just making me notice these things more and becoming more observation of privilege and injustices. To be multicultural, a country and all of its inhabitants must embrace everyones culture, I do not see that enough has been done in Canada to make this a reality. I see institutionalized racism, high rates of poverty in minority groups and conservative propaganda like “they’re stealing our jobs” (Maybe thats just because I live in Alberta). I do not agree that multiculturalism in Canada is disuniting the country, I think we have not achieved true multiculturalism. I think there are many variables in disuniting the country, one being that we are so influenced by our partners to the south and I feel that it has made it ok to blatantly act racist. This is something that is disuniting Canada, not multiculturalism. A strong identity to your place of origin, is not a negative thing, if you are tolerant and accepting of other peoples culture at the same time. I think multiculturalism would do nothing but help people appreciate one another that being said, I do think there’s  places in Canada that have effectively achieved multiculturalism, however, I would say what I see is more of an effort to achieve a “melting pot”, which negates people embracing their cultures. If we were are able to openly embrace multiculturalism and celebrate peoples heritage, I believe things would be different in Canada and equality would be much more likely. As a straight, white women, I have many privileges and I am able to openly celebrate my culture, if I see fit, I think that is a privilege that not everybody in Canada has without fear of harm, racism etc. Also, as a person with a disability  that works with people with disabilities, I see intolerance from others on a regular basis. We can learn nothing, if we are all the same but embracing each others differences, can make Canada a much better place.

To me, this question is simplifying what is going on in Canada, without looking at other important variables. Why can we not emphasize shared rights, history and values that define Canada while embracing each others cultures?

I do not agree with this criticism of multiculturalism because I think that there’s no way to tell, as we have not achieved full embracing and celebrating all cultures in Canada. I think that everybody has something to learn by embracing other peoples cultures and that Canada has a ways to go.

Web Discussion 2: Nation building and belonging, Topic 3

How did Canadian governments seek to assimilate Native peoples into mainstream society? Choose one specific policy and assess its negative impacts and consequences.

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Nation building and belonging, Topic 3

by SANMING MAO – Friday, 11 October 2019, 8:28 PM

The Canadian government policy of “aggressive assimilation” was designed to force the Aboriginal people to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. The government believed it was responsible for caring for the Aboriginal people and this was the best way to achieve success. The policy was to be implemented in government-funded industrial schools run by the church (Eshet, 2015). The government believed that it was easier to assimilate children than adults. The children would be put in boarding schools called residential schools where they would be taught in readiness for life in mainstream society.

The Department of Indian Affairs under the Federal government was in charge of the residential schools. Children from the many communities that did not have day schools were required to attend the residential schools. Government agents moved around to confirm that every indigenous child had been recruited. It is estimated that a total of 150,000 children were taken from their communities and forced to attend residential schools (Eshet, 2015). As a result, their lives were damaged forever.

The establishment of residential schools was based on the view that Aboriginal culture was not tenable in a rapidly modernizing society. Therefore, this education and indoctrination was necessary to prepare them for mainstream Canadian society. The children were prohibited from speaking their first language or practicing their cultural traditions (Eshet, 2015). The rules were enforced through serious punishment for offenders.

The residential schools were characterized by poor living conditions. The children were also subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They were kept in school for long periods and rarely got to see their families. Even siblings in the same school rarely saw each other. Any letters home had to be in English, and yet the parents back home were illiterate. There were also illegal experiments done on the children with the knowledge of the Federal government (Eshet, 2015). The skills taught in the schools were substandard and could not help much in the urban setting. When the children returned to their native homes, they struggled to fit in. The aggressive assimilation policy proved to be a total failure.

Eshet, D. (2015). Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools. Ontario, Canada : University of Toronto Press.

Web Discussion 3: Inequality and Difference in Canada, Topic 1

Find a recent media piece (news article, news clip, op-ed, etc.) on the topic of poverty in Canada and post a summary for discussion. What kind of problems do the people affected by poverty suffer in this specific media piece? Is a remedy being proposed? Base your points on evidence, not just opinion.

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Inequality and Difference in Canada, Topic 1

by Zi Zou – Friday, 15 November 2019, 7:50 PM

According to an article published on October 13, 2019, titled Toronto is Canada’s Poverty Capital for Working-Age People, Toronto is an incredibly expensive city. In addition, the city has the highest poverty level among the working class. Consequently, surveys have revealed that Toronto has the second-highest poverty rate in Canada for the elderly and young members of the population (Shakeri, 2019). The working-class faces broad arrays of problems. First, the working-class is finding it hard to secure decent housing units. Home prices have surged four times more, while rent costs have increased twice more than the income the working-class earns (Shakeri, 2019). In addition, the number of homeless people has grown tremendously within Toronto. The disparity in income earned between the white and non-white is partly to blame for the problems the working-class faces in Toronto.

The inequality is a major problem in Canada. As supported by the article, the working-class is unable to support their families sufficiently (Shakeri, 2019). For instance, due to poverty, these people have been unable to provide quality education to their children. Hence, many of the population are unable to find jobs, presenting the unemployment problem. This is partly blamed on the racial segregation whereby the non-whites are considerably finding it hard to secure employment compared to the white population. The income inequality is high in Toronto and has been a major impediment to economic growth and improvement in the quality of life of the residents.

The only remedy proposed by the article is the need to change the democratic system. The main problem with the democracy of Canada is that minority parties are allowed to make policies and decisions that touch on the majority. These majority groups do not always agree with such decisions. Therefore, electing majority candidates at the local levels can assist in producing more representative leadership that can effectively address local problems, such as poverty, inequality, poor housing, and unemployment.

Shakeri, S. (October 13, 2019). ‘Toronto is Canada’s poverty capital for working-age people’.       Huffingtonpost. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/toronto-poverty-       capital-working-age_ca_5da3a7dee4b02c9da04c8d54?utm_hp_ref=ca-poverty.