Multiculturalism in Canada: Accidental Discourse, Alternative Vision, Urban Practice

Abstract

Multiculturalism became an official policy of the Canadian government in 1971. Since then, Canada has been cited as a world leader in diversity issues and a model of social engineering and institutional arrangement. In particular, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau is remembered as its visionary author. Another debate, mostly internal to Canada, criticizes the Multiculturalism Act as limited and flawed, and questions its impact. The present article submits that multiculturalism as a policy is not the product of longstanding, intentional initiatives, but more an ‘accident’ or a coincidence of several factors. Moreover, multiculturalism as a social reality and/or nationalist vision is not the result of the policy, but a deeper social history. Canadians, even scholars, know very little about why multiculturalism ‘works’ or does not work, and why it has taken root in different ways in different cities. We suggest a theory regarding the central role of urban public space, not only as a decreed place for public life, but rather as the place for an emerging process of democracy. En 1971, le multiculturalisme est devenu une politique officielle du gouvernement canadien. Depuis, le Canada a été cité en exemple sur les questions de diversité et en modèle pour la construction sociale et l’aménagement institutionnel. L’ancien Premier Ministre, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, s’est notamment inscrit dans les esprits comme son créateur visionnaire. Un autre débat, national pour l’essentiel, critique la Loi sur le Multiculturalisme comme étant limitée et imparfaite, et remet en cause son impact. Cet article avance que le multiculturalisme en tant que politique n’est pas le produit d’initiatives intentionnelles sur le long terme, mais plutôt un ‘accident’ ou une coïncidence entre plusieurs facteurs. De plus, le multiculturalisme en tant que réalité sociale et/ou vision nationaliste ne résulte pas de la politique, mais d’une histoire sociale plus profonde. Les Canadiens, intellectuels compris, en savent très peu sur ce qui fit que le multiculturalisme ‘marche’ ou pas, et qu’il s’ancre de manières différentes dans des villes différentes. L’article présente une théorie sur le rôle central de l’espace public urbain, non seulement en tant que lieu décrété pour la vie publique, mais surtout comme site pour un processus de démocratie naissant.

Has Multiculturalism Really Failed? A Canadian Muslim Perspective

“…That is, how does it impact intergroup relations and access to important social institutions? Similarly, Wood and Gilbert [29] contend that cultural identities are often negotiated in public spaces, institutions and everyday interactions. Therefore, simply examining particular multicultural policies misses an important point about what multiculturalism means for individuals and how it functions as a social ideology and in daily reality.…”

“…As Wood and Gilbert remind us, 'public space is a space of presence, recognition, participation, and citizenship-it is the means by which difference is negotiated, affirmed or contested' ( [29], p. 686). Public spaces, especially public transit, test the relationships between members of society and reveal the gaps between every day practises and the rhetoric of multiculturalism.…”

“…Canada is routinely cited as a world leader in multiculturalism, representing the peaceful coexistence of multiple ethnicities and regions [29]. Canadian multiculturalism is frequently understood in terms of three different yet related notions: a specific government policy of pluralism, a social reality of a culturally and demographically diverse society, and a political ideology advocating cultural pluralism [29,30].…”

“…Canadian multiculturalism is frequently understood in terms of three different yet related notions: a specific government policy of pluralism, a social reality of a culturally and demographically diverse society, and a political ideology advocating cultural pluralism [29,30]. Additionally, Augie Fleras [31] argues that multiculturalism functions through an ideology and as a set of practices.…”

A mall for all? Race and public space in post-apartheid Cape Town

“…In the words of Gilbert and Wood, such 'public spaces are not only important because they are the site of representation of a multicultural society, but rather because they test the relationships between members of such society.' 110 The literature on malls has often emphasized the transfer in time and space that malls offer as cut off from the surrounding realities. But regardless of how salutary, even therapeutic this place can feel after the segregated reality of the surrounding city, it is more than just a fantasy -there is a large chunk of social reality being produced in the same environment.…”