Multiculturalism: Multiculturalism is a term sometimes used to refer to an ideology, sometimes to a policy, sometimes to the ethnic composition of a society. Generally speaking, multiculturalism can be defined as a doctrine which officially acknowledges and promotes the existence of cultural diversity as an integral component of society.
Historical Background of Multicultural Policy in Canada
The term "multiculturalism" came into existence in 1971, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced the establishment of a Canadian multicultural policy. Prior to this, the federal government had never attempted to address the issue of cultural diversity in any systematic way and underlying the strategies adopted by governments in the earlier part of the century was a belief in assimilation as essential for national unity and social cohesion. In the sixties, growing discontent among Francophones in Quebec led the federal government to launch a major study of the language situation and of the position of the two major language groups in Canada, the Royal Commission of Bilingualism and Biculturalism. The aim of the study was to propose federal reforms to establsih a more harmonious co-existence of the two language communities. As the Royal Commission progressed, however, it rapidly became evident that it was not possible to talk of two "cultural" groups in Canada and that Canadians who were not of "French" or "British" origins would have to be recognized in any proposed reforms or "re-allocation of status" to communities. In 1971, a policy of multiculturalism in a bilingual framework was therefore proposed with the hope that it could accommodate not only English and French speakers in the country, but all Canadians. In outlining the objectives of the policy, Pierre Trudeau declared that it would provide assistance to "all Canadian cultural groups ... to grow and contribute to Canada" and that the federal government would promote "creative encounters and interchange among all Canadian cultural groups in the interest of national unity". This policy made Canada the first country to adopt multiculturalism formally.
The 1971 policy had five objectives: 1) to preserve human rights; 2) to develop the Canadian identity; 3) to intensify the participation of all Canadians in society; 4) to strengthen Canadian unity; and 5) to encourage cultural diversity in a bilingual framework (Government of Canada, 1984). Underlying these objectives was a commitment to cultural maintenance and to "unity in diversity", or to what eventually would be called the Canadian "cultural mosaic" in opposition to the notion of the "American melting pot".
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