Multiculturalism in the New Millennium: Does it Reinforce Unity or Exacerbate Differences ?
Many Canadians take pride in the fact that their country is a world leader when it comes to multiculturalism. Yet things have shifted in the past few years. 9/11, the ‘war on terror’ and religious manifestations in the public domain have raised some worries and hostility in regard to multicultural policies and specific minorities. Tolerance.ca interviewed specialists and spoke to students and recent graduates on questions raised by this new reality. Does multiculturalism reinforce our feeling of belonging to Canadian society or does it exacerbate our differences?
In October 2006, headlines across Quebec announced that a YMCA in Montreal had frosted its windows so that its gym, which looks out onto a Hassidic synagogue, would not be visible from the outside. It was explained that this was done so that women working out, dressed “immodestly,” would not be seen by the men praying in the synagogue. What had been an act of negotiation and agreement between two neighbours turned into a widespread debate, sometimes quite stringent, about the place of religion in the public domain.
René Milot, a professor at the Department of Religion at UQÀM, explains that certain worries and negative perceptions regarding different religions exist in Quebec. Though the Catholic Church has largely withdrawn many of the privileges it once held, the transition did not happen lightly and without conflict. And now, years later, there are those who feel that “foreigners” are taking society back in time, forcing Quebeckers to once again question the place of religion in the public domain.
Canada’s Multicultural Identity
In 1971, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as a government policy. The policy was passed in reaction to growing pressure for change from Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, rising Quebec nationalism, and the increasing resentment of ethnic minorities, who were growing in number, towards their place in society. The 1970s thus ushered in a new era for Canadian society. In 1988, the Multiculturalism Act was passed. It acknowledged multiculturalism as “a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society with an integral role in the decision-making process of the federal government.” According to the Canadian Heritage website, all citizens are equal and should take pride in their ancestry. It further explains that acceptance of others gives Canadians a “feeling of security and self-confidence, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures.”
Jeffrey Reitz, professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto and director of Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies, explains that while the trend may not be evident in the media, on a Canadian level public attitudes seem to be fairly stable with regard to acceptance of multiculturalism. He adds that the media sometimes criticize multiculturalism, most recently with respect to questions regarding Muslims and terrorism, saying that perhaps Canada is not integrating its immigrants. “I think it is a media-generated controversy,” Reitz continues. “In June 2006, when a few young Muslims were arrested because they were suspected of being involved in a terrorist plot, the media’s immediate reaction was to question multiculturalism. Polls showed rather quickly, however, that the public didn’t buy it.”
Reitz also explains that there is a difference between a policy of multiculturalism and issues that arise within and between members of cultural communities. “Moreover,” he specifies, “multiculturalism does not create ethnic communities.” He gives the example of the story of the YMCA and the Hassidic community in Montreal which grabbed headlines in October 2006. “The Jewish community in Canada today is not primarily a product of recent immigration. Nor would anyone say that Jewish culture is being maintained because of a policy coming from Ottawa.” Reitz clarifies that, in his opinion, the policies of the federal government are not the main factor affecting the maintenance of cultures in any ethnic group, including the Jewish group. “Cultural maintenance is supported by our multiculturalism policy, but it is up to various ethnic groups to maintain their attachments to the group.” Reitz continues by explaining that the multiculturalism policy cannot be expected to resolve all problems between various groups or communities in Canada. Its goal is to promote understanding between them. “We have the policy precisely because the difficulties are ongoing,” he adds. “It may be the case that the policy needs improvement, or that other policies might be needed.”
Trina, who holds a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from Concordia University, feels that Canadian multiculturalism is a bit of a myth. Nonetheless, she thinks that people in Canada are better off in this regard than most places. “What we need is to explore: how can we make this better? What other policies should we implement? This multiculturalism flag really needs to be something that’s applied and made meaningful— it’s not just something we say, but something that has a tangible effect.” Trina sees multiculturalism as Canada’s identity in the world. “It’s our PR,” she says, “but I once read that instead of being multicultural, we are ‘polycultural.’ That is, we’re happy to have a country of many visually ethnic or openly gay groups, but they have to stay within certain confines.” She gives the example of Cambodians in Canada who feel that they are narrowed down to represent a temple on the one hand and a genocide on the other. “I also hear people talk in terms of immigrants coming and changing everything, how fewer whites are left and how veils are a menace to society. There is obvious education that needs to be done.”
Ikka, a graduate of the University of Toronto, adds, “I would say that in Toronto, racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding is about as good as I have ever seen. I regularly see multicultural couples on the streets and people of all different backgrounds enjoying different cuisines, visiting different cultural neighbourhoods and interacting with each other without fear and suspicion.”
Can Multiculturalism Combat Racism?
Yet for Alan Wong, a PhD student of Chinese origin, discrimination does exist, though comments are not always derogatory. He recalls being in situations in Montreal where random passersby would comment to him on how smart, calm, reserved and hard-working the Chinese are. Alan does not see this in a positive light: “I feel that this is a way of setting ethnic groups against one another. Like we’re a better ethnic group here and belong here more. It sets up certain membership rules for who makes a ‘good immigrant’ and from my experience, they’ll say the more immigrants are silent, hard-working and keep to themselves, the better. It’s not about that. And ironically, in British Columbia, unlike in Quebec, there’s a completely different, less positive, stereotyped vision of the Chinese.”
Yvenson St-Fleur, a graduate student of Haitian origin at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), says he was discriminated against at the high school he attended in Granby during the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I was the very first Black person in that school,” he recalls, “and in the beginning it was really hard. For some kids, I was like an alien, for others a little black angel. On the one hand, some called me by the N-word, harassed me and beat me up, on the other, some protected me and really wanted me to be their first Black friend.” Yvenson does not know if this was due to discrimination or ignorance, but likes to think it was the latter. “I spent four years at that school. The first year was the toughest one. But over the years, we got to know each other and we really got along.” Yvenson adds that he has Black friends today who suffer from discrimination or racism at work.
Ikka, who is half-Japanese, says that on major fronts such as employment, provision of services, security checks and obtaining accommodation, she does not feel that she has experienced any racism. “I attribute this largely to the fact that I am a woman, and therefore not perceived as a physical threat, and that I belong to an ethnic group that is not typically perceived as physically threatening. I know this sounds really bad, but on a really basic level, people don't think of Asians as being the kind of people to mug you or blow up your plane. Maybe they won't trust me, maybe they think I am emotionally cold, good at computers and wily when it comes to financial transactions, but they don’t think of me as a physical threat.”
Ikka, who grew up in British Columbia in the 1970s, remembers being called a “Chinky” as a child. “It was in vain that I tried to explain that I was not Chinese and that if they wanted to get their racial slurs right, they should perhaps be calling me a Jap. I went through the misery of being thrown into a garbage can, having rocks thrown at me, having tasteless racial jokes told to me and an endless parade of children pulling their eyes up or down and talking about ‘flied lice.’”
On a more subtle level, Ikka feels that people do not perceive her as being a “real Canadian.” “They always ask me where I am from, where my name is from, where my parents are from, etc., etc., which I feel are questions they would not ask if I were white and had a name like Jennifer. Most people feel that this is just an expression of curiosity, but I always feel that on a deeper level, it is their expression of viewing me as an outsider, as a non-Canadian. I would like just one week in my life to go by where I don't have to answer questions about my ancestry and origins from some ‘curious’ person and just be accepted at face value, as I believe all white people are.”
Professor Reitz confirms the existence of this feeling of frustration. He explains that while the second generation of immigrants is doing fairly well with regard to employment and education, there are signs that on a social level, that is, feeling Canadian and having a sense of well-being, the trend is less positive than it is for European descendants. “This does not mean that the policy of multiculturalism is a failure. It just doesn’t solve everything and there are racial issues in Canada that require additional attention, such as discrimination in employment. Some of these issues do not really have much to do with the multiculturalism policy and may require a range of other policies. Multiculturalism is largely a PR campaign; it is not meant to deal with racism.”
Developing Diversity Awareness
Professor Warren Linds, from Concordia University, has a critical view of how people perceive multiculturalism. “We are not practicing multiculturalism just because we are sitting on a bus with people from different ethnicities.” Underlying issues need to surface, he explains. He sees this on a microcosmic level in his classroom: his students’ approach is often to avoid conflict, which means issues that arise between them do not get resolved. “They think they’re being politically correct, but I don’t think they know what PC means. Words are important and they are most important to those who don’t have a voice.”
Originally from Saskatchewan, Linds teaches “Respecting Diversity and Human Relations” at Concordia University. His class is participatory in every sense of the word. Students are asked to debate, reflect and act upon what they learn. Professor Linds tries to open areas of questioning that normally students do not think of. “When do cultural objects become fads—such as the red string, a custom associated with Judaism’s Kabballah and recently popularized by celebrities like Madonna and Britney Spears? Does anyone know what it really means?” Linds also uses theatre techniques in class, for example to get students to act out situations, simulating a bystander in a conflict situation. The point is to try to understand what blocks people from taking action to defend others. His students are often shocked at what they learn. Many students from tight-knit cultural communities have their first encounter with diversity in CEGEP. Yet even there, they often end up separating into their ethnic groups in the cafeteria. In Linds’ class, social, gender and ethnic differences come up. “What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to be different? What my students learn in class sometimes conflicts with their traditional family values.”
From his classroom, Linds gets a view of the larger picture. He feels that certain groups acquire the identity of a victim, while others acquire the identity of privilege. He gives the example of a student of Indian origin who says she feels invisible because in Montreal, “it’s all about Blacks and Arabs.” An Aboriginal student feels the same way. His African-Canadian male students say that they often feel racially profiled, and another student who grew up in Brossard said she only felt Black when she crossed the bridge to Montreal. “My students are often shocked at what they learn, particularly white students who aren’t faced with the same realities.”
Linds’ goal is to make his students, who mostly go on to social services and community work, become more conscious. “And that means being aware, being present. You’re not going to solve all the issues in class. There are many dynamics involved. But you can become more aware.”
Multiculturalism in Quebec translates as Interculturalism
For Murielle Swift, a graduate of the Université de Montréal who works in intercultural dialogue on a municipal level, there is a difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada. “Quebec’s policy is different,” she explains. “Canada is influenced by Trudeau’s legacy—to celebrate and respect differences, to keep up the folkloric traditions. It’s all nice and colourful and it gives many people a sense of self-worth. Yet there are differences with Quebec in that we emphasize the intercultural experience. Multiculturalism is an extreme form of ghettoization. In Quebec, we practice interculturalism which means that it’s about exchange—on the one hand learning about the other, on the other hand letting go of some things.” After a pause Murielle adds, “Quebec is undergoing quite an evolution right now.”
Murielle feels that the media have a lot to do with the discomfort people have regarding “reasonable accommodation,” a legal concept that allows a standard to be adjusted or modified to take into account the needs of people with physical disabilities or who follow religious practices. “For years we’ve been doing this well, building ramps for physically disabled kids to be able to go to school for example. But recently the focus has been on religious groups and that’s what’s giving it such a bad rap. People are frustrated and irritated, but a lot of this has to do with the way it’s covered in the media. Most people don’t have problems with reasonable accommodation, especially youth, though older people have a harder time.”
Murielle feels that the more people feel threatened, the more the expression “Us and Them” will be used and the more people will define themselves as being different from what they feel threatens them. “‘De souche’ Quebeckers (those of French-Canadian origin) are feeling threatened on the whole by immigration,” Murielle explains, “but Quebec also feels like a threatened minority in North America. That brings in a whole other dynamic. Quebec needs to mobilize its citizens so that feeling ‘Québécois’ includes ethnic groups; Quebec needs to build a more common base of belonging.”
“Multiculturalism is part of our identity: whatever our origins, we participate in society as Canadians first”
Marc-André Gagnon, who has an MA in Political Science from UQÀM and is currently doing his PhD at York University, sees a difference between older and younger generations in Quebec and feels that Bill 101, adopted in 1977, is largely responsible for that. He feels that parents of immigrant origin often stay within the confines of their communities. As a result of Bill 101, the younger generation of immigrants enters the French-language Quebec public school system directly, with what Marc-André sees as very good results. “That’s why I find it funny when people talk about the Greek or Italian communities. It might have been something that described the previous generation, but I have a hard time viewing a young Canadian of Italian or Haitian origin as Italian or Haitian. They are part of the larger Quebec community and they participate in public debates as Canadians first.”
Ikka agrees that there is a difference between the younger and older generations. “People from different generations are like people from different cultures. We have our own experiences, our own filters through which to see the world. Although this may be a bit of a generalization, in my experience I have definitely found that people from the older generation are more likely to believe that there exist insurmountable barriers between people of different cultures, more likely to believe stereotypes about people from different cultures, more likely to see people as part of a racial group than as an individual, and more likely to think that interracial relationships are unworkable and inadvisable.”
“My personal view,” concludes Professor Reitz, “is that multiculturalism has promoted positive attitudes in the general population regarding immigration. It has become part of a basic Canadian identity. During electoral campaigns, the issue of immigration does not come up in debates. All Canadian political parties have fairly favourable attitudes to immigration, unlike in other countries where they have lower rates of immigration but politicians sometimes take radical positions on the subject. In Canada, despite terrorism and the controversies about that, nothing has changed. Border control has become stricter, but that is not the same as immigration.”
Yvenson says that globalization and other challenges of the 21st century mean both an increase in immigration and a search for security, two factors that foster unrest in many individuals. As a result, “Canada needs to emphasize building both personal and collective confidence among members of all ethnic groups and to promote their participation in society.”
From personal experience, Murielle feels that relationships are the best way to bridge gaps between cultures. “Make friends with people from different cultures,” she recommends. “What really opened my eyes was being close friends with people from different communities. And then sticking it out when difficult situations come up.”
Revision: Christine York.
This article is part of a series on the diversity of values and religious beliefs in colleges and universities and is presented with the financial support of:
* Photo : Christopher DeWolf.
** Photo : Gunther Gamper. Professor Linds.