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<aside> ℹ️ Multiculturalism has played an important part in Canadian legislative history. The government of Canada categorizes the history of Canadian multiculturalism into three eras: the Incipient Stage (pre-1971), the Formative Period (1971-1981) and the Institutionalization Period (1982-onwards). Let's look into these to better understand what multiculturalism is and what it means to Canada.
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Canada's foundation is more complex than most emerging states of its time. The young country had to juggle between French and English identities and languages. The early policies regarding multiculturalism in Canada regarding both the French minority and aboriginal peoples was strongly in favor of assimilation into British customs and the English language. As such, the Incipient Stage is primarily defined by the slow growth of acceptance and tolerance of diverse cultures and ethnicities in Canadian society.
However, British influence was still dominant on Canadian Society, culturally and politically. Until 1947, Canadians were officially referred to as British subjects. Legal and political institutions such as courts and legislative procedure were modeled, if not identically replicated, off of British equivalents. It was the influx of immigrants following the destruction caused by the Second World War which posed the first challenge to this homogenous conception of Canadian society. For the next decades, ethnic and cultural diversity were still considered detrimental and contrary to the interests of the nation. In the 1960s, circumstances changed considerably.
Political Cartoon about English-French relations in Canada Source: Montreal Daily Star, 1931
Indigenous peoples became more vocal and assertive in their pushes against assimilation and its institutions such as Residential Schools, which aimed to eradicate aboriginal languages and cultures. When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau attempted to pass the infamous 'White Papers', which would have effectively eliminated Indian status and converted all reserves into private property, the level of resistance was unprecedented and eventually forced him to abandon the bill.
Quebec experienced a sharp increase in separatist sentiment and nationalism, rejecting British and anglophone cultural and political dominance. As such, the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (RCBB) was established in 1963 to attempt to contain and resolve and tensions.
Meanwhile, immigrants from Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War continued to wish to affirm their role in society without conforming to British or French norms. In 1969, the RCBB released the fourth book of their report, dealing specifically with non-British, non-French, non-Indigenous ethnic groups to the cultural enrichment of Canada. For the first time, the policy recommendation switched from an emphasis on assimilation to integration.
In 1971, as the culmination of the work of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, Canada saw the landmark introduction of the Multiculturalism Policy.
In the government's own words, the multiculturalism policy advocated for "the full involvement and equal participation of ethnic minorities in mainstream institutions, without denying them the right to identify with select elements of their cultural past if they so chose".
Pierre Trudeau, the Prime Minister in office during the introduction of the Multiculturalism Policy