Multiculturalism thrives in this land of immigrants
Image credit: Sarah Pflug from Burst
From: Ontario Day to Day 8 Workbook
Canada is a land of immigrants. Many anthropologists, archaeologists and other scientists believe that Canada’s indigenous people migrated from Asia beginning more than 13,000 years ago and, in the case of some Inuit people of northern Canada, between the years 400 and 1200 CE.
There have been several waves of immigrants to Canada in the modern era.
The earliest occurred over two centuries starting in the early 1600s with slow but progressive French settlement of Quebec and Acadia.
Smaller numbers of British military personnel and their families also arrived in the 1600s and 1700s.
These early settlers were later joined by thousands of Americans loyal to Britain during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
The British Loyalists settled mostly in what is today Southern Ontario, the eastern townships of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Thousands more English, Scottish and Irish arrived in the 1800s.
These immigrants were encouraged to settle in Canada after the War of 1812 by the colonial governors of Canada, who were worried about another American invasion attempt.
Irish immigration to Canada increased dramatically during the Potato Famine of 1846 to 1849.
Another wave of immigration came mostly from continental Europe – Ukrainians, and others – peaking prior to World War I, between 1910 and 1913 (with over 400,000 in 1913 alone).
Ukrainian Canadians now account for the largest Ukrainian population outside of Ukraine and Russia.
Yet another wave came from Europe later in the 20th century – this time mostly Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Polish and Dutch, peaking in 1957 (282,000), making Canada a more multicultural country with many immigrants whose mother tongue was neither English nor French.
The current wave of immigration includes many more from South and East Asia, as well as newcomers from the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.
Today, Canada has one of the highest per capita immigration rates in the world.
Given its immigration history, Canada’s people and cultures are understandably diverse.
To promote harmony in this cultural mosaic, Canada maintains strong values of equality, diversity, and respect for all individuals in society. These values are reflected in Canada’s policy of multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism means that English, French and Aboriginal cultures share the spotlight with the cultures of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
It affirms the value and dignity of all Canadians, regardless of their racial or ethnic origins, their language or their religious affiliations.
It promotes racial and ethnic harmony, encourages cross-cultural understanding, and discourages hatred, discrimination and violence.
Some people come to Canada with a history of hatred or distrust toward a particular ethnic group. Promoting hatred is not permitted in Canada.
You have the right to preserve your own ethnicity in Canada. You must also respect others’ right to do the same.
Note that Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the freedom of religious expression. Almost every faith is represented in Canada; the right to hold any religious belief implies that you, as a permanent resident or citizen in Canada, must be tolerant of the beliefs of others.