“Multiculturalism was adopted as official policy in a bilingual framework in 1971, and later in the broader Multiculturalism Act of 1988. Multiculturalism Act (1988), which built on the ideas formed in the Multiculturalism Policy (1971) and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)” -CanLit

The Multiculturalism Act is a policy of the Canadian government. It was created to ensure minorities groups of Canada would receive equal treatment as the majority groups of Canada (the British and the French.) This would include any minority features ranging from physical (such as skin color,) to cultural (such as holidays,) to intellectual (such as language.) By recognizing the diversity of people in Canada, the Multiculturalism Act essentially gives minorities the right to be “different.”

This act has social and political significance as it may have the ability to smoothen interaction between all Canadians groups on the social level, and allows for recognition of minorities on the political level. Be that as it may, there are skeptics such as Smaro Kamboureli, who defines the Multiculturalism Act in her book Scandalous Bodies with: “The Multiculturalism Act recognizes the cultural diversity that constitutes Canada, but it does so by practicing a sedative politics, a politics that attempts to recognize ethnic differences, but only in a contained fashion, in order to manage them. It pays tribute to diversity and suggests ways of celebrating it, thus responding to the clarion call of ethnic communities for recognition. Yet it does so without disturbing the conventional articulation of the Canadian dominant society” (82). I agree with Kamboureli’s definition of the Act, but I wonder why she is unsatisfied with the way the politics are playing out. My family came to Canada in 1995, and we appreciated the Multiculturalism Act. It was comforting and helpful for my parents to see Chinese on official documents when they could not read English. I remember in the second grade, when I finally became a Canadian citizen in Burnaby, my principal at the time announced the news of my brother and I on the school loudspeaker and congratulated us. My friends at that time were White Canadian, Hungarian-Canadian, (then Yugo) Slovakian- Canadian, and I was grateful to be in a place where I was recognized as Chinese boy becoming a Canadian citizen. If Kamboureli was Chinese, maybe she would be unsatisfied about the way non-Chinese people in Canada would say “Kung Hey Fat Choi” during the lunar new year to mandarin speaking Chinese people, without realizing it is Cantonese. Maybe she expects a lot more from the majority population, and other minority populations than me.

As I grew up, I witnessed the Multiculturalism Act impact the lives of minority groups and the majority groups. The Multiculturalism Act helps society in general, but the concept itself will always be complicated. For example, a local Vancouverite Nav Kandola filmed and describe the following video titled “Ignorant proclaimed UBC graduate being a racist on Vancouver sky train.” with “got onto the train today. It started off with this guy getting into it with some random girl as I got onto the train. I thought she was bothering him and he was the victim. She got up to get off at her stop and as she got off he yelled at her “by the way you stink”, the train started moving again. He turned around and started talking to the two Korean gentlemen beside me. He asked “where are you guy from” one of the guys responded “Korea” he then asks “are you in Korea?” Which they responded “no, we are in Canada” he then asks “and what language do we speak here in Canada” the Korean guy goes “English…?” The guy yells back “so speak English then”. He goes on rambling about how he pays for them and pays taxes and same old ignorant racist non sense everyone’s heard before. He ends up picking on an Indian girl which is where I started to record .. Share this video. Let this idiot come to light so everyone knows who he is.” Due to cultural differences, racism still exists in Canadian society today even though the Multiculturalism Act exists.

I do not see myself as a racist, but there are times when I feel frustration. I am very proud of my Chinese background and identity. I love China; I visit at least twice a year, and have a whole life there. I proudly sing the Canadian Anthem every time it plays, whether it is at a Toronto Raptor’s basketball game or at a political event I would participate in. An example of when my frustration turns right on is when I see fellow Chinese associates, classmates, or friends being unable, or unwilling, to sing the Canadian anthem. Another example can be told about some of my friends being frustrated about certain French establishments refusing to speak English. I am sure people have the rights to remain silent during the singing of “O-Canada,” but in the French speaking case, this can cause a feeling of hostility and inconvenience, even if groups have the rights to speak whatever language they wish. There is no excuse for hate or racism, however, everyone can entertain the idea of trying harder to embrace and balance multiculturalism and nationalism.

Coleman’s argument about the project of white civility is difficult because not only do we live in a “White” nation, with a powerful “White” neighbor (USA,) we arguably live in a “White” world. English is the global language. The highest “standards” are displayed internationally in five star hotels, regardless of nation, where white civility showcases itself. Classical music play in these places; people, regardless of race and culture, are wearing dresses and suits. The people there eat with fork and knives in a quiet manner, keeping their mouths closed as they chew. Colonialism already dictated the “standard” of “civility” all around the world. There are “finishing schools” for ladies in Europe where affluent families from all over the world, from Saudi Arabia to China, pay tens of thousands of dollars to send their female family members to learn the “art” of talking, serving tea, opening doors, walking, smiling, and acting as a White, female aristocrat. In fact, there are one or two finishing schools in Beijing, the biggest communist capital city in the world. The Multiculturalism Act is a lawful attempt of respecting and preserving different cultures, I wonder if it is enough to combat the White capitalism that has been rooted in the minds of non-white groups.

CanLit Guides. “Reading and Writing in Canada, A Classroom Guide to Nationalism.” Canadian Literature. Web. April 4th 2013

Coleman, Daniel. White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada. University of Toronto Press. 2006. Print.

Kamboureli, Smaro. Scandalous Bodies: Diasporic Literature in English Canada. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.

Ignorant Proclaimed UBC Graduate Being a Racist on Vancouver Sky Train. Prod. Nav Kandola. N.p., 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152088272612037>.

“Multiculturalism Act.” Multiculturalism Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://nslegislature.ca/legc/statutes/multicul.htm>.

O’Connor, Liz. “Wealthy Chinese Women Are Paying $16,000 For 10 Days Of Finishing School.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 22 July 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.