Canada as multicultural nation is certainly seen as a new idea, however given this past weeks lectures on the involvement of the French in our fur trades and the several different Aboriginal groups, this is clearly inaccurate. Our recent lectures are a representation of the idea that multiculturalism in Canada dates back far beyond what many of us as Canadian citizens would ever dare to imagine, and speaking for myself I can say that this dates a lot further back than I was ever expecting to see traces of a multicultural Canada. From the very start of European colonization in Canada it is clear from the mix of French and the Native settlers, that there has always been a mixture of the types of cultures here in Canada, and different types of people throughout Canada have been evidently noticeable since the arrival of the French. I was also thinking that the vast amounts of Europeans who moved over from Europe to live in Canada also would certainly be a mixture of a variety of different settlers as well. On a personal level my grandmother moved here from Paris, and my grandfather from Wales, because of this I have come to the conclusion that multiculturalism was an idea that was more or less inevitable from the start. This also puts me under the impression that multiculturalism was prominent and promisingly put in Canada before it was recognized as a very culturally diverse nation. It’s interesting to draw attention to these facts, as previously I had never really thought about the idea of multiculturalism before several different cultures existed in Canada, but upon greater thought I’ve come to the conclusion that Canada had a diverse set of people from a much farther history back then I originally had expected.
That being said, I think that the idea of multiculturalism is also very debatable, I think a lot of the cultures that exist in Canada today, while they are certainly allowed to be openly practiced, are almost Canadian mixtures of the original culture and traditions mixed with Canadian traditions. If you’ve ever seen Between: Living in the Hyphen by Anne Marie Nakagawa, it examines 7 different Canadians who have one parent from European background and one from a visible minority, and after seeing this documentary I have to ask the question if Canada is truly multicultural, do we truly accept the cultures of others and understand them as they say we do? I feel the populace have a broad understanding of the tip of the iceberg of some of these cultures. However these “Canadians” are almost penalized for having other cultures, like Fred Wah, whose experience is that when he was in school, being a white-Chinese mix, he was told he couldn’t get a Visa because of his last name, however when he mentioned he was only a certain portion Chinese, he was allowed to get said Visa. This makes me question multiculturalism all together, so I think the idea of multiculturalism is newly mentioned more due to the fact that it’s only more recent that we’ve started to identify with other cultures and accepted them as being able to be a multicultural Canadian.
Emilee, I liked your observations at the end and they’re certainly something to continue to ponder. Does diversity necessarily mean acceptance? Or what kind of diversity is acceptable, and does that level of acceptable diversity change over time, and why?
It would be a bit ignorant to say that Canada was not a multicultural nation until recently – we’ve been a multicultural nation for a while now. The land now known as Canada has for thousands of years been shared by a number of different cultures. Native Canadians were spread all over the country, with different customs, beliefs, living habits and social structures. The climate and geographical environment impacted the different Nation’s tools and means of subsistence. Languages were as diverse as the people who spoke them. Each nation had its own culture, and some got on well with other cultures and some did not.
Although the Norse did touch down just over 1,000 years ago, they were outsiders who embarked only in trade with the natives and their time in Canada was temporary. It wasn’t until the French created a permanent settlement in the early 17th century that an internationally diverse culture was birthed, and very slowly at first because of the tiny French population. France was in Canada (“New France”) for their own economic benefit, one which forced them to create alliances with the Native groups whom they traded with, and soon came to rely upon. As more immigrants arrived, the presence of foreign religion increased as the Catholic Jesuit priests tried to convert the locals, with some success. The newcomers also brought foreign disease which wiped out half the population of Huronia, the most populous of France’s indigenous allies, and are then driven from their homes by the warring Iroquois. As the Hurons are displaced and mix with other Nations, the French commit to the land and mix with the Natives as they start growing their own food and attempt to establish trade further inland.
So although the idea of Canada being a multicultural nation might be new, the principle itself has, in fact, been in practice here for hundreds of years.
Canada is a multicultural country. Before this week’s lecture, I thought that it was only recent that this statement was true. However, this was not the case. During the lectures, I learnt that way before immigrants from other parts of the world came and Europeans encountered the land, there was already an established exchange of people, ideas, and things; there were different indigenous groups. These groups had variations in culture, language, norms and practices, religion, skills and trade. Moreover, they had allies and trade relationships, along with rivalry and war, with other indigenous nations. However, with the arrival of settlement from France, there was now an international exchange of people, ideas, and things. At first, the multiculturalism was not as prominent as the indigenous groups still outnumbered the French settlers. Nevertheless, the French settlers created allies with the Huron and both gained from this affiliation. As more immigrants from France came, so did diseases. The Huron, whom the French had much contact with, had no immune system built to attack these foreign diseases. As a result of this devastation, half of Huron’s population died. Unfortunately, the string of misfortune did not end there as the French had no one left to rely on for the fur trade, food, protection, and knowledge of the land. Consequently, the French had to rely on themselves, and they began learning the language and culture of their surroundings, as well as agriculture and hunting. Hence what were once groups with different distinctions was now a single nation as they grew to become a single entity with variations in backgrounds, which still continues today.
Given what I have learned in lecture, it would be ignorant to say that multiculturalism is a fairly new thing, I think we say that Canada is so multicultural today due to the fact that countless immigrants of so many different origins immigrate to Canada on a daily basis. We define the sea of colors and ethnicities that we see daily as multicultural. But if you think about it, Canada has always been multicultural. The habitation of different groups of Aboriginal peoples across Canada is proof of this. There were already so many different cultures and ethnicities and beliefs and practices present in Canada among the Aboriginal peoples. When the Europeans encountered North America, they brought along their culture, views, beliefs, and practices as well which added to the already diverse land. The French began to inhabit the land and conflicts occurred between thoughts and ways of living between the Europeans and the Aboriginals. I truly do believe that Canada is the land of immigrants and it is not only due to current situations that I am saying this but also due to the fact that the Europeans that had colonized North America were themselves immigrants. Even the Aboriginal peoples were immigrants considering that they had migrated over to the Americas through Siberia and the Bering land bridge. Therefore, Canada has pretty much been multicultural since the habitition of different Aboriginal groups across Canada. Then, over the years, as Europeans began to colonize the area, it became more and more diverse.
Although the concept of multiculturalism has only been introduced relatively recent, the roots of it have long been embedded in the Canadian culture and history. Given what I’ve learned in the lecture and the tutorial, the interactions of different cultures had probably begun as early as the 11th century when trans-Atlantic Europeans first encountered the indigenous people on the land of Canada. The dictionary definition of multiculturalism is the “preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society”. Before the arrival of European culture and British/French colonization, there were already so many tribes amongst the Aboriginal people in which they all had their own customs, traditions, arts, and dialogues. So in a sense, there were already multiple cultures intertwining and mingling with one another before the introduction of European culture. One may argue that those individual groups were not a “unified society” – thus multiculturalism did not apply – but I think even though they did not share the same ideology, policies, traditions, language, or legal system, they are still considered closely connected for being economically, socially, and politically interdependent. Fur trade and the formation of alliances between the French and the indigenous people were prime examples of economic and political interdependency and how two cultures interacted. However, come to think of it more carefully, although Canada has long been a multicultural nation, the concept of respecting and preserving all cultures equally has only begun to prosper and gain wider acceptance in the past few decades. With increasing number of non-White immigrants from Asia-Pacific countries, the obvious distinctions of our diverse cultures and races have really push this concept of multiculturalism under the spotlight.
Would we create a distinction between multi-cultural and multiculturalism to answer this question? I believe Canada has been multi-cultuRAL since before the arrival of Europeans. The distinct nations that comprised the First Nations peoples were unique groups among themselves, sharing a large and verdant territory with others who’s level of technological development was akin to their own. The arrival of the Europeans brought several new cutlures which immediately began to affect and influence the cultures they came into contact with.
Multiculturalism is the cultural political concept that in Canada all cutlures are free to flourish (as long as they subscribe to our reasonably secular laws) without impingement. The culture of Canada under this auspice is specifically decentralized and multi-faceted, no one unique element (aside from geopolitical boundaries) are needed to define Canadian’s. That is a somewhat forward approach, a modern idea in that a colonized nation would choose to identify its culture with having multiple cultures that share freedom.
Canada has been filled with immigrants since the first early explorers crossed the bearing straight land bridge. What makes multiculturalism new and unique is its progressive choice to embrace that fact, rather than favour homogeny as many other nations and cultures do. Different groups have moved into Canada and called it home through centuries, so a multicultural landscape has always been the reality. Its just whether that’s what’s defines us as a cultural or not that is the question we answer with multiculturalism.
Canada today considers itself a multicultural country. The country has grown its population over the last century through immigration, first from Europe and later from Asia, which continues today. Despite Canada being a relatively new nation, considering the length of its history, the area that we call Canada today has a history that is rich with multiculturalism stretching back over 1000 years. First Nation Canadians living at the time before European contact had diverse cultures and different lifestyles. Some were farmers and others were hunters. The groups interacted with each other, trading and exchanging culture such as language and ideas. Later, Vikings arrived in the area as described in The Greenlander’s Saga and Erik the Red’s Saga. They had interactions with the Native population that was at times peaceful where trade took place, but also violent as communication was difficult and reactions were unpredictable. Canada became home to further diversity with the arrival of the French to the area around the St. Lawrence and the beginning of permanent settlements. The French interacted with the Natives, through trade, exploration, and a desire to convert them. The French however weren’t the only people to live in their colony of New France. Slaves from as far away as Portugal were brought to the colony as it developed, adding to the diversity. Despite the idea of Canada being multicultural is often perceived to be relatively new, when we consider the scope of Canadian history, the country has actually experienced multiculturalism for thousands of years.
Canada is considered one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. Multiculturalism is defined as “the doctrine that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can coexist peacefully and equitably in a single country.” If we are to accept this definition as true then it is not possible to say that Canada has been a multicultural society from the time of its early European settlers. As we have learned, since before Canada was ever even a country there has been a diverse group of people inhabiting the land. Whether it be aboriginal people, or different European people living on Canadian soil, the land has been inhabited for centuries. Though one may argue that this makes Canada a multicultural nation through and through, I don’t necessarily believe that different people living on the same soil makes a nation multicultural. The French were in conflict with some native groups, while trying to colonize others. Many aboriginal tribes had a longstanding conflict with one another, and though some may trade with each other it would be hard to argue that everyone was living in peace with each other, which is key to having a true multicultural society, according to the definition. In my opinion though, it is almost impossible to have absolutely no problems amongst different groups of people. If we are to say that Canada is multicultural now, which I would agree with; I would also say that multiculturalism did in fact begin long ago but maybe not necessarily in the time of early New France. As soon as the rights of different groups of people were recognized, and a variety of people were able to coexist peacefully together multiculturalism was born. I would argue that probably around the time Quebec was established as its own province, and the rights of the French people were protected was the time Canada became truly multicultural. Of course, there was still conflict amongst people, and even to this day racism, and racial profiling still exists, but it was the fist time that a group of people was legally identified as having different customs and beliefs, and legally allowed to practice them. To answer the question plainly, I do not believe multiculturalism is a modern change that has come to Canada recently; I believe Canada had been multicultural to some degree for generations.
Canada has been a multicultural land from the time ice began to melt and hunters as well as animals began migrating here in search of new resources. Dr Sutherland exposed archeological evidence that proved the Norse had established a historical trade with the existing Nation the Dorset people. “…the beginning of globalization…”(Dr. Sutherland, The Nature of Things). Later in history when the French and English established alliances with the First Nations treaties were established to allow trade amongst equal Nations. The mixing of cultures has only become greater as the Americas evolved through the promotion of land and resource availability. Canada was founded on the establishment of treaties between equal Nations, for the benefit of trading cultural resources. It is the trade of various natural and cultural resources that has continued to promote Canada as a multicultural and prosperous Nation. Canada is multicultural now and has been since the First Nations began exploring and exploiting the space and resources available for trade and a prosperous future. Conflict is a necessary function of communication and not a determination of multiculturalism. The lectures and readings have proved to me that Canada promotes the benefits of having a culturally diverse population. I believe our Nation embraces the trade of multiculturalism within Canada’s borders.
The idea of Canada being multicultural is not a new idea based on what we’ve learned so far in lecture. Going back to the beginnings and development of colonialism in North America, there were the English, French and numerous indigenous nations and thus numerous diverse cultures. Prior to Europeans coming to North America, there were numerous indigenous nations living throughout the land for hundreds of years.
While this may be all well and good points, the question being raised is specific to Canada being a multicultural nation. Canada is a multicultural nation where a large aggregate of the Canadian population does share a common history, culture, language and territory. However, there remains large aggregate populations that can be considered nations within the Canadian multicultural nation, hence multi-national rather than just multi-cultural. Furthermore, there is an implicit assumption that a multi-national entity would have multiple cultures and thus be multi-cultural. I would therefore argue that Canada is multi-national state rather than a multi-cultural nation. Yes, Canada is a multi-cultural nation, but that’s because Canada is multi-national with many cultures entrenched in Canadian history and pre-Canadian history.
This is because prior to the creation of the Canadian state, there existed a several nations, which, for too many reasons to note in this blog post, eventually became a collective of nations that formed the multi-cultural nation of Canada. Many people consider themselves an unhyphenated Canadian, which is intrinsic of Canadian nationalism. However, Canadian nationalism is founded on the aggregate of nations within the nation. This is what makes Canadian nationalism and Canada as a nation unique. All the parts make a whole. Canadian multiculturalism is a singular entity that incorporates all the cultures and nations that make up Canada. Therefore, to argue that Canada is multicultural only because Canada is multinational because culture is implicit of nations is simply a semantic argument. Nonetheless, Canada being a multicultural nation is only as old as Canada is as a nation (which relatively old), but the history of Canada’s multiculturalism comes from as far back as pre-colonial times.
Comments on your posts for Week 2:
Just so you know, I will offer general comments on the blog entries most weeks. Some weeks I will comment on each student’s blog (I can’t do that every week so I am rotating among the 5 tutorial sections).
In general, you all did reasonably well. I would remind you that the blogs are meant to get you to reflect on the lectures, so I expect you to draw on them directly in writing your entry.
Most of you appreciated that the place that became Canada was multicultural from the start in that it was home to many different nations and cultures; in other words, as many of you noted last week, what distinguished the place that became Canada was its diversity, which was there even before Canada existed!
However, some of you went on to make some important observations which I think all of us need to keep in mind: (1) that the place that would become Canada is more accurately described as multi-national; i.e. home to many different nations (Indigenous and European); in other words (2) the place that became Canada was diverse, but it wasn’t a single nation. In addition, and (3) there wasn’t the acceptance or even the tolerance of differences and the idea of equality that lies behind the modern notion of multiculturalism.
So…where does that leave us? In the 17th and 18th centuries, the place that would become Canada was a diverse, multi-national place. It was home to many cultures, but it wasn’t a single nation. Perhaps the story of Canada is how this multi-national place became a multicultural nation-state….
One last thing: as enorthwood noted in her blog, it might be useful to think about whether diversity = acceptance, and what kind of diversity is acceptable…. (And I’d add how the level and kind of diversity that is acceptable changes over time, and why it changes!).
daverob1, and 8 others are discussing.
enorthwood 9:12 pm on September 11, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Canada as multicultural nation is certainly seen as a new idea, however given this past weeks lectures on the involvement of the French in our fur trades and the several different Aboriginal groups, this is clearly inaccurate. Our recent lectures are a representation of the idea that multiculturalism in Canada dates back far beyond what many of us as Canadian citizens would ever dare to imagine, and speaking for myself I can say that this dates a lot further back than I was ever expecting to see traces of a multicultural Canada. From the very start of European colonization in Canada it is clear from the mix of French and the Native settlers, that there has always been a mixture of the types of cultures here in Canada, and different types of people throughout Canada have been evidently noticeable since the arrival of the French. I was also thinking that the vast amounts of Europeans who moved over from Europe to live in Canada also would certainly be a mixture of a variety of different settlers as well. On a personal level my grandmother moved here from Paris, and my grandfather from Wales, because of this I have come to the conclusion that multiculturalism was an idea that was more or less inevitable from the start. This also puts me under the impression that multiculturalism was prominent and promisingly put in Canada before it was recognized as a very culturally diverse nation. It’s interesting to draw attention to these facts, as previously I had never really thought about the idea of multiculturalism before several different cultures existed in Canada, but upon greater thought I’ve come to the conclusion that Canada had a diverse set of people from a much farther history back then I originally had expected.
That being said, I think that the idea of multiculturalism is also very debatable, I think a lot of the cultures that exist in Canada today, while they are certainly allowed to be openly practiced, are almost Canadian mixtures of the original culture and traditions mixed with Canadian traditions. If you’ve ever seen Between: Living in the Hyphen by Anne Marie Nakagawa, it examines 7 different Canadians who have one parent from European background and one from a visible minority, and after seeing this documentary I have to ask the question if Canada is truly multicultural, do we truly accept the cultures of others and understand them as they say we do? I feel the populace have a broad understanding of the tip of the iceberg of some of these cultures. However these “Canadians” are almost penalized for having other cultures, like Fred Wah, whose experience is that when he was in school, being a white-Chinese mix, he was told he couldn’t get a Visa because of his last name, however when he mentioned he was only a certain portion Chinese, he was allowed to get said Visa. This makes me question multiculturalism all together, so I think the idea of multiculturalism is newly mentioned more due to the fact that it’s only more recent that we’ve started to identify with other cultures and accepted them as being able to be a multicultural Canadian.
Tina Loo 12:57 pm on September 14, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Emilee, I liked your observations at the end and they’re certainly something to continue to ponder. Does diversity necessarily mean acceptance? Or what kind of diversity is acceptable, and does that level of acceptable diversity change over time, and why?
cprimus 4:40 pm on September 12, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
It would be a bit ignorant to say that Canada was not a multicultural nation until recently – we’ve been a multicultural nation for a while now. The land now known as Canada has for thousands of years been shared by a number of different cultures. Native Canadians were spread all over the country, with different customs, beliefs, living habits and social structures. The climate and geographical environment impacted the different Nation’s tools and means of subsistence. Languages were as diverse as the people who spoke them. Each nation had its own culture, and some got on well with other cultures and some did not.
Although the Norse did touch down just over 1,000 years ago, they were outsiders who embarked only in trade with the natives and their time in Canada was temporary. It wasn’t until the French created a permanent settlement in the early 17th century that an internationally diverse culture was birthed, and very slowly at first because of the tiny French population. France was in Canada (“New France”) for their own economic benefit, one which forced them to create alliances with the Native groups whom they traded with, and soon came to rely upon. As more immigrants arrived, the presence of foreign religion increased as the Catholic Jesuit priests tried to convert the locals, with some success. The newcomers also brought foreign disease which wiped out half the population of Huronia, the most populous of France’s indigenous allies, and are then driven from their homes by the warring Iroquois. As the Hurons are displaced and mix with other Nations, the French commit to the land and mix with the Natives as they start growing their own food and attempt to establish trade further inland.
So although the idea of Canada being a multicultural nation might be new, the principle itself has, in fact, been in practice here for hundreds of years.
millyzhu 8:46 pm on September 12, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Canada is a multicultural country. Before this week’s lecture, I thought that it was only recent that this statement was true. However, this was not the case. During the lectures, I learnt that way before immigrants from other parts of the world came and Europeans encountered the land, there was already an established exchange of people, ideas, and things; there were different indigenous groups. These groups had variations in culture, language, norms and practices, religion, skills and trade. Moreover, they had allies and trade relationships, along with rivalry and war, with other indigenous nations. However, with the arrival of settlement from France, there was now an international exchange of people, ideas, and things. At first, the multiculturalism was not as prominent as the indigenous groups still outnumbered the French settlers. Nevertheless, the French settlers created allies with the Huron and both gained from this affiliation. As more immigrants from France came, so did diseases. The Huron, whom the French had much contact with, had no immune system built to attack these foreign diseases. As a result of this devastation, half of Huron’s population died. Unfortunately, the string of misfortune did not end there as the French had no one left to rely on for the fur trade, food, protection, and knowledge of the land. Consequently, the French had to rely on themselves, and they began learning the language and culture of their surroundings, as well as agriculture and hunting. Hence what were once groups with different distinctions was now a single nation as they grew to become a single entity with variations in backgrounds, which still continues today.
nkular93 10:04 pm on September 12, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Given what I have learned in lecture, it would be ignorant to say that multiculturalism is a fairly new thing, I think we say that Canada is so multicultural today due to the fact that countless immigrants of so many different origins immigrate to Canada on a daily basis. We define the sea of colors and ethnicities that we see daily as multicultural. But if you think about it, Canada has always been multicultural. The habitation of different groups of Aboriginal peoples across Canada is proof of this. There were already so many different cultures and ethnicities and beliefs and practices present in Canada among the Aboriginal peoples. When the Europeans encountered North America, they brought along their culture, views, beliefs, and practices as well which added to the already diverse land. The French began to inhabit the land and conflicts occurred between thoughts and ways of living between the Europeans and the Aboriginals. I truly do believe that Canada is the land of immigrants and it is not only due to current situations that I am saying this but also due to the fact that the Europeans that had colonized North America were themselves immigrants. Even the Aboriginal peoples were immigrants considering that they had migrated over to the Americas through Siberia and the Bering land bridge. Therefore, Canada has pretty much been multicultural since the habitition of different Aboriginal groups across Canada. Then, over the years, as Europeans began to colonize the area, it became more and more diverse.
angieL 1:33 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Although the concept of multiculturalism has only been introduced relatively recent, the roots of it have long been embedded in the Canadian culture and history. Given what I’ve learned in the lecture and the tutorial, the interactions of different cultures had probably begun as early as the 11th century when trans-Atlantic Europeans first encountered the indigenous people on the land of Canada. The dictionary definition of multiculturalism is the “preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society”. Before the arrival of European culture and British/French colonization, there were already so many tribes amongst the Aboriginal people in which they all had their own customs, traditions, arts, and dialogues. So in a sense, there were already multiple cultures intertwining and mingling with one another before the introduction of European culture. One may argue that those individual groups were not a “unified society” – thus multiculturalism did not apply – but I think even though they did not share the same ideology, policies, traditions, language, or legal system, they are still considered closely connected for being economically, socially, and politically interdependent. Fur trade and the formation of alliances between the French and the indigenous people were prime examples of economic and political interdependency and how two cultures interacted. However, come to think of it more carefully, although Canada has long been a multicultural nation, the concept of respecting and preserving all cultures equally has only begun to prosper and gain wider acceptance in the past few decades. With increasing number of non-White immigrants from Asia-Pacific countries, the obvious distinctions of our diverse cultures and races have really push this concept of multiculturalism under the spotlight.
SteveMoody 2:01 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Would we create a distinction between multi-cultural and multiculturalism to answer this question? I believe Canada has been multi-cultuRAL since before the arrival of Europeans. The distinct nations that comprised the First Nations peoples were unique groups among themselves, sharing a large and verdant territory with others who’s level of technological development was akin to their own. The arrival of the Europeans brought several new cutlures which immediately began to affect and influence the cultures they came into contact with.
Multiculturalism is the cultural political concept that in Canada all cutlures are free to flourish (as long as they subscribe to our reasonably secular laws) without impingement. The culture of Canada under this auspice is specifically decentralized and multi-faceted, no one unique element (aside from geopolitical boundaries) are needed to define Canadian’s. That is a somewhat forward approach, a modern idea in that a colonized nation would choose to identify its culture with having multiple cultures that share freedom.
Canada has been filled with immigrants since the first early explorers crossed the bearing straight land bridge. What makes multiculturalism new and unique is its progressive choice to embrace that fact, rather than favour homogeny as many other nations and cultures do. Different groups have moved into Canada and called it home through centuries, so a multicultural landscape has always been the reality. Its just whether that’s what’s defines us as a cultural or not that is the question we answer with multiculturalism.
mosachoff 2:15 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Canada today considers itself a multicultural country. The country has grown its population over the last century through immigration, first from Europe and later from Asia, which continues today. Despite Canada being a relatively new nation, considering the length of its history, the area that we call Canada today has a history that is rich with multiculturalism stretching back over 1000 years. First Nation Canadians living at the time before European contact had diverse cultures and different lifestyles. Some were farmers and others were hunters. The groups interacted with each other, trading and exchanging culture such as language and ideas. Later, Vikings arrived in the area as described in The Greenlander’s Saga and Erik the Red’s Saga. They had interactions with the Native population that was at times peaceful where trade took place, but also violent as communication was difficult and reactions were unpredictable. Canada became home to further diversity with the arrival of the French to the area around the St. Lawrence and the beginning of permanent settlements. The French interacted with the Natives, through trade, exploration, and a desire to convert them. The French however weren’t the only people to live in their colony of New France. Slaves from as far away as Portugal were brought to the colony as it developed, adding to the diversity. Despite the idea of Canada being multicultural is often perceived to be relatively new, when we consider the scope of Canadian history, the country has actually experienced multiculturalism for thousands of years.
alexwickett 3:12 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Canada is considered one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. Multiculturalism is defined as “the doctrine that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can coexist peacefully and equitably in a single country.” If we are to accept this definition as true then it is not possible to say that Canada has been a multicultural society from the time of its early European settlers. As we have learned, since before Canada was ever even a country there has been a diverse group of people inhabiting the land. Whether it be aboriginal people, or different European people living on Canadian soil, the land has been inhabited for centuries. Though one may argue that this makes Canada a multicultural nation through and through, I don’t necessarily believe that different people living on the same soil makes a nation multicultural. The French were in conflict with some native groups, while trying to colonize others. Many aboriginal tribes had a longstanding conflict with one another, and though some may trade with each other it would be hard to argue that everyone was living in peace with each other, which is key to having a true multicultural society, according to the definition. In my opinion though, it is almost impossible to have absolutely no problems amongst different groups of people. If we are to say that Canada is multicultural now, which I would agree with; I would also say that multiculturalism did in fact begin long ago but maybe not necessarily in the time of early New France. As soon as the rights of different groups of people were recognized, and a variety of people were able to coexist peacefully together multiculturalism was born. I would argue that probably around the time Quebec was established as its own province, and the rights of the French people were protected was the time Canada became truly multicultural. Of course, there was still conflict amongst people, and even to this day racism, and racial profiling still exists, but it was the fist time that a group of people was legally identified as having different customs and beliefs, and legally allowed to practice them. To answer the question plainly, I do not believe multiculturalism is a modern change that has come to Canada recently; I believe Canada had been multicultural to some degree for generations.
daverob1 4:59 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Canada has been a multicultural land from the time ice began to melt and hunters as well as animals began migrating here in search of new resources. Dr Sutherland exposed archeological evidence that proved the Norse had established a historical trade with the existing Nation the Dorset people. “…the beginning of globalization…”(Dr. Sutherland, The Nature of Things). Later in history when the French and English established alliances with the First Nations treaties were established to allow trade amongst equal Nations. The mixing of cultures has only become greater as the Americas evolved through the promotion of land and resource availability. Canada was founded on the establishment of treaties between equal Nations, for the benefit of trading cultural resources. It is the trade of various natural and cultural resources that has continued to promote Canada as a multicultural and prosperous Nation. Canada is multicultural now and has been since the First Nations began exploring and exploiting the space and resources available for trade and a prosperous future. Conflict is a necessary function of communication and not a determination of multiculturalism. The lectures and readings have proved to me that Canada promotes the benefits of having a culturally diverse population. I believe our Nation embraces the trade of multiculturalism within Canada’s borders.
the1strange2part3of4town 5:24 pm on September 13, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The idea of Canada being multicultural is not a new idea based on what we’ve learned so far in lecture. Going back to the beginnings and development of colonialism in North America, there were the English, French and numerous indigenous nations and thus numerous diverse cultures. Prior to Europeans coming to North America, there were numerous indigenous nations living throughout the land for hundreds of years.
While this may be all well and good points, the question being raised is specific to Canada being a multicultural nation. Canada is a multicultural nation where a large aggregate of the Canadian population does share a common history, culture, language and territory. However, there remains large aggregate populations that can be considered nations within the Canadian multicultural nation, hence multi-national rather than just multi-cultural. Furthermore, there is an implicit assumption that a multi-national entity would have multiple cultures and thus be multi-cultural. I would therefore argue that Canada is multi-national state rather than a multi-cultural nation. Yes, Canada is a multi-cultural nation, but that’s because Canada is multi-national with many cultures entrenched in Canadian history and pre-Canadian history.
This is because prior to the creation of the Canadian state, there existed a several nations, which, for too many reasons to note in this blog post, eventually became a collective of nations that formed the multi-cultural nation of Canada. Many people consider themselves an unhyphenated Canadian, which is intrinsic of Canadian nationalism. However, Canadian nationalism is founded on the aggregate of nations within the nation. This is what makes Canadian nationalism and Canada as a nation unique. All the parts make a whole. Canadian multiculturalism is a singular entity that incorporates all the cultures and nations that make up Canada. Therefore, to argue that Canada is multicultural only because Canada is multinational because culture is implicit of nations is simply a semantic argument. Nonetheless, Canada being a multicultural nation is only as old as Canada is as a nation (which relatively old), but the history of Canada’s multiculturalism comes from as far back as pre-colonial times.
Tina Loo 1:01 pm on September 14, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This is great, but again, can you tell me who you are so I can give you credit for your blogs?
the1strange2part3of4town 4:49 pm on September 20, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Alex Ninow 45449105
Tina Loo 1:03 pm on September 14, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Comments on your posts for Week 2:
Just so you know, I will offer general comments on the blog entries most weeks. Some weeks I will comment on each student’s blog (I can’t do that every week so I am rotating among the 5 tutorial sections).
In general, you all did reasonably well. I would remind you that the blogs are meant to get you to reflect on the lectures, so I expect you to draw on them directly in writing your entry.
Most of you appreciated that the place that became Canada was multicultural from the start in that it was home to many different nations and cultures; in other words, as many of you noted last week, what distinguished the place that became Canada was its diversity, which was there even before Canada existed!
However, some of you went on to make some important observations which I think all of us need to keep in mind: (1) that the place that would become Canada is more accurately described as multi-national; i.e. home to many different nations (Indigenous and European); in other words (2) the place that became Canada was diverse, but it wasn’t a single nation. In addition, and (3) there wasn’t the acceptance or even the tolerance of differences and the idea of equality that lies behind the modern notion of multiculturalism.
So…where does that leave us? In the 17th and 18th centuries, the place that would become Canada was a diverse, multi-national place. It was home to many cultures, but it wasn’t a single nation. Perhaps the story of Canada is how this multi-national place became a multicultural nation-state….
One last thing: as enorthwood noted in her blog, it might be useful to think about whether diversity = acceptance, and what kind of diversity is acceptable…. (And I’d add how the level and kind of diversity that is acceptable changes over time, and why it changes!).