Multiculturalism and Canada: To He.. With The New Colonisers! | Vancouverdesi.com

A bit of an incoherent piece by former British Columbia Premier and Federal Cabinet Minister Dosanjh on multiculturalism, forgetting that multiculturalism was always anchored within Canadian history and cultures, but yet open – within constitutional and legal limits – to other cultures.

It was never about “parity” or complete cultural relativism, even if some may have claimed so, and any rights asserted under multiculturalism had to be balanced with other rights:

Proponents of “no Canadian culture” show an abysmal ignorance of the fact of the diverse aboriginal cultures that claimed Canada as home long before the European onslaught. Canada has always had a culture of its own. It was not a blank slate when the Europeans came nor is it now. We must vigorously and justly make that claim. In the absence of a robust claim for the primacy of the now enduring Canadian culture of justice, equality, compassion and diversity, with all its warts for all to see, Gad Horowitz’s description of “multiculturalism as masochistic sharing of Canadian nothingness” may not be far off the mark. For that Pierre Trudeau’s Charter may be to blame. Who said all politicians do not pander in their own time?

The belief of some that Canada has no culture of its own at any given time up to now, by definition, renders Canada savage, waiting to be ‘civilised’ by the newcomers-the civilisers. The holders of this belief easily come to the ‘logical’ conclusion that Canada ‘needs’ culture and nothing could be better than their own culture. Human beings in different civilisations have believed from time immemorial that “they are the chosen people” and if you so believed, and Canada you believed had no culture of its own, you would think you are doing Canada a favour by lending it your presence and culture.

The Charter reference to “multicultural heritage” has also acted as a seed for the germination and advancement of the principle of parity of all cultures and traditions found in Canada. This phenomenon is easy to understand given a commonly whispered belief, among generations of newcomers, of a weak or a nonexistent Canadian Culture. The idea of parity could prove rather inimical to the need for integration into the Canadian mainstream; because “all streams are main”. In the long run unless we are careful we can kiss good bye to robust social solidarity and social cohesion- a sin qua non for a harmonious and inclusive Canada at peace with itself.

Multiculturalism & Canada: To He.. With The New Colonisers! | Vancouverdesi.com.