Multiculturalism in Canada: Strengths and Weaknesses Evaluation

This discussion post evaluates the current state of multiculturalism in Canada, addressing the strengths and weaknesses of the country's diversity project. The assignment presents two contrasting perspectives: one arguing that multiculturalism in Canada is generally working well, highlighting its successes in integrating immigrants and fostering a sense of belonging, while the other suggests that multiculturalism isn't working very well, and could be worse. The author of the solution aligns with the former view, emphasizing Canada's successes in amending laws to accommodate immigrants, and how Canada has surpassed other Western countries in its approach to multiculturalism. The response is well-supported by references to course materials and external sources, including Forbes and medium.com articles. The assignment fulfills the requirements of a discussion post, providing a thoughtful analysis of the topic.

Running head: MULTICULTURALISM 1
Multiculturalism
Name
Institution

MULTICULTURALISM 2
Evaluate the current state of Canada’s diversity project.
Option 1
Multiculturalism in Canada could be better, but in general is working. Evaluate the Strengths of
Canada’s Multiculturalism Project and Opportunities for improvements to prove your point
Multiculturalism has worked in Canada pretty well and has improved day by day. However there
has been debate from both supporters and critiques who share divergent views on this topic. The
world has witnessed impressive growth of evidence to show comparative benefits in the integration
of refugees and immigrants and also evidence showing that multiculturalism has played a significant
role in Canada’s comparative success. Lately we have been witnessing word wide retreat from
multiculturalism especially in Western Europe but the case has been deferent in Canada.
The Evidence on Multiculturalism and Integration
There has been massive debate between the critics and supporters of multiculturalism in Canada
since 1971 as the debate has revolved around the impact of economic, political and social
integration of immigrants (Chazan, et. al, 2011). The defenders of multiculturalism have argued that
multiculturalism helps in the integration of immigrants and other minor groups hence removing
restrictions to their involvement in Canadian life and making most of them feel loved in the
Canadian community creating a stronger sense of belonging and pride in Canada.
There has been great level of mutual identification between the immigrants and native-born
Canadians showing the progress. Canadian sees demographic diversity and immigrants as a key to
their own identity. Compared to other western countries Canadians would easily see immigration as
beneficial and don’t view it as a source of crime and are more likely to propose multiculturalism as
one of the best aspects in this world and view it as a source of pride (Semotiuk, 2017). In Canada an

MULTICULTURALISM 3
immigrant can easily gain a passport and naturalized Canadians are more likely to participate in the
voting process as Canadian laws allows for this. The children of immigrants have been reported to
have better educational results compared to children from other western countries. Immigrant
children from inferior socio-economic backgrounds also do perform higher in Canada than in other
western countries.
RENSPONSE
Option 2
Multiculturalism in Canada in general isn’t working very well right now, and could be worse.
Evaluate the Weaknesses of Canada’s Multiculturalism Project and Threats to a formal
multiculturalism policy to prove your point.
In responding to this, I greatly disagree with the statement that multiculturalism isn’t working in
Canada. As a matter of fact multiculturalism in Canada has surpassed the world’s expectations as this
can be seen on how the immigrants have integrated and settled into the Canadian society. Canada as
a country has amended its laws to accommodate immigrants and have ensured that they feel
welcomed (Fong, 2018). What Canada has achieved in multiculturalism cannot be compared with
other western countries. Canada should be applauded for its efforts worldwide. Though there are
critics who have argued to the contrary, their arguments are considered baseless with no proof to
their claims.

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References
Chazan, M., Helps, L., Stanley, A., & Thakkar, S. (2011). Home and Native Land: Unsettling
Multiculturalism in Canada. Between the Lines.
Fong, V. (2018). Why does multiculturalism work in Canada? Retrieved from
https://medium.com/the-torontonian/why-does-multiculturism-work-in-canada-d52ac4e23747
Semotiuk, A. J. (2017). Multiculturalism - The Distinguishing Factor That Makes Canada Great.
Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2017/10/18/multiculturalism-the-
distinguishing-factor-that-makes-canada-great/#645ec0306b11