Multiculturalism and Pluralism in Canada: A Discussion

This discussion post examines the concept of pluralism in Canada, a society known for its diversity, where various racial, social, ethnic, and religious groups coexist. The post defines pluralism and discusses its positive aspects, highlighting Canada's multicultural environment. It addresses common myths about immigrants, such as the false association with increased crime rates and the belief that refugees exploit the system. The author, aspiring to be a teacher, emphasizes the importance of education and trust in reducing these myths and fostering healthy interactions among diverse learners. The post suggests that unbiased observation and the recognition of diversity as a strength are crucial for promoting reconciliation and understanding. The author references the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and underlines the role of educators in addressing the needs of diverse populations.

Running head: Pluralism in Canada
PLURALISM IN CANADA

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Pluralism in Canada
Option 2
Pluralism refers to a particular societal state where people belonging to diverse racial,
social, ethnic and religious groups live together and develops their interests and their respective
traditional cultures within the boundaries of a shared civilization. This can be viewed as a
multicultural space in Canada which is popular for its diversity and uniqueness. According to
David Johnston, one of the ex governor general of Canada, Canada is highly diverse when it is
about the people who live in it (theglobeandmail.com, 2019). This can be said because many
people having diverse backgrounds have been associated with each other in this country and they
work harmoniously by respecting each others’ differences.
As per the common belief of people, it is difficult for a country to prosper if people with
different backgrounds and interests live together for a very long time but this is only a myth that
Canada is proving wrong every day (theglobeandmail.com, 2019). On the contrary, here
pluralism has been one of the positive sides of this country that makes it more fair and inclusive
as a society. Unfortunately, there are many inhabitants of Canada who think just the opposite and
decide to believe the false myths about immigrants who live here. For example, there is a
common myth that the more migrants come to this country, the more crimes happen here. This
implies that immigrants are stigmatized as being criminals in these destructive myths.
On the other hand, according to some reports, immigrants have been trying to lower the
rates of violence in this country. Evidence of this can be found in the statement of one of the ex
strategic analyst of CSIS who said that immigrants do not pose as any kind of threat to this
country (ccrweb.ca, 2019). There is another belief that is refugees take help from smugglers in
order to get entry in this country to live. It has also been claimed that they do not follow the
immigrant policies when they try to settle in here. However, the reality is quite the opposite as it
is evident that most of the refugees and their families take an active part in contributing more or
less for the country’s sake (ccrweb.ca, 2019). Moreover, this can be said that these baseless
myths only hamper the reconciliation between the immigrants and the native people of Canada.
These myths not only affects the minds of the common people of this country but also
makes a false image of Canada and its people in front of other countries of the world (Winter,

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Pluralism in Canada
2013). Having the goal to choose the profession of a teacher in future, I can say that these
differences have the potential to disrupt a healthy interaction among the learners and the teachers
as well. Thus, it is highly important to think of the ways that can help in reducing the false myths
about immigrants in this country.
Firstly, education is very much required for every citizen in order to know the reality
about the immigrants and how they contribute for the country’s welfare (Kadioglu, 2014). For
that reason, they need to observe the immigrants from an unbiased and unprejudiced outlook.
Secondly, trust is all it takes to build a healthy relationship with the people with diverse
backgrounds. On the other hand, the people of this country need to see diversity as strength and
not as a weakness of this country as there are various evidences that prove that immigrants have
the potentials to make the country stronger. This is so because diverse people come with diverse
talents and thus they can easily contribute to diverse field of work here. Particularly in the field
of educational institutions, teachers need to teach their learners how to reconcile with diver
people having diverse needs. For that reason, the teachers need to follow what they preach.

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Pluralism in Canada
Reference list
ccrweb.ca, (2019), Did you know... ? Facts about refugees and refugee claimants in Canada,
Retrieved on: 24th Feb, 2019, From: https://ccrweb.ca/en/myths-facts
Kadioglu, S. (2014). Pluralism, Multicultural and Multilingual Education. Journal of Ethnic and
Cultural Studies, 1(1), 35-37. Retrieved on: 24th Feb, 2019, From:
http://www.ejecs.org/index.php/JECS/article/download/8/3
theglobeandmail.com, (2019), Pluralism is a path to lasting peace and prosperity, Retrieved on:
24th Feb, 2019, From: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/pluralism-is-a-path-to-
lasting-peace-and-prosperity/article36422623/
Winter, E. (2013). Descent, territory and common values: Redefining citizenship in Canada.
In Naturalization Policies, Education and Citizenship 12(1), 95-122. Retrieved on: 24th
Feb, 2019, From: http://www.elkewinter.com/publications/Winter_2013_Descent,
%20Territory%20and%20Common%20Values,%20Canada.pdf