Canada, Multicultural Education in

Canada's Multicultural History

The historical and political context in Canada includes an ongoing public discourse around its unique status as one of only two nations—the other is Australia—with its multicultural identity embedded in national government policy. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau first introduced multicultural policy in Canada's parliament in 1971, along with entrenching French and English as official languages in a bilingual nation. Each province eventually enacted its own version of multicultural policy, beginning with Manitoba in 1972, and Saskatchewan in 1974. Additional relevant federal policy documents include the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1984 Canadian Multiculturalism Act. In the ensuing years, Canada's multicultural policies have transitioned from an emphasis on assimilation to one of social cohesion. In comparison to the ethos of the United States, expressed in terms of seeking “liberty and justice for all,” the Canadian constitution of 1867 articulated the desire to pursue “peace, order and good government.” Quebec has never officially endorsed multiculturalism but rather has implemented a policy of interculturalism to foster interaction between and among different cultural groups and the provincial French-speaking majority culture without necessarily implying equality between them.

Some contemporary discourse around multicultural education is based on a false assumption that Canada as a nation has always stood for harmony and acceptance of ethnocultural differences. Abundant historical evidence exists that this is a serious distortion, refuted by a legacy of discriminatory government policies and practices. Ever since European settlers began arriving, systematic discrimination has been practiced against individuals [Page 296]and groups based on racist ideologies and ethnocentric views about the primacy of British cultural norms, beginning with the colonization of indigenous peoples, referred to as Inuit and First Nations in Canada. Official government policies further served to entrench the systemic oppression of First Nations peoples, as well as racial segregation in schools and racialized immigration restrictions. These policies also perpetuated anti-Semitism, the mistreatment of Chinese immigrant railway workers, and the displacement and internment of Ukrainian and Japanese Canadians. Such negative chapters in Canadian history are usually downplayed or excluded entirely in school textbooks, yet continue to have an impact on the Canadian educational system. An effective pedagogical response to racism acknowledges historical sources and manifestations of institutionalized discrimination in Canada.

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