Monday 5 March 2012

Multiculturalism for Canada

Many modern conservatives like to tote that multiculturalism is a tried and failed experiment. These people fall short of advocating a dangerous kind of nationalism, where citizens are expected to adhere to only a single culture. But I would like to comment on the shared discontent with multiculturalism failing to meet our expectations.
My own response requires concessions from each side of the political spectrum. First and foremost, Canadians must be receptive of immigrated citizens' culture. Multiculturalism cannot succeed if those who come here immediately feel like their cultural heritage is under threat. Once, however, we do learn and display our culture and beliefs with pride, we must remind all with the fact that no foreign culture may take priority over Canada's own, obvious as it may seem.
This does not mean that an immigrant's own culture is under threat by default- no-one should be made to feel as though an individual's capacity for cultural identity is limited; I have known many who proudly display multiple cultures. I belong to three: Canadian, my British heritage, and my Indian heritage. I have never felt that any had to be exclusive. Therefore, I would not tolerate immigrants who would knowingly move to Canada yet reject Canadian culture outright and refuse to integrate. Multiculturalism would fail as a fragmented society, yet thrive as an integrated one.
This should be obvious, only the most extreme liberals could possibly oppose it. In an upcoming post I shall clarify what Canadian culture really is at its fundamental nature.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.