The Canadian Policy of Multiculturalism from the Perspective of Time: Success or Failure?

Abstract

The multicultural policy in Canada was born as a result of the dialogue between the representatives of the Canadian ethnic groups, the federal authorities, the provincial authorities and the Royal Committee for the Affairs of Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Due to the activity of the latter the government in Ottawa passed a bill in 1969 on two official languages in Canada. Another result of the Committee’s actions was the process of the reinterpretation of the history of Canada in the spirit of affirming the equal value of the merits and contributions on the part of Anglophones and Frankophones in the forming of the State. As a principle of social policy they accepted the idea of multiculturalism. This meant that pluralism won as the principle perceiving and solving the problems which result from the great number of cultures and from their various character. The programme of this policy can be summarized in the following points: supporting all cultural groups which want to multiply their heritage and contribute to the development of Canada, promoting contacts and cultural exchange among particular groups, helping the members of the ethnic groups in overcoming barriers which impede their full participation in society. This multicultural policy was successful in the following points: tolerance for the different character of other cultures, elimination of ethnic conflicts. This is a partial success, because the tendencies on the part of the aboriginal ethnic groups to regain their autonomy are increasingly stronger.