Ebook: Multiculturalism in Canada: The Controversy of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity

Canada has long been celebrated and recognized internationally as a success story in creating a
peaceful multicultural society. Originally a nation developed by Europeans, Canada has opened
its doors to millions of non-European immigrants creating an ethnically diverse society made up
of many cultures. However, there are many issues regarding both multiculturalism and mass
immigration in Canada. Aggressive Canadian immigration policies over the last thirty years have
been described by some critics as being too much, too fast. They contend that little regard has
been given to the impact that such mass immigration has had on the unique European, mainly
British, character of Canadian society. Many believe that immigrants do not integrate into
mainstream society and that this ultimately results in the formation of many separate ethnocultural
enclaves that are segregated. This paper begins with a brief review of the history of both
multiculturalism policy and immigration trends in Canada. It then explores some of the issues
and challenges that have been brought to the forefront in recent years by academics, journalists
and other critics who have voiced serious concerns regarding Canadian immigration policies and
the ideology of multiculturalism.