Canada is currently going through the watershed process of challenging their immigration and inclusion policy – a process that South Africa could learn from. The popular host country is not merely debating the ins and outs of micro-policy, but looking at their overarching stance on both immigration and diversity. There is conflict between supporters of two very different approaches, approaches that are seldom distinguished in South Africa except in academic circles. However, what the politicians do not seem to be publicly considering is that in more places and circumstances than they would like to admit, racism and intolerance abound – rendering their arguments about which particular multi-culturism policy to follow irrelevant.
The first is that of the “mosaic policy” – ideally, each culture is respected for the uniqueness that it brings to the nation and the observance of its traditions encouraged. This is the policy that Canada has held for many years, and of which it has been very proud. From guidebooks to radio advertisements, the benefits of the mosaic policy is heralded as a blueprint for racial, cultural and religious harmony.
The Conservative Party however, find fault with this policy and are publicly pointing out a few of its shortcomings. They would prefer more of a “melting pot” stance to be adopted, where Canadian ideals and values are adopted by immigrants and where immigrants are encouraged to mix with Canadian-born citizens and immigrants descending from other nations and cultures to their own. For example, they would like to insist that all immigrants are able to speak either French or English, and that the citizenship test have more of an emphasis on history and current values (such as tolerance) than on practical issues such as the rules of the road. They stress that people should not cut themselves off from their own culture or people from their own nation, but that there should be more prominence given to inclusion than to separatist values. This proposed plan also has its disadvantages as it could unfortunately result in traditions, languages and cultures being lost in the global pop-culture of materialism so embraced in this country.
The party has pointed out that the immigration and diversity policy should strike a balance between the aims of immigration policy – pragmatism (what would work best socially and economically for Canada) and altruism (offering Canada as a safe haven for refugees).
One of Canada’s most pressing diversity problems remains the prejudiced treatment and the resulting overcompensation management of the First Nationers. As has been seen in Australia and South Africa, the fallout of racial imbalance is very difficult to repair, as guilt-led overcompensation can lead to as many problems as the original ill-treatment.
Canada is a rich and powerful country, blessed with natural resources, sound governance and a broad mix of people. Despite this, it asks racial questions with no easy answers, and is dealing with a difficult hangover of previous inequality. While South Africa’s diversity problems might seem newer and rawer, closer to the bone, and complicated by other social problems, we need not feel that we are the only country fighting what seems an uphill battle for tolerance, acceptance and true multi-culturism.
Sarah Laurence is a South African living in Canada.
Tags: canada, diversity, first nationers, immigration, melting pot, multicultural, south africa