View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Kelly Friesen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: Multiculural Week
Being Canadian
Yorkton Council recently proclaimed Nov. 17-24 as Saskatchewan Multiculturalism Week in the city.
When you think about our history multiculturalism should be one of the most closely held ideals in Canada.
We are after all about as multicultural as a country can be.
While First Nations people have been on this continent for millenia, the rest of us can trace our roots back to forefathers who crossed the oceans in the last 250 years.
That might sound like a long time, but in the grand scheme of our world it is not.
Most Canadians remain virtual newcomers to this country, and the cultures they brought with them have been woven into the proverbial tapestry which is now Canadian culture.
That means elements from many cultures, most European, have become very much part of what it is to be Canadian.
And now we are seeing a new influx of immigrants to Canada. Toronto, Canada's most populace city now has a population where 45 per cent were not born in Canada.
The new wave of immigration is no longer predominantly European, but come from Africa and Asia. It is evolving our culture farther.
And that is fine. We are made stronger by an acceptance of different cultures and religions. They may be different than what we are used too, but they are no less relevant than the backgrounds of those who came to our shores decades ago.
And as Canada's way we take bits and pieces from the cultures of the newest Canadians and make them part of what it is to be Canadian.
That is the essence of understanding and acceptance of multiculturalism and of being Canadian.
-Calvin Daniels
Enrichment
I have to confess, I am suffering from a bit of theme week-fatigue. Every week, it seems, is now designated with some sort of heritage celebration or disease awareness campaign or recognition of some issue, group or profession.
It has become so ubiquitous, in fact, that it has been taken to extremes with spoofs such as "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (September 19, in case you missed it).
Still, I kind of like Multiculturalism Week, or, at least, the idea of it. It harkens to a time in my youth when multiculturalism was a big deal in Canada. The "cultural mosaic" we called it as a way of distinguishing it from the American concept of the "melting pot."
It made us feel that somehow we were more accepting of diversity than our American counterparts, who, we thought, were bent on assimilation of immigrants, while we welcomed not just the people themselves, but their customs, beliefs and traditions.
Of course, anyone who has ever spent any time in the U.S., as I have, knows the differences between Canadian and American pluralism are slight indeed and our record of tolerance-as is demonstrated most clearly by Quebec's recent tabling of its legislation banning public servants from wearing religious symbols-is no better than theirs.
There are definitely certain aspects of some cultures that we do not, and should not, accept where they contravene Canadian values, but overall, multiculturalism, the mosaic, pluralism, whatever we might call it, is something that should be celebrated. It enriches us all.
My hope is that Multicultural Week will foster greater understanding between Canadians of all backgrounds.
-Thom Barker
