Multiculturalism

Immigration and multiculturalism in Canada has a long and diverse history. Multiculturalism was a major force in shaping Canadian society and increasing tolerate between different ethnic groups. Immigration started with the Vikings migrating to Newfoundland although nothing much really happened until the first non-Viking European settlement was established by the French in 1534. Other than the French, no one else really immigrated to Canada in large until the Handover of New France (Canada) to Britain and the War of 1812. This was the start of mass immigration. During the 1800's and the early 1900's, the vast majority of the immigrants were European.

The WISE and the Black Canadians

During this time, many people from England, Scotland, and Ireland immigrated to Canada for a better life. Life in Britain at that time was dirty and overpopulated. People were motivated by lots of land, freedom, and resources. The Irish, in particular, entered Canada in droves during the Great famine when their potato crops died. Many of them had to travel in filthy ships and contracted diseases such as Cholera on their journeys.
Black Canadians were slaves that have escaped the slave states of America. When Upper and Lower Canada finally abolished slavery, many slaves fled by using a network of secret routes and passageways called the Underground Railroad. They eventually settled in the Maritimes and Upper Canada.

The Chinese and the Indians

The first Chinese came to Canada at around 1850, where there was a gold rush in B.C and Yukon. Many Chinese traveled by ships, hoping to make a fortune. The second wave of Chinese immigrants were railroad workers working on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Pushed by poverty and national instability, many people hoped to earn lots of money and return. However, the employers refused to pay for a trip back to China so the workers were force to settle down. This led to the founding of Chinatown, where the Chinese won't face discrimination and can socialize with other Chinese people. As more and more Chinese workers brought their families to Canada, the Canadian government became concerned so a head tax was placed on every Chinese person entering the country. This made Chinese immigration extremely difficult and families were unable to unite. Because Chinese labourers were also considered "cheaper", violence between the Chinese and the "real" Canadians/whites escalated. One result of this was the infamous Race Riots of 1907 in Vancouver. After World War II and the holocaust, Chinese exclusion laws were repealed and Chinese  Canadians were granted full Canadian citizenship in 1947.

A mural showing a Chinese family and their business in the late 1800's.

East Indians were also subjected to discrimination. By British law, citizens of the British Empire were able to travel to anywhere within the British Empire and during the early 1900's, Canada was still part of the empire.  However, this was not the case for thousands of East Indians trying to enter Canada for a better life. A Canadian law that required Indians to come to Canada without stopping halted Indian immigration even further. Many Indians were refused entry into the country. One infamous event involving Indian immigration was the Komagata Maru incident. 376 passengers were stranded on the ship, unable to step on Canadian soil. After countless days of humiliation, the passengers returned to India.

1945-1970's: Jews and other Europeans

After World War II, the horrors of the holocaust was discovered. No one have ever witnessed such inhumane acts before. Jews, especially children, were placed in displaced camps until they were adopted. Even after the war, Canada still held its stance of antisemitism. Mackenzie King, the former prime minister, stated in reference of Jewish immigrants that "none is too many." Later on, pressure from the international community forced the government to relax its immigration policies. Meanwhile, the Canadian government opened its immigration to other Europeans such as the Polish, the Spanish, and the Italians. However, western Europeans were still preferred over ethnic groups and Asians, for the most part, were still barred from immigrating. It was not until 1976 that Canada opened immigration for everyone.

Mosaic vs. Melting Pot?

A cultural mosaic in Chinatown.

Today, Canada is a diverse and multicultural country. This is largely due to its concept of multiculturalism, known as the cultural mosaic. In Canada, immigrants can keep their culture while still being part of the mainstream Canadian society. For example, one can still proclaim they are Chinese while being a Canadian citizen at the same time. People do not have to give up their traditions in order to be part of the community. The mosaic concept is stated to enrich our knowledge by learning other diverse cultures. For the melting pot concept, which was adopted by the United States, tells immigrants to forget who they currently were and follow the American way of life. By becoming an American citizen, he would become an "American" and have the same culture, traditions, and values as everyone else. The mosaic and the melting pot both have advantages and disadvantages. For the mosaic, they are different sets of minds that can be implemented into innovations for a country. However, there is definitely less patriotism since not all Canadians will share the same opinions. For the melting pot, same cultures and languages can make communication and scientific discussions easier and national unity among citizens is very useful for times of danger. But forcing people to lose their distinctiveness is very painful and heartbreaking. I personally believe that we should adopt the mosaic idea with some elements of the melting pot.

Concept of the melting pot.