page_title: Multiculturalism in Canada
section_title: Evolution of federal legislation
hierarchical_section_title: Multiculturalism in Canada / Evolution of federal legislation
caption_attribution_description: Statue titled, Monument to Multiculturalism by Francesco Pirelli, Union Station, Toronto
context_page_description: Multiculturalism in Canada was officially adopted by the government during the 1970s and 1980s. The Canadian federal government has been described as the instigator of multiculturalism as an ideology because of its public emphasis on the social importance of immigration. The 1960s Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism is often referred to as the origin of modern political awareness of multiculturalism.
  Canadians have used the term "multiculturalism" in different ways: descriptively, prescriptively or politically. In the first sense "multiculturalism" is a description of the many different religious traditions and cultural influences that in their unity and coexistence result in a unique Canadian cultural mosaic. The nation consists of people from a multitude of racial, religious and cultural backgrounds and is open to cultural pluralism. Canada has experienced different waves of immigration since the nineteenth century, and by the 1980s almost 40 percent of the population were of neither British nor French origins. In the past, the relationship between the British and the French has been given a lot of importance in Canada's history.
context_section_description: The Quebec Act, implemented  after the British conquest of New France in the mid-1700s brought a large Francophone population under British Imperial rule, creating a need for accommodation. A century later the  compromises  made between the English and French speaking Fathers of Confederation  set Canada on a path to bilingualism, and this in turn contributed to biculturalism and the acceptance of diversity.
  The American writer Victoria Hayward in the 1922 book about her travels through Canada, described the cultural changes of the Canadian Prairies as a "mosaic". Another early use of the term mosaic to refer to Canadian society was by John Murray Gibbon, in his 1938 book Canadian Mosaic. The mosaic theme envisioned Canada as a "cultural mosaic" rather than a "melting pot".
  Charles Hobart a sociologist from the University of Alberta, and Lord Tweedsmuir the 15th Governor General of Canada were  early champions of the term  multiculturalism. From his installation speech in 1935 onwards, Lord Tweedsmuir maintained in speeches and over the radio recited his ideas that ethnic groups "should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the national character," and "the strongest nations are those that are made up of different racial elements." Adélard Godbout, while Premier of Quebec in 1943, published an article entitled "Canada: Unity in Diversity" in the Council on Foreign Relations journal discussing the influence of the Francophone population as a whole. The phrase "Unity in diversity" would be used  frequently during Canadian multiculturalism  debates in the proceeding decades.
  The beginnings of the development of Canada's contemporary policy of multiculturalism can be traced to the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which was established on July 19, 1963  by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in response to the grievances of Canada's French-speaking minority. The report of the Commission advocated that the Canadian government should recognize Canada as a bilingual and bicultural society and adopt policies to preserve this character.
  The recommendations of this report elicited a variety of responses.  Former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, (who was now Leader of the Official Opposition after his government was succeeded by that of Pearson on April 22, 1963), viewed them as an attack on his "One Canada Policy" that was opposed to extending accommodation to minority groups. The proposals also failed to satisfy those Francophones in the Province of Quebec who gravitated toward Québécois nationalism.  Additionally, Canadians of neither English nor French descent (so-called "Third Force" Canadians) advocated that a policy of "multiculturalism" would better reflect the diverse heritage of Canada's peoples.
  Paul Yuzyk, a Progressive Conservative Senator of Ukrainian descent, referred to Canada as "a multicultural nation" in his influential maiden speech in 1964, creating much national debate, and is remembered for his strong advocacy of the implementation of a multiculturalism policy and Social liberalism.
  On October 8, 1971, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau announced in the House of Commons that, after much deliberation, the policies of bilingualism and multiculturalism would be implemented in Canada. The next day, Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated the Canadian government's support for "cultivation and use of many languages" at the 10th Congress of the Ukrainian Canadian Committee in Winnipeg. Trudeau espoused participatory democracy as a means of making Canada a "Just Society". Trudeau stated:
  Uniformity is neither desirable nor possible in a country the size of Canada. We should not even be able to agree upon the kind of Canadian to choose as a model, let alone persuade most people to emulate it. There are few policies potentially more disastrous for Canada than to tell all Canadians that they must be alike. There is no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian. What could be more absurd than the concept of an “all
caption: Monument to Multiculturalism by Francesco Pirelli in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Four identical sculptures are located in Buffalo City, South Africa; Changchun, China; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Sydney, Australia.
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