Canada and the Challenge of Cultural Diversity 55
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
M03_MINT7873_03_SE_C03.indd Page 53 12/1/15 10:00 AM/205/PHC00198/9780134057873_MINTZ/MINTZ_CANADA_POLITICS1_SE_9780134057873/SE/MAIN Aptara ... 53 CHAPTER 3 ▲ Canada and the Challenge of Photo caption to come Cultural Diversity CHAPTER OBJEcTIVES After reading this chapter, you should be able to 1. Define and distinguish between an ethnic nation and a civic nation. 2. Discuss the significance of identities and the different ways of understanding the Canadian identity. 3. Discuss how and why Canada became one of the most culturally diverse states in the world. 4. Define and distinguish between a national minority and an ethnic group. 5. Discuss the evolution of French Canadian and Québécois nationalism and how Canada has responded to the challenge of minority nationalism. 6. Discuss Canada’s response to polyethnicity, as shown by its immigration and integration policies. Tensions caused by the growing presence of new cultures, religions, and social practices have been at the centre of high-profile disputes about the extent to which public institu- tions should accommodate religious diversity. GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP M03_MINT7873_03_SE_C03.indd Page 54 12/1/15 10:00 AM/205/PHC00198/9780134057873_MINTZ/MINTZ_CANADA_POLITICS1_SE_9780134057873/SE/MAIN Aptara ... 54 Part II: The Context of Canadian Politics One of those disputes took place in February 2015, niqab could lead to fewer Muslim women reporting when a Court of Quebec judge told Rania El-Alloul, who crimes or agreeing to testify in court (CBC News, had applied to get her car back after it had been seized 2011b). In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that judges by Quebec’s automobile insurance board, that the judge should neither ban outright nor routinely allow face would not hear her case until she removed her hijab. coverings. Judges would have to consider the veiled The hijab is a traditional covering for the hair and neck witness’s “sincerity of belief,” any risk to trial fairness, that is worn by millions of Muslim women around the ways to accommodate those beliefs by using alterna- world. During the proceeding, Judge Marengo cited a tive measures, such as allowing evidence to be given regulation stating that “any person appearing before the behind a screen, and whether the harm of veiled testi- court must be suitably dressed.” Although the regula- mony in a particular case outweighed the benefit to tion makes no specific reference to headscarves or society of encouraging victims to testify in court (Mac- other garments, the judge told El-Alloul that “in my opin- Charles, 2012). ion, the courtroom is a secular place” where religious In 2013, Zumera Ishaq, a high school teacher symbols were not permitted. After El-Alloul refused, the from Pakistan, challenged a 2011 policy that case was suspended indefinitely. The single mother’s prevented anyone from taking the citizenship oath case made national headlines and led to a crowdfund- with their face covered. In February 2015, the Federal ing campaign that raised more than $50 000 to help her Court ruled that it was “unlawful” for the Canadian buy a new car. El-Alloul, a welfare recipient, decided not government to require new citizens to remove religious to accept the money, noting that the funds could be put face coverings while taking the oath. Ms. Ishaq to better use by promoting human rights (CBC News, uncovered her face in private before a citizenship March 13, 2015). judge to prove her identity and took the oath while In 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada heard wearing her niqab at a public citizenship ceremony in arguments in a legal matter pitting a Muslim woman’s October. This became a hotly contested issue in the religious beliefs against the rights of defendants. The 2015 Canadian election (as discussed in Chapter 9). woman was appealing a lower court ruling that she Prime Minister Stephen Harper asserted that covering had to remove her niqab while testifying against two one’s face while being sworn in is “not how we do male relatives in a sexual assault case in Ontario. The things here” and is “offensive.” While polls show that niqab is a full veil worn by some Muslim women most Canadians do not find the niqab personally that covers the entire face save for the eyes. The offensive, a poll commissioned by the government defendants said they should be able to see her facial found that 82 percent of Canadians supported the expressions for the purpose of cross-examination. requirement that women remove their niqabs or burkas A representative from the Canadian Council on at citizensip ceremonies (Vincent, March 17, 2015; American–Islamic Relations worried that banning the Beeby, September 24, 2015). CANADA’s DEEP CULTURAL DIVERSITY If you used Google Earth to zoom in over Canada, you would notice the country’s distinctive physical features: a huge landmass bounded by three oceans and traversed by long rivers, lakes and bays as vast as small seas, and soaring mountain ranges. If you could use a different Google engine to observe the country’s social features, you would notice that Canadians come from myriad cultural backgrounds. Canadians trace their ancestral origins to more than 200 different ethnic groups and report more than 200 GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP M03_MINT7873_03_SE_C03.indd Page 55 12/1/15 10:00 AM/205/PHC00198/9780134057873_MINTZ/MINTZ_CANADA_POLITICS1_SE_9780134057873/SE/MAIN Aptara ... Chapter 3: Canada and the Challenge of Cultural Diversity 55 different languages as the language they first learned at home. More than one-fifth of the total population was born in another country. The breadth and depth of the country’s cultural diversity defines Canada as much as its spectacular landscape. Cultural diversity is both a source of pride for many Canadians and a challenge for public officials who are striving to build a cohesive political community. Canada’s Aboriginal peoples have pressed for more power in governing their own affairs, as well as territorial, economic, and resource rights. The predominantly francophone province of Quebec has held two ref- erendums on whether it should establish an independent state. Canadians across the country are debating whether and to what extent public institu- tions should be adapted to accommodate the different traditions of increas- ingly multicultural citizens. The vast majority of Canadians express pride in their country, but they also identify with, or feel a sense of belonging to, their language group, ethnic ancestry, province, region, Aboriginal group, and other affiliations. The persistence of linguistic, ethnic, and regional identities in Canada and other advanced capitalist states has surprised integrationist theorists, who expected these allegiances to weaken as societies modernized (Deutsch & Foltz, 1963; Tilly, 1975). They predicted, prematurely, that scientific and technological progress, the spread of mass education and communications, the geographic concentration of economic activities, urbanization, and sec- ularism would narrow differences between people and encourage cultural uniformity. To the contrary, since World War II, indigenous movements and regional languages and cultures have enjoyed a renaissance in many liberal democratic states. This has led to the growth of nationalist or regional movements making separatist claims or clamouring for more political autonomy. The persistence of cultural differences raises the question of how liberal societies should go about building a unified political community out of disparate parts. Classical liberalism is based on the idea that the state CLASSIcAL LIBERALISM should remain neutral in cultural and religious matters and concentrate on An ideological perspective based protecting individual rights and freedoms and the life, liberty, and prop- on a belief in a minimal role for government, leaving individuals erty of its citizens. Some contemporary liberals, however, argue that the free to pursue their interests and state can endorse the survival and flourishing of a particular national, cul- follow their own beliefs as long as tural, or religious group, as long as the basic rights of citizens who do not they do not seriously harm others. belong to that group or who do not share its goals are protected. In Canada, supporters of these contrasting perspectives on liberalism debate whether the state should grant special rights to cultural minorities or whether it should treat all Canadians the same regardless of their ancestry. Charles Taylor (1992) has argued that the recognition of group identities and differences is consistent with liberal principles, providing the state pro- tects the basic rights and freedoms of all citizens. In practice, this would GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP M03_MINT7873_03_SE_C03.indd Page 56 12/1/15 10:00 AM/205/PHC00198/9780134057873_MINTZ/MINTZ_CANADA_POLITICS1_SE_9780134057873/SE/MAIN Aptara ... 56 Part II: The Context of Canadian Politics entitle members of certain cultural groups to specific rights and powers that are not enjoyed by other Canadians. In contrast, former prime minis- ter Pierre Trudeau (1968), a supporter of the classical liberal tradition of individual rights and freedoms, adamantly opposed the organization of any political society along ethnic lines. A LooK AHEAD This chapter begins with an exploration of the nature of Canada’s nationhood and identity. It then takes a closer look at how Canada has dealt with two important sources of cultural diversity within its borders: the presence of more than one nation within the boundaries of the Canadian MULTINATIoN STATE state, and polyethnicity. Canada is a multination state because its historical A state that contains more than development involved the English, French, and Aboriginal nations.1 In this one nation. context, the term nation refers to a historical community with its own institu- NATIoN tions, occupying a given territory, and sharing a distinct language and culture.