Multiculturalism and the Idea of a Cultural Mosaic in Canada

What does the word ‘multiculturalism” really mean? Everyone of us has a different idea of what multiculturalism really is, the dictionary defines the word “multiculturalism” as “the presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society” multiculturalism is also known as mosaic. However, to understand what it really means, we must know what “melting pot” means. A melting point is a place where a variety of races, cultures, or people assimilate into a cohesive whole.

The question is: Is Canada a multicultural or a melting pot? I personally believe that Canada is a mosaic for a lot of reasons.

First of all, Canada pleasures itself as a cultural mosaic rather than a melting pot Canada believes in the diversity that immigrants bring to Canada for Canadians to learn from. The melting pot is usually seen in the US the United States tell its immigrants that as soon as you land on American land, you’re expected to adopt and follow the American culture.

Second of all, Canada has the Multicultural Act of 1971; this truly shows how multicultural Canada is. This act allowed schools in Canada to teach both English and French It also made it a requirement for any government faculty to have English and French translation. The Multicultural Act also allows Canadian citizens to practice any culture and religion Canada supports all cultures and religions; this is why we see less signs of ethnocentrism and more of cultural relativism in Canada.

Believing all people should speak one language, your language, is a form of ethnocentrism while the principle of regarding the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself is a form of cultural relativeness.

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Certainly, Canada is not a perfect mosaic Canada follows some aspects that gravitate towards the melting pot. For instance, when Christmas Holiday comes close, stores start selling trees, gifts, decorations and many more things related to this christian~ based holiday. But, when for example, Eid comes close, none of the stores start advertising it or selling things related to this Muslim» based Holiday. In conclusion, Canada is not a perfect mosaic nor a melting pot however, Canada tends towards the cultural mosaic side but after all, we can‘t satisfy the whole world.