Visions for Canada’s Future

1. Visions for Canada’s Future SOC 20 Chapter 19

2. Canada as Pluralistic • Pluralism: a form of society where members of different groups are encouraged to maintain their independent cultural traditions • Emphasis on diversity & respect for differences • Secular VS religious view

3. Canada as Pluralistic • Canadian society has significantly changed over the years • Originally largely English & French • Today, a “mosaic” of different cultures • Immigrants in 2001 accounted for 18.4% of population • With 160,000 new immigrants each year

4. Canada as Pluralistic • Any pluralistic society needs a unifying force. In Canada, it is the CORAF • Commitment to respecting difference & fostering inclusion • An understanding & appreciation for shared values • Respect for democratic principles & processes • The CORAF helps create social cohesion • For Canadians, the collective good is best served by accepting & respecting diversity • This helps people feel like they belong to the nation of Canada

5. Canada as multinational • A multinational model is a government system that has semi-autonomous nations functioning within a central union • Canadian federalism looks likes this • Regional differences make this system make the best sense • How does this model impact nations within Canada? • Push for self-government (Inuit & Quebec)

6. Canada as Multinational “English-speaking Canadians and the Quebecois will not agree on a division of powers; their national identities are too much in conflict. Since English speaking Canadians can only act on their national identity through the federal government, they will reject any form of decentralization which they see as reducing the federal government’s ability to express a common national identity and develop national programs. Since the Quebecois can only act on their national identity through the provincial government, they will reject any offer that does not block, and indeed reverse, federal intervention in areas of social policy. …

7. Canada as Multinational …To many commentators, this is the tragic dilemma of Canadian politics… to accommodate both of these political identities. We need to find a form of federalism that allows Quebecers (and Aboriginal peoples) to act on their sense of national political identity, without preventing English speaking Canadians from acting on their deeply-felt desire to act as a collectivity, and not simply as discrete provinces. We need, in short, to find some form of asymmetrical multinational federalism.” ~Will Kymlicka

8. Canada as Multinational • Canada has shifted towards a multinational model in many ways • Granting some self-government rights to First Nations • Nunavut • Note, self-government has existed since when the treaties were first signed • The rise of Quebec Separatism • The fact that this was permitted is quite an interesting phenomenon

9. Developing Your vision of National identity

10. Your Role as a citizen • Active Citizenship – know your rights AND responsibilities • Affect the lives of those around you for the betterment of the community

11. Activity • “A New Social Contract”

12. “A New Social Contract” • What is implied about Canada’s multiculturalism policy? • If you were to write a social contract for all Canadians, what ideas would you include? Activity Page 420