Being different is not wrong, and living in a truly homogenized world, where everything is the same, would be boring. If one has ever visited a Germanic or Nordic country, one would understand what it is like to see an almost sterile, robotic community. Of course, this is not fair as these are not our countries, our societies, so it is difficult to appreciate what they are truly like to live in, but it does make us appreciate the diversity we have here in Canada.
Our society, we are told, is a patchwork quilt, a cultural mosaic, with different ethnic and religious groups coming together to make up the fabric of Canada. We are told that all these groups are equal, but, in truth, there are still two dominant cultures within Canada: the relationship is really a hierarchical, vertical one.
This means that there is a constant pressure for all these diverse groups to conform to certain values of the dominant group, for all these groups to assimilate to the order of the governing group. The order to be maintained is the legal and economic structure of the Anglo-centric model Canada was based upon.
Yet, the policy of multiculturalism, introduced in 1969, reflects the cultural diversity of Canada. A progressive ideal, but it is one that many Canadians still struggle to accept. It is natural to notice differences between groups, especially cultural differences, and this is not wrong. It is wrong, according to the “values” of Canadian society, to act negatively towards those differences. That is racism. As long as everyone conforms to the legal and economic order, they are allowed to be different.
Yet, there is one group within Canada that faces a constant attack from society for being different, for not conforming to the wants of Canadians: Canada’s First Nation peoples. This group of Canadians is an aberration to the policies of Canada that has been marginalized within our society. The Indian Act (1876) displaced them, segregating them from the rest of Canada. They faced forced assimilation through the residential school system, which has caused a host of social problems for subsequent generations. Our laws still treat them as second-class citizens, lacking many of the same rights that other Canadians have. Many Canadians do not realize that First Nations peoples were only enfranchised – given the right to vote – in 1960, or that our society still maintains a paternalistic relationship with them.
Because of these several factors, many Canadians are resentful of some of the changes currently taking place with the role First Nation peoples play within Canada. They want them to assimilate, to participate, as equal partners within Canada, ignoring the past injustices caused by social engineering government policies. And the current government is politically aware of the dangers of looking into these issues, as Canadians may have to face up to the fact that we too have a problem similar to our cousins south of our border – that Canada has systemic racism. But for how long can we continue to ignore this truth?
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
