ARCHIVED – Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act 2007-2008

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Part 1: 20 years of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act

Highlights:

• The 20th anniversary of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in 2008 presents an opportunity to look back on the past 20 years of reporting and look forward to Canada’s growing diversity as an important part of Canadian society.
• Data from the 2006 Census is clear: the Canadian population is increasingly diverse and according to Statistics Canada projections, the racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of the country will continue to increase – underscoring the pressing need to promote integration.
• On the occasion of this 20th edition of the Annual Report, federal institutions were asked how their institution has changed or evolved to respond to Canada’s increasing diversity and to create an inclusive society in which Canadians of all backgrounds can participate. Responses from seven federal institutions are included. Their responses demonstrate that federal institutions have taken Canada’s multicultural reality into consideration in a wide range of areas such as economic, social, international and government affairs.
• As the diversity of Canada has changed, so has the implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. During the late 1980s and early 1990s institutions focused on building awareness of multiculturalism and examining existing policies to ensure they corresponded with the principles of the Act. In subsequent years, federal institutions focused on ensuring their practices were open to all. Today, many federal institutions are focusing on activities aimed at integration.

The 20th anniversary of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act presents an opportunity to look back on the past 20 years of reporting and look forward to the future of multiculturalism as an intrinsic part of Canadian society. Part 1 of the 2007-2008 annual report reflects on the years since the Act received Royal Assent and how multiculturalism has changed and continues to evolve to adapt to changing social realities.

As part of this retrospective the following pages will detail Canada’s shifting demographics related to diversity and will demonstrate the evolution of federal practices to recognize and promote the understanding of multiculturalism as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage and identity.

Diversity in Canada

Data from the 2006 Census is clear: the Canadian population is increasingly diverse and according to Statistics Canada projections, the racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of the country will continue to increase. These changes present new challenges to government institutions as the needs of Canadians also change with the diverse population.

Canada’s history is built upon three key elements of diversity. The first element is the Aboriginal population, which includes First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The second element is linguistic duality, with French and English as official languages. The third element is Canada’s ethnic, racial, cultural and religious diversity. All are united in the institutions of our parliamentary democracy.

The 2006 Census enumerated 1,678,200 individuals who reported Aboriginal ancestries, either alone or in combination with other origins. Descendants of the First Peoples of Canada represented 5.4% of the country’s total population. The past decade has seen a significant increase in the number of people who identified themselves as Aboriginal. Between 1996 and 2006 this number grew by 45 percent, and is nearly six times greater than the 8 percent rate of population increase for non-Aboriginal Canadians. Almost half (48 percent) of the Aboriginal population consists of children and youth aged 24 and under.

The mother tongue of the large majority of Canadians is identified as English or French. In 2006, 67 percent of the population reported English as their mother tongue, while 22 percent indicated French. Also, over a million people (3 percent of the population) listed Chinese as their mother tongue. Italian and German were each reported by another 2 percent of the population. Punjabi, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Ukrainian were each reported by close to 1 percent of the overall population.

Figure 1: Diversity in Canada 1996-2006, and 2017 projections

Immigration to Canada has increased the ethnic diversity of the nation’s population. The 2006 Census reported more than 200 different ethnic origins. Ethnic origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent’s ancestors, usually more distant than a grandparent. The largest group reported Canadian as their ethnic ancestry (just over 10 million), either alone (5.7 million) or with other origins (4.3 million). The other most frequently cited origins were English (6.6 million), French (4.9 million), Scottish (4.7 million), Irish (4.4 million), German (3.2 million), Italian (1.4 million), Chinese (1.3 million) North American Indian (1.3 million), Ukrainian (1.2 million) and Dutch (1.0 million).

The incidence of people reporting multiple ethnic ancestries has also risen since the last census. In 2006, 41.4 percent of the population reported more than one ethnic origin, compared to 38.2 percent in 2001 and 35.8 percent in 1996. In 2006, 47.6 of the Canadian-born population reported more than one ethnic origin, compared with 17.2 percent of the foreign-born population. The incidence of people reporting multiple ethnic origins may be explained by an increased number of marriages and common-law unions among ethnic groups and a heightened awareness of family heritage.

Diversity in Canada can also be expressed in terms of religion. According to growth trends established between 1991 and 2001, the non-Christian population in Canada is expected to experience an unprecedented growth between 2001 and 2017. Among non-Christian faiths, the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religions are expected to see their membership increase by 145 percent, 92 percent and 72 percent respectively. Christianity continues to be the numerically most important religion in Canada.

Figure 2: Diversity in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs)
(Composition of the largest CMAs, 2006)

Most of Canada’s visible minority population (95.9 percent) live in or around urban centres, also referred to as census metropolitan areas. A census metropolitan area is an area consisting of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a major urban core. In 2006, almost three-quarters of Canada’s visible minority population lived in the census metropolitan area of Toronto (2.2 million), Vancouver (875,000) or Montreal (590,000). In addition to this, the census metropolitan areas of Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau, Edmonton and Winnipeg were each home to at least 100,000 visible minorities. Increasingly, visible minority communities are moving from the urban core to suburb and exurb communities.

More information on the 2006 Census results on ethnicity and visible minority characteristics of the Canadian population are available in the analytical report entitled “Canada’s Ethnocultural Mosaic, 2006 Census”, Statistics Canada, Catalogue No. 97-562-x, available at: www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/ethnicorigin/index.cfm

Definitions regarding diversity-related characteristics of the Canadian population and the geographical units used in the census are available in the 2006 Census definitions at: www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/ethnicorigin/definitions.cfm

Figure 3: Diversity in the provinces and territories
(Composition of the provinces and territories, 2006)

Building an inclusive society

Canada’s diversity is seen as strengthening the country by building an inclusive society which values differences and fosters a sense of belonging.

The Canadian Multiculturalism Act reaffirms multiculturalism as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society. It encourages federal institutions to uphold longstanding values of respect, fairness, and equality with respect to members of diverse groups. The Act helps protect the rights of all Canadians, fosters the full participation of all members of society, celebrates Canada’s diverse heritage, and recognizes the vast contributions of all Canadians regardless of their ethnic, cultural, racial, religious, and linguistic backgrounds. It encourages federal institutions to respond to the needs of all Canadians of all backgrounds in their programs, policies, and services.

The first Annual Report to Parliament, for 1988-1989, stated that the report presented an opportunity to reflect on the degree to which federal institutions were aware of the Act, understood the policy, and were taking steps to apply it.

On the occasion of this 20th edition of the Annual Report, federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations were asked how their institution had changed or evolved to consider and respond to Canada’s increasing diversity and to create an inclusive society in which Canadians of all backgrounds can participate. Their responses demonstrate that federal institutions have taken Canada’s multicultural reality into consideration in a wide range of areas such as economic, social, international and government affairs.

Consistent with the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, several federal institutions have described how they are now sensitive and responsive to this reality in areas such as policy and program development, service delivery, consultations and employment opportunities. The following is a sample of the responses received from federal institutions:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
“Since the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s inception in 1997, Canada’s demographic make-up has been changing at a fast pace. With immigration continuing to increase and accounting for a large percentage of the country’s population, the Agency has found itself facing demands for a larger variety of ethnic and imported foods from an ever increasing number of countries. This demand, coupled with increasing globalization has meant that the Agency has had to change and evolve at a fast pace to keep up with consumers needs.

To sustain the demand for this large variety of foods, Canadian imports and exports that are subject to CFIA regulation have increased by 45.6 percent in the past eleven years. At this point in time, a large proportion of the food that is imported into Canada is coming from developing countries which have emerged as trading partners in recent years because of the rise in immigration from these parts of the world.”

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
“Since the inception of CSIS in 1984 as a separate employer, which derived from the RCMP, our workforce has evolved from a homogenous white male environment into a multicultural and diverse employer which represents a large cross-section of the Canadian population.

We have gone from being very secretive to becoming more transparent. In order for CSIS to continue protecting Canada’s national security interests and the safety of all Canadians, we needed to reflect this diversity and have achieved this by building relationships with our clients and by communicating our role so they may attain a better understanding of our organization.

As Canadians we all have a role to play in order to combat today’s threat environment.”

Department of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC)
“The Department of Citizenship and Immigration’s (CIC) Settlement Program is an integral part of Canada’s immigration system and of fulfilling the Government of Canada’s goal for a diverse society that promotes linguistic duality and social inclusion. As such, CIC’s Settlement Program plays a major role in supporting immigration, multiculturalism and diversity by supporting newcomers in their settlement toward longer-term integration in Canada. Over the years, CIC’s support for the integration of newcomers to Canada has evolved along with the changing needs of this diverse population.

The Settlement Program is aligned with CIC’s mission and is central to fulfilling one of the Department’s strategic objectives — successful integration of newcomers into society and the promotion of Canadian citizenship, which indirectly supports government-wide priorities for diversity and multiculturalism in Canada.

While Canada has reaped the benefits of immigration, issues and challenges in newcomer settlement are ever-present. Evolving economic and social factors, as well as emerging domestic and global issues continue to impact newcomers and place pressure on CIC to sustain settlement programming that is flexible enough to adapt to changes and responsive enough to meet the emerging needs of newcomers. Recently, CIC developed a modernized approach to supporting successful settlement that aims to better respond to newcomer needs and address the barriers newcomers face in the current economic, social and cultural landscape in Canada. This new approach involves increased flexibility, efficiency, accountability and planning, while focusing on assessing needs and enhancing outcomes.

On October 30, 2008, the responsibility for multiculturalism was transferred from the Department of Canadian Heritage to CIC. The transfer of the Multiculturalism Program to CIC will allow for greater coordination between the Government’s settlement programs for newcomers and its programs to promote further inclusion, participation and shared citizenship.”

Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces (CF)
“The face of the Canadian Forces is changing rapidly. We are becoming more and more a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural force. Of the last 7,002 new recruits into the CF the demographics have shifted markedly. Of those 7,002 new members they are: Women 15%; Aboriginal People 4%; visible Minorities 8% and Persons with Disabilities 2%. The need to reflect Canadian diversity in the Canadian Forces is mission critical. (…)”

Telefilm Canada
“Telefilm Canada’s role in Canadian society resonates with key aspects of the Multiculturalism Policy. Since its origins in 1967, the Corporation has been supporting creators from various communities in the development and promotion of audiovisual productions that reflect the diversity of Canada. In this way, Telefilm has contributed to fostering full participation of all members of society, celebrating Canada’s diverse heritage, and enhancing understanding of and respect for the diversity of the members of Canadian society. Through the support of a portfolio of projects that reflect a diversity of format, genre, budget, content and talent, Telefilm Canada has made it possible for Canadian screenwriters, directors, producers, distributors, technicians, performers and new media creators to pursue careers in Canada, and to work in their region and in the official or Aboriginal language of their choice. In recent years, Telefilm has played a significant role in the development of industry professionals from Canada’s Aboriginal, cultural and official languages minority communities. (…) Policies at Telefilm Canada have also developed over time alongside Canada’s evolving legislative framework. (…)”

VIA Rail
“VIA Rail’s market is becoming more diverse; not only in terms of the expansion of our international marketing efforts abroad, but also here at home. In response to the increasingly diverse multicultural make-up of the Canadian market, VIA has successfully tailored its services and product offerings to accommodate specific needs and desires of its customers. This has touched various elements of our services including menu offerings and in the recognition and acceptance of varying religious and cultural traditions.

Similar changes and accommodations have arisen in response to the increased cultural and religious diversity found in our workforce. (…) VIA’s internal policies have changed over the years and will continue to evolve in response to this trend…”

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD)
“Western Economic Diversification Canada is proud of its contributions to multiculturalism under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. Since 1988, the department has demonstrated a commitment to investing in projects and research aimed to better understand and create a modern western economy, which is diverse, accessible and inclusive of all Canadians. At a departmental level, WD strives to ensure the same commitment by constantly strengthening its internal policies and approaches to capitalize on the benefits of an inclusive, multicultural society.”

20 years of reporting to Parliament

For 20 years, the main focus of the Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act has been reporting on the activities of the federal government during the previous year. While the report structure has changed, two elements have remained constant: information about multiculturalism programming, and information about what federal institutions are doing to implement the Act. Reporting on the activities of departments, agencies and Crown corporations has always formed a major component of the document.

As the diversity of Canada has changed, so has the implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. Since the first report for 1988-1989, the activities of federal institutions to implement the Act have deepened and become more comprehensive. Institutions’ activities to foster the full participation of all Canadians economically, socially and culturally have grown over time. For example, during the late 1980s and early 1990s institutions focused on building awareness of multiculturalism and examining existing policies to ensure they correspond with the principles of the Act. In subsequent years, federal institutions focused on ensuring their practices were equitable, accessible, inclusive, and free from systemic barriers. Today, many federal institutions are focusing on activities aimed at integration, accommodation, and participation.

Beyond reporting from federal institutions, the content of the Annual Report has also frequently reflected issues of the day. From 1988 to 2007, annual reports have described how federal institutions have addressed or understood the issues of the day within the context of Canadian multiculturalism. Previous annual reports have described struggles among Canadians with the concept of multiculturalism, federal responses to the impact of domestic and international crises on multicultural communities, and hate, racism and discrimination. In all cases, each Annual Report represents a snapshot in time. They illustrate sensitivity and responsiveness on the part of the federal government to Canada’s multicultural reality, and to expanding or revising policies, programs and practices to consider this reality.

Canada has changed significantly since 1988. Multiculturalism programming has also undergone changes over 20 years of reporting to Parliament. At the time of the first report to Parliament for 1988-1989, multiculturalism funding spanned three programs addressing race relations and cross-cultural understanding, heritage cultures and languages, and community support and participation. Following a review of multiculturalism programming activities, a renewed program mandate was launched in 1997 with three program goals: social justice, civic participation, and identity. From 2002- 2005 the Program had funding priorities to foster cross-cultural understanding, combat racism and discrimination, promote shared citizenship, and make Canadian institutions more reflective of Canadian diversity. In 2008, program priorities shifted to support economic, social, and cultural integration of new Canadians and ethnocultural communities, facilitate programs for at-risk youth, and promote intercultural understanding and Canadian values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

Canada’s approach to multiculturalism has often been described using metaphors which have also changed over time: from the “cultural mosaic” of the 1970s, to a “level playing field” in the 1980s, to “belonging” in the 1990s and early 2000s, and to the current “harmony-jazz.” Harmony-jazz captures the spirit of integration in a Canadian context – harmonious interaction between and among communities, anchored in the structure of Canadian values, within which pragmatic improvisation facilitates a dynamic of integration and accommodation to ensure the full participation of all in Canadian society.

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