ARCHIVED – Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act 2008-2009
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Foreword by the Minister
The Honourable Jason Kenney,
P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship,
Immigration and Multiculturalism
Last fall, I took great pride in unveiling a new citizenship study guide – Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. Discover Canada includes a stronger, broader focus on Canada’ values, history, and symbols, including our core values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
This new guide reflects our government’s unity-in-diversity approach to multiculturalism. We want to promote civic literacy and engagement among newcomers and Canadian citizens alike.
We have implemented three new policy objectives to enhance the Multiculturalism Program. These objectives demonstrate our commitment to building an integrated socially cohesive society; making institutions more responsive to the needs of Canada’s diverse population; and engaging in international discussions on multiculturalism and diversity.
We have come a long way over the past year. For example, last June the Government of Canada joined 26 other countries as a full member of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF).
Last year, our government also launched the Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism, commemorating the late Senator’s pioneering legacy in multiculturalism, diversity and pluralism. In June, I was delighted to present John Yaremko with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his strong advocacy of education, human rights and multiculturalism, as well as his philanthropic activities.
We have also invested in several ground-breaking projects, one of which I am particularly proud of. The Somali-Jewish Canadian Mentorship Project will provide young Canadians of Somali origin, typically refugees or their children, with an opportunity to find internships in Jewish-owned businesses and professions so they can meet and interact with people from other communities, while pursuing new opportunities for economic integration. We hope to continue this effort into the future and deliver similar cross-cultural projects across the country.
These achievements and other initiatives are outlined in the pages ahead, as are the wide-ranging and innovative ways in which federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations have worked together over the past year to meet their responsibilities under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
I am looking forward to continuing to work together, and by doing so, I am certain that we will meet our objectives and ensure that our society remains a place where Canadians of all origins and backgrounds have an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed.
The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
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