To the editor:
From the earliest time I lived in North Bay, there was always a pervasive widespread idea that Canada's immigration policy was one of a "Mosaic", rather than one of a "Melting Pot" which was at the core of the United States' policy. It always seemed kind of an innocuous, harmless statement- one concocted to try to differentiate Canada from its southern neighbour.
But the other day, in a reply to an opinion I had expressed in a letter to the editor, a reader raised the subject again, stating that "Canada is a mosaic of cultures, not a melting pot like the USA." That again refocused my attention on the concept, and the more I did, the more I realized that this widely-held trope isn't actually innocuous or harmless at all. In fact at its heart, it is divisive.
It basically says to incoming immigrants "Welcome…now you go and do your thing and we'll do ours" Do we really think that it's healthy to have a society that encourages newcomers to look inward to others of a similar background, and to ignore the prevailing culture of their new land. To me, all that does is make their path to becoming part of that culture a longer and tortuous journey.
Does anyone benefit from a system that attempts to slow down the process of entering into society as a whole? Focusing on an immigrant's home culture encourages newcomers to group together - and while admittedly a good source of comfort and support in the short term, it simultaneously slows down the necessity of learning their new country's common language, and thus their passage into its fabric.
To be sure, the ideal of a country being a multicultural mosaic that encourages cultural diversity is undoubtedly well-intentioned. The problem is that it remains an ideal. The reality is that people will do what they want to do, so these well-meant attempts to engineer a culturally diverse society ultimately fail. By and large, newcomers live and work and their offspring proceed through the public educational systems and subsequently enter into general society and the workplace. They meet others of various cultural backgrounds. And socialize. And marry. So much for the mosaic!
But that doesn't mean they discard and disrespect their respective cultural heritages. Anyone who's lived in Toronto is well aware of the number of ethnic eateries and the myriad of annual celebrations of various cultures.
In a letter responding to the opinion I had expressed in a letter to the editor, there was a statement that I think we should all agree upon. It asserted that "integration does not mean forsaking one's heritage but adding to the rich tapestry of our community's cultural makeup." We may disagree with the means but can concur on that ultimate objective.
Ian Saunders
Denver NC
Formerly North Bay
