Member-only story
Canada’s Darkest Secret
The hypocrisy of the world’s first “multicultural” country.
When you think of my home country, Canada, several cliches apply: igloos, beavers, and people saying “eh” at the end of each sentence.
While I’ve never seen an igloo nor a beaver outside of a zoo, I am somewhat embarrassed to say I use the word “eh”. But, I digress…
Canada is also known for being a country that is accepting of all peoples. It has one of the highest immigration rates globally, and more than 20% of its total population are immigrants with permanent resident status.
Canada is also the world’s first “multicultural” country. In 1971, then Prime Minister, Pierre Eliot Trudeau, made one of those rare statements that would inspire a generation. He said:
A policy of multiculturalism … should help to break down discriminatory attitudes and cultural jealousies. National unity if it is to mean anything in the deeply personal sense, must be founded on confidence in one’s own individual identity; out of this can grow respect for that of others and a willingness to share ideas, attitudes and assumptions… [Multiculturalism] can form the base of a society which is based on fair play for all.
Following this statement, in the 70s and 80s, the Government of Canada adopted…
