Nase Novine, June 28, 1978

              Умаава
i] VEIVS OF HONOURABLE NORMAN CAFIK, MINISTER ШГ §1 I ИН Ij5 5 шШ€жИШвШ
OF STATE FOR MULTICULTURALISM Wi Р Ш ggg ЈЗДИШжЖ11
'"——".. .иптпмАтЈттитшнЈтттшшшшшшл ШШШшШк ЛШШШШШШШШШз
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Speech of Honourable Norman Catlk,
Minister of State for Multiculturalism
at the Multicultural Conference on
Canadian Unity, held In Toronto, April
21 and 22, 1978.
indeed an honour to be in your
midst tonight, and to address you on an
Issue which of great concern to all of us.
That issue National Unity.
We are all Canadians. All of us, no
matter what our origins are, no matter
what part of the world we our ancestors
came to Canada from, have stake in this
country. All ofvus have voice that must be
heard, and responsibility as Canadians
to make that voice heard and to make
positive contribution to our country.
We would not be here today we were
not concerned with the fragmentation of
our nation. There are many reasons for the
current crisis in which we find ourselves.
Whatever those reasons, whether they are
of historical, geographical cultural
nature, they must not be taken lightly.
They are important because people con-sider
them to be of importance. We are
complex country: this we must recognize
and respect.
we are to have unity with all our
diversity, we are to avoid fragmentation,
then what we need greater human under-standing.
As the Minister of State for Multicul-turalism
have chosen not to use the
concept( "Unity Through Diversity", but
"Unity through Understanding", the key
word being "understanding". Because
Canada so complex, we must all make
special effort to be more tolerant and to
learn and understand the realities of our
society.
UNDERSTANDING CANADA'S
POPULATION
Many Canadians do not yet understand
that almost 30 percent of the population of
Canada composed of Canadians of
neither French nor Anglo-Celti- c extraction.
Many Canadians do not yet understand
that 'the policy of nfultlculturalism which
was announced by the Prime Minister in
1971 recognizes the equal contributions of
all Canadians nation-builder- s.
The Prime Minister did not create
multicultural society that year: we have
always had one. the days before the
arrival of the first French explorers our-nativ- e
population was composed of nume-rous
distinct lingulstlcandcultural groups.
Those cultures have been alive in Canada
for 00 years before the, Federal Govern-ment
enunciated the policy of multicul-turalism.
The Government was not trying
to create multicultural society —'we are
Ijvlng in one'. Multiculturalism is prag-matic
policy based on the .-rea-lities
of
Canada. Multiculturalism vital key to
our national unity.
UNDERSTANDING
MULTICULTURALISM
lack, of understanding of the Govern-ment's
multiculturalism policies has led
some segments of ''the society to crltlze
that divisive policy., Nothing can be
further from the truth. We are not pro-moting
cultural ghettoes solitudes in
Canada. We are promoting our fundamen-tal
belief freedom and our firm belief In
an. Integrated Canadian society. In Canada
we recognize the freedom of each indivi-dual
to retain his her culture, traditions
and values. Through the policy as Multi-culturalism
we provide formal reco-gnition
for this dimension of freedom and
we encourage it. We are all Canadians first
and foremost; Canadians of differing back-grounds.
Each of us believes in our right to equal
opportunity and our freedom of expres-sion
and association. All Canadians are free
to maintain their values and heritages, and
to put to use their unique talents and skills
to the benefit of themselves, their commu-nities
and their country. Denial of these
freedoms to any group of Canadians would
jeopardize freedom for all Canadians.
Some French-speakin- g Canadians per-ceive
multiculturalism as threat to their
existence: some also perceive Confede-ration
as placing heavy burden on the
survival of their language and culture.
Some other Canadians perceive the French
language and the policy of bilinguallsm as
threat to their cultural preservation an
Intrusion upon them.
One of the major problems confronting
Canada today, one that confronts all world
communities the question, "Can Indi-viduals
and groups of different religions,
linguistic and cultural backgrounds live
together In peace and harmony while
respecting and understanding one ano-ther?"
There no doubt that anyone In
Canada can understand the aspirations of
French 'Canadians for linguistic and cul-tural
survival the members of Canada's
other ethnocultural communities. We have
shared the same trials and frustrations.
Each Canadian Interdependent on the
other, not only cultural and linguistic,
but also In political and economic terms.
The bottom line that we. must get to
know and understand one another.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Canadians of origins other' than French
Anglo-Celti- c have major role to play.
When one speaks of unity one need only to
look the factions within each ethnocul-tural
community to realize that the task
begins our own backyards.
There must be more meaningful di-alogue
and Interaction between the diverse
sub-grou- ps within each ethnocultural com-munity
we' wish to continue to make
meaningful contributions to Canadian
Society.
There must be greater Inter-cultur- al
communications between aiLof Canada's
ethnocultural communities. we are to
have an Impact on. Canada's development,
we must share ourcultural richness with
odr fellow Canadians.
There '.must be greater involvement In
Canadian society. We must help each new
Immigrant and some old Immigrants learn
about Canadian cltizenshlpnot only their
rights but also their obligations.
The Multicultural Programs for which
am mnnnnfllhlo nrnvldfl ппкГа!апсо vnh
to attain the above goals.
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This process of change, however, not
one way street. Helping Canadians
understand one another not limited to
us. All Canadians especially those of
Anglo-Celti- c and French backgrounds
must do their share. Allow me to raise two
questions: To what degree are all of
Canada's people represented In our cul-tural
Institutions, in our educational
systems, in our political systems? What
have our main-strea- m institutions done to
better reflect and Involve all Canadians,
regardless of background?
The media potent weapon which can
cut two ways. They can advance Canada's
identity as being culturally pluralistic, or.
they subvert by negating Its legitimacy.
fair to ask whether the image of
society that the media presents contri-butes
to social tensions Canada,
While the CBC and the National Film
board are endeavouring to provide better
service this area, they are representative
of the problem that confronts most media
In Canada lack of sensitivity to the
negative sterotyplng of various ethnocul-tural
groups and lack of understanding of
their depths.
The educational systems, although un-der
provincial jurisdiction, have major
responsibility to fostering Canadian unity
and understanding. There is no lack of
evidence that Canadian students fare
poorly when comes to knowledge about
Canadian Social Studies. This problem
compounded with the fact that many of the
social studies programs do not reflect the
reality of Canadian society.
The contributions of all of Canada's
ethnocultural communities to the natlo-buildin- g
process can no longer be ignored.
The Canadian nation-stat- e only started
1867; our history must take Into account
all aspects of nation-buildin- g, not just the
accommodation between two linguistic
groups.
There are numerous other areas of
concern to me, such providing equal
opportunities to all Canadians, regardless
of background, religion or sex In the
corporate boardrooms, the educational
Institutions, on the editorial boards, in our
Governments, and In our political process.
am not advocating token representations
but only opportunity for all Canadians to
be of service on the basis of merit and
capabilities. cannot believe that Cana-dians
of 'other than Anglo-Celti- c French
backgrounds are any less capable than the
others.
As Minister have met with members
of the ethnocultural communities from one
end of Canada to the other. have listened
to their concerns and have changed our
multiculturalism programs to alleviate
some of the problems. have conveyed
their opinions to my Cabinet colleagues so
that the decision-makin- g process would
not Ignore their representations.
For example, millions of Canadians,
including of. Eastern European background
we're concerned about Canada's foreign
policies with regard to human rights
abroad. have on numerous occasions
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given voice to the problems of human
rights violations to help all Canadians
understand the complexities of the situ-ations
abroad. I even went to Belgrade,
Yugoslavia to raise the problems of human
rights violations and Canada's deep con-cern
onthe international level.
, As a Minister I have tried to have an
impact on society-at-larg- e in helping all
Canadians understand the cultural rich-ness
that we possess. I have met with the
President of the CBC and with various
editors, not only of the ethnic press, but
also the daily press, to help sensitize them
to the need of transmitting a realistic
image of Canadian society. I have also
done the same with members of the Task
Force on Canadian Unity.
The"' Multicultural Program is now en-gaged
in developing materials which will
help explain the different heritages and
traditions of all of Canada's ethnocultural
groups to Canadians of all ages. The
National Museum of Man is engaged in
preparing a wonderful travelling exhibit
called The Unity Train.
My Cabinet Colleagues agree with me
that Order-in-Coun- cll Appointments to
federal boards and the judiciary must take
Into account the capabilities of all Cana-dians,
regardless of background. Our
recent Senate appointments' are a good
example of our approach to provide equal
oportunlty to all.
In a country where there Is understan-ding
and trust, the legitimate concerns and
aspirations of one linguistic or cultural
group become the concern of all. As
Minister of Multiculturalism, I have a Spe-cial
Interest in the areas of cultural and
linguistic rights and freedoms, but I fully
recognize that the Unity issue In Canada
spills over Into other areas of life.
In resolving our unity crisis we rnust
come to terms with many other problems:
The costs of travel throughout Canada: the
economic Inequalities which exist from
region to region in this sparcely populated
land. If we are to have a unified country we
cannot condone second-clas- s citizenship
In terms of want of economic opportunity.
We must come to terms with this,_ for
anything which reflects negatively on
one's identity and stature as aCanadian
citizen reflects negatively on the nation as
a whole.
As Canadians we find ourselves present-ly
at a crossroads In our historical develop-ment.
Largely because of recent political
events In Quebec. We as Canadians" are
provided with an opportunity to analyse
and reflect upon our social, cultural, eco-nomic
and political fabric.
In assessing the problems and the
potential solutions, it is imperative that we
listen to one another and that we listen
with open minds and hearts. In doing so. I
have no fear that we will come to under-stand
each other and find the unity of
purpose uponwhlch to buildjpr the future.
It Is In this fashion that I hope you will
proceed during this conference. I think it is
the only way one can contribute to the
debate and to the resolution of the Issue.
' Thank, you. l
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