Monday, January 4, 2016

MULTICULTURALISM IN CANADA

Canada is a very progressive, diverse and multicultural country. By "multicultural" we mean that there is an equal celebration of different racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. This is possible thanks to the importance of immigration in Canada.






Until the 1960s, immigration was restricted to British, American and European people. However, when these laws were changed, Canada saw an increase of immigrants from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. In 1971 the majority of new immigrants were of non-European ancestry, which has not changed since then. By 2006 Canada had thirty four different ethnic groups. According to a census from 2011, almost 21% of Canadians had been born in a different country and 93.5% of them could converse in both their mother tongue and one of the official languages (either English or French). 


Place of origin of immigrants from 1871 to 2017 (estimated) and immigration laws in chronological order

Canada is currently one of the countries with the highest number of immigrants in the world. This wouldn't be possible without the support of the Canadian people and their government. The major political parties respect and celebrate immigration.


One of the most multicultural cities of Canada (and probably of the world) is Toronto, capital of Ontario. It has a population of more than 2 million people and it is ranked as the safest large metropolitan area in North America. Over 140 languages and dialects are spoken in this city and over 30% of its residents speak at home a language other than the official languages. The top 5 languages in 2006 were: Chinese, Italian, Punjabi, Filipino and Portuguese. 


To finish this post about multiculturalism in Canada, I recommend watching this short video about Toronto. (source)



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