Canada’s ‘Sometimes Smug Approach To Mulitculturalism’ Is Hard To Avoid — And Explain To Kids – By Joseph Wilson (CBC) / January 3, 2022
A few weeks ago my eight-year-old daughter’s teacher told her that we live in the most multicultural country in the world.
“Is that true?” she asked.
Considering I’m in the midst of a PhD in sociocultural anthropology, this should be an easy question to answer. But trying to explain culture to an eight-year-old is like trying to nail spaghetti to the wall: it just falls apart.
Praise of multiculturalism is an oft-reported characteristic of Canadian identity.
Canadians generally remain positive about immigration and our home town, Toronto, is often said to be the “most multicultural city in the world.” I knew what the teacher was getting at, but I still couldn’t resist unpacking the statement over dinner one night.