Canadian policy for 25 years Multiculturalism still seen as vital (06/09/96)

Canadian policy for 25 years Multiculturalism still seen as vital

by Andrij Wynnyckyj
Toronto Press Bureau

TORONTO - Canada's policy of multiculturalism is "alive and well," said Secretary of State for Multiculturalism, Dr. Hedy Fry, addressing the general meeting of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council on May 25 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Introduced by outgoing CEC President Dr. Dmytro Cipywnyk, the Trinidadian-born Irish-educated physician delivered what was billed as the federal government's "vision statement" on the multiculturalism policy.

Dr. Fry, elected in 1993 in the Vancouver Center riding, said Canada was celebrating "the 25th anniversary of becoming the first nation on the face of the globe to adopt a multiculturalism policy - a policy which has brought us international recognition and opportunity... a policy that has brought growth socially, culturally and economically," adding that it is "central to [Prime Minister] Jean Chrétien's philosophical, practical and personal vision of our country."

Dr. Fry used the metaphor of her profession to describe the past year's governmental review of the policy as "a full physical." To applause, she pronounced her prognosis: "Multicul-turalism is alive and well, thriving, and destined for long health and vitality." The minister offered assurances that no changes would be made to the Multiculturalism Act and that the policy would remain.

Dr. Fry said she had read and agrees with the recommendations of a CEC report submitted to her predecessor, Sheila Finestone, that federal initiatives should center on "public education, special projects for specific needs and proactive initiatives by issue-based coalitions."

The minister signalled she would work to end the institutional "ghettoization of multiculturalism," to end the piecemeal approach to the policy, and to establish partnerships within government agencies.

She added that "everyone in this room wants to incorporate multiculturalism issues across government departments - it is a horizontal issue."

Dr. Fry said demographics have dictated that diversity has "moved from the margins to the mainstream," and that this presents a challenge to policy-makers.

She attacked those who "drum up anxieties," but did not name any individuals she accused of "spreading disinformation" about the impact of the policy.

Referring to statements made by Reform Party MP Bob Ringma, Dr. Fry said she was "appalled when I hear minorities will be moved to the back of the shop." She said such people often claim "they are not racists," but that such attitudes must be confronted for what they are.

She claimed that members of Parliament and members of the media who "support multiculturalism, but just don't want it to be part of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms" simply don't understand that it is "one of the fundamental values of this country."

Dr. Fry called multiculturalism "the polar opposite of apartheid." She said criticisms of the policy are "proof of its success, proof that it is mainstream." The Vancouver MP insisted that it is because multiculturalism has become mainstream and because multicultural groups are making progress that "we hear from the right-wing opposition."

"It is because multiculturalism is more than tokenism that we hear from those who are afraid to open up society, who are afraid to adapt, afraid to move forward," Dr. Fry said.

According to the minister, "Multiculturalism means that every single group that lives in Canada, regardless whether they are aboriginal, or English or French, are all bringing different cultural realities to this evolving nation."

The minister said Canada is "a country that builds its identity collectively, while respecting and honoring the distinctiveness and diversity of its many parts." She said Canada's identity is still being shaped, a fact that makes it "one of the more dynamic countries in the world."

Dr. Fry identified a major threat to the policy as the spread of attitudes from the U.S., where multiculturalism is not a policy. "Our youth see these messages, and see what is happening to youth in that society and identify with that struggle, even though it may not be the full reality of their lives in Canada."

In a question period that followed her address, however, Secretary of State Fry was vague about how her vision statement would translate into policy.

For example, in dealing with a question from CEC Treasurer George Manios about an "equal partnership" for the CEC in formulating the government's multiculturalism policy (a concern of the CEC's "42 Percent Solution" report), she said that "you are the ones who can talk about how we can initiate the kinds of things we need to do together in a way that will be meaningful to the reality of Canadian lives. That is how you help us."

She also encouraged CEC members to "tell us where we're going wrong, that's part of the dynamic, part of the tension."

A follow-up question focused on whether the review of the multicultural policy might not incorporate her suggestion that it be applied horizontally across government departments. Dr. Fry said that "there may in fact be a need to look at a way to set up a defined process in which [the Multiculturalism Secretariat] participates in [analyses of other government policies] ... but quite often things arrive in Cabinet after the planning stage has gone through, and the minister says 'well, what can we do to fix it now' - which is kind of like putting a piece of paper under a table leg."

Roy Inoue of the National Association of Japanese Canadians asked why the Race Relations Foundation, part of the settlement package offered in compensation for the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II, had not yet been established, although it was provided for by special legislation passed in 1991 by the previous government.

Dr. Fry accounted for her government's 2.5 years of delay by saying that the process of deciding of who is going to sit on the foundation's board is complicated by considerations of regional representation, gender equality and how issues of ethnic diversity will be addressed, as well as by questions of money management.

She would not name any individuals being considered, but said a list is under consideration and that "there is light at the end of the tunnel."

Art Hagopian of the Armenian National Federation of Canada asked how the support the minister often voiced for heritage language programs will be translated into action. Dr. Fry rejoined that she believed these programs "should be mainstreamed" but begged off any further comment by saying that education is a provincial jurisdiction.

Secretary of State Fry deflected a suggestion made by this reporter that she might have a role in changing perceptions (such as those voiced by former Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau) that multi-ethnic coalitions are hostile to the interests of French Quebecois.

Dr. Fry said, "If we are all proud Canadians and proud Quebeckers and proud members of ethnocultural communities, then it is an impossibility for anyone to be a danger to another unless there is a misunderstanding."

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