| Summary: | This thesis is a study of the current backlash against
immigration and multiculturalism policies. The author looks at
current arguments against both policies, and compares them to
evidence.
These arguments are drawn from the media; the writings of
critics like Richard Gwyn, and William D. Gairdner; and the
policies of the Reform Party. It will provide a historical review
of the experiences of immigrant groups in adapting to Canadian
society. From this review, the author identifies several
consistent themes in anti-multiculturalism and anti-immigration
literature, which include: multiculturalism is little more than
"flash and dance", the policy is unanimously unpopular among the
general public, immigrants take jobs from Canadian-born, immigrants
are a burden to society, and that immigrants are not needed to
offset the ageing of the Canadian population.
The author concludes that these criticisms are based on
misconceptions and distortions of facts. In some cases, the
criticisms reflect more of an attack on minority groups rather than
on these policies, and reveal a movement to reverse the pluralistic
nature of Canadian society. This research comes at a time when the
debate over these policies is clouded with emotion. The author
makes several recommendations as to how the public education system
can help counter the use of these themes in the media.
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