Week 12/13

This Adventure Called Canada Building

Final Exam

• April 19, Friday, 7 PM• BSB 137• Snow date?• Accessories – pencil, eraser• Format – MC + Short Answer• Content – Ch 4, 5, 6, 8, 12+ class material

Canada Building: Challenges and Goals

• Goals• Challenges• Accomplishments• Gaps• 21st century challenges

Trends in R.E.A. Relations

• P 364-365• From exclusion to inclusion - white man British Canada …..to cosmopolitan kaleidoscope* - from white male rights….to human rights - from tightly scripted ….openness, ambiguities, contested - from minorities/diversity in margins….to centre

- from diversity as incompatible with good governance …. to diversity as necessary for good governance - from unitary citizenship to inclusive/customized citizenship

- from modern nation-state to postmodern/postnational notion-state

Future Trends

• From monocultural to multiculturalism toward multiversalism (diversities within diversity) as governance model

a) The Canadian Way: Canada’s Difference Model b) Rethinking Citizenshipc) Religion in Societyd) Canada as Postnational Society

Canada’s Difference Model:Differential Accommodation or Accommodating Different Ways

of Accommodating Differences

Aboriginal Peoples Charter Groups (Quebec) Multicultural Minorities (Immigrants/refugees)

* Forcibly incorporated* Get out* Language of nationhood, self determining autonomy, etc

• Forcibly incorporated• Get out• Language of nationhood

etc.

• Voluntary• Get in• Language of inclusity,

removal of discriminatory barriers, level playing field.

Citizenship in Canada

• 1947 Act = first in world• 85 percent become Canadian citizens• Types of Citizenship - ethnic + naturalization (ethnic vs civic nationalism)• Components of Citizenship = - legal rights (transaction) - social rights (social citizenship – belonging etc)

Customizing Citizenship

Unitary Citizenship Inclusive Citizenship

• One size fits all • Legal rights

* Unitary +

• Customized entitlements - equity - mc - self determining - transmigrants

Human Rights Revolution• 1948• Revolution - extended to all by virtue of being human

- may supersede state sovereinty - basis of new global order

- leverage for oppressed/marginalized - measuring stick for judging government actions/inactions

• Recurrent debates - real vs ideal - state vs human rights - individual vs collective rights - universality?

Major inclusivity challenge for 21st century

• Religions Mattered• Didn’t Matter• Matters Now - heart of many conflicts - source of intl migration - source of meaning in a changing world

Paradoxes of Religious Diversity in Canada

• Canada = more secular yet religiously diverse• Religious diversity struggle to fit, Taken seriously/respected Expressed in public Taking into account (accommodations)• yet …. - intolerance/prejudice - ‘residue’ of Christianity in secular Canada Easter weekend – universities – office of rel free in FA

* Canada = Judeo-Christianized (just as racialized/gendered)

Religiosity in Canada

• Religion diversity in an official MC (2017 est) - Islam (1.4 M), - Hindu, (600,000), - Sikh (500,000), - Buddhism (400 000)

• 2031 - 65% Christian (75% in 2006) - 21% no religion (17%) - 14% non Christian religions (8%)

* ACS study in Nov 2012 – 36% attached to religion - 61% say religion is divisive

Challenges of Accommodating Religion

• “Secular” Canada/ Secularization Thesis (1) decline as opiate of the masses - negative media coverage

(2) separation of religion/state (2) no official religion (3) private

(3) place of religion in a secular Canada?

(4) Govt framing of religion as voluntary organization

What should be the place of religion in Canadian Society?

• Strict separation of religion/state - religion only in private realm• No separation of state and religion - an official state backed religion• All religions in public domain - helix model• One religion prevails, others accommodated - orbit model

challenges

Where to draw the line?Accommodation- • should Universities provide prayer space for Muslim

students? Multipurpose or dedicated?• Valley Park Middle School Crisis - how much accommodation can be tolerated• Public funding of private religious schools (ontario 2007)• Balancing Freedom of religion with constitutional rights

Challenge

• Ontario Education Act

- Boards cannot persons to conduct religious exercises - cannot provide religious instructions that includes indoctrination • TDSB - obligation to accommodate faith needs

• Valley Park Middle School/mostly Muslim students - crisis of midday prayers at local mosque - solution = prayer session in cafeteria lead - crisis of gender as young girls segregated

Prospect for Future

• Living together with religious diversity • Freedom of religion/no religion-based discrim• Rethink Secularism to make it consistent with

religious diversity• May need to rethink private/public secular/sacred

Canada as Post-national Society• P 371• From Modern Nation-state - a finished project - singularity of purpose - modernist bias - pretend pluralism

• To Postmodern nations-state (+ postnationNOTION-state) - ongoing project - multiversality - taking differences serious

Towards a PostNational CanadaModern Nation-State Postmodern Nations-state +

Postmodern Notion-state = Postnational Canada

• Society striving to be complete• Coherent and singular nation

(universal model of belonging + entitlement

• Equate nation with state(national identity + peoplehood)

• All encompassing narrative (we are one people)

• One way adjustment (our way)• Conformity and standardization (treat

everyone the same)• Centralized, hierarchy • Making society safe from diversity• A pretend pluralism

• Canada as multiplicities

• Canada as nations within

• Multiple voices / Multiversality

• Two way, mutual adj., reasonable accommodation

• Inclusivity

• Making society safe for diversity• Taking differences seriously

A Mindset for the 21st Century

• Monocultural Mindset vs MC/MV Mindset• Singular perspective Multiple• Judgemental contingent• Rigid/inflexible flexible open• Egocentric altrucentric

Is Canada Doing it Right?Multiculturalism Model

INCLUSIVITY No one excluded because of ethnicity

EQUALITY + AS EQUALS Everyone = equal treatment +Differential treatment when necessary

REDISTRIBUTION + SOCIAL JUSTICE • Removing disadvantage/barriers (its about the mainstream) based on need

• Depoliticizing differencesINSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS Two way process of mutual adjustment +

Reasonable accommodationRECOGNITION, WITHIN LIMITS • Not celebrating but respecting diffs

• Not all cultures equal or anything goes• Differences cannot break law, violate

rights, or contravene core constit value• You can be Lithuanian but in Canada

INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO CHOOSE Not promote group/minority right but….

PARTICIPATION Not withdraw but share + involvement

CANADA BUILDING Governance: citizens, comm(unity)(itment

Last words…

• Verdict on Canada’s race, ethnic, Aboriginal relations?

- not perfect - the right imperfections - least imperfect