2006-2007 Annual Report on the Canadian Multiculturalism Act

Earlier this month, The Honourable Josée Verner, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage, tabled the 2006-2007 annual report on the operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in the House of Commons.

"Multiculturalism was enshrined as a fundamental value of Canadian society and the Government of Canada with the proclamation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in 1988. The Act requires all federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations to implement the Multiculturalism Policy and ensure their programs, policies and services respond to the needs of Canadians of all backgrounds. Under the Act, federal institutions are also expected to report annually on activities they have undertaken to preserve and advance the objectives of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act."

"This document reports to Canadians on the progress these institutions made in 2006-07. The report is divided into 2 main parts:"

"Part I highlights the main achievements of the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage and describes how the program advances the principles of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and supports federal institutions in their efforts to apply the Act."

"Part II describes achievements and challenges as federal institutions endeavour to implement the principles of the Act and provides an overview of various initiatives undertaken across federal institutions to implement the Canadian Multiculturalism Act through policies, programs and services."

For more background on Canada's multiculturalism policy:

Canadian Multiculturalism (Library of Parliament, March 2006): "The concept of Canada as a 'multicultural society' can be interpreted in different ways: descriptively (as a sociological fact), prescriptively (as ideology), from a political perspective (as policy), or as a set of intergroup dynamics (as process). As fact, 'multiculturalism' in Canada refers to the presence and persistence of diverse racial and ethnic minorities who define themselves as different and who wish to remain so. Ideologically, multiculturalism consists of a relatively coherent set of ideas and ideals pertaining to the celebration of Canada’s cultural diversity. Multiculturalism at the policy level is structured around the management of diversity through formal initiatives in the federal, provincial and municipal domains. Finally, multiculturalism is the process by which racial and ethnic minorities compete to obtain support from central authorities for the achievement of certain goals and aspirations. This study focuses on an analysis of Canadian multiculturalism both as a demographic reality and as a public policy."