Post #6- Class and Social Status

Link to article: Ontario launches immigration expert panel

Ontario launches immigration expert panel
Immigration reporter: Nicholas Keung

For this week’s blog post I will be addressing Canada’s cultural diversity and social cohesion. In the report Sharpening the Lens: Recent Research on Cultural Policy, Cultural Diversity, and Social Cohesion, by Greg Baeker for Toronto’s Arts and Cultural Planning, it was revealed that in Canada there were two major challenges to traditional formulations of citizenship, connectedness, and social cohesion:

1. The transitional flow of peoples

2. The globalizing communication systems and markets

These challenges raised questions about the role of culture and cultural policy in responding to the new global environment. The report stated that “on a per capita basis, Canada receives more immigrants annually than any other country in the world,” (p. 181). It also stated that major urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, helped coined the term EthniCities, which are “large urban areas of the developed world that contain high levels of ethno-racial and are culturally diverse in their populations,” (p.189 ). When there is a high concentration of immigrants in these EthniCities new challenges and social dynamics are created. Although the report was published in 2002, these major urban cities have still been noted to attract a high number of immigrants, and Ontario is the number one destination for newcomers to Canada.

As Canada is a desirable place to live, diversity is still seen in Canadian policy circles as “one of a number of ‘fault lines’ exposing cracks in the Canadian façade of social cohesion. Baeker stated, “Culture diversity intersects with economic and other types of polarization, thus jeopardizing Canada’s reputation for leadership on these issues and challenging its image as a caring, open, and compassionate society,” (p. 181). Today, Canada has acknowledged the increase in diversity in cultural production and representation.

In the article I read this week I found out that Ontario has taken a step in the right direction by developing the first-ever immigration strategy to help newcomers find jobs as well as support Ontario’s economic development. However, it has been noted in the report that integration with mainstream institutions and cultural policies can “carry with it charges of compromising the integrity of diversity and cultural appropriation,” (p. 187).

When I read the article I felt that this immigration strategy is a healthy way of accepting diversity, and using it to our advantage. Other provinces too have signed immigration agreements with the government to help skilled immigrants and spread diversity evenly across the country. Baeker noted, “Fields of urban planning and community development can guide our thinking… experience with self-organizing systems and community self-government reflects a workable strategy for broadening engagement from the grassroots up,” (p. 190). What I liked about this report is that it told me that these types of approaches rely on social learning models and a deepening of public understanding of social problems. These immigrants provide our local economic needs, spread diversity and contriute to social cohesion, while in return can help us break through these "fault lines". By adopting these new perspectives we acknowledge the need for new formulations of cultural justice in diverse societies.

I’d like to end this with a quote from the report that I thought was useful to remember when looking at defining diversity. “Canadian experience points to an understanding of diversity as an ongoing negotiation of intersecting and often conflicting interesting,” (p. 183).

References

Baeker, G. (2002). Sharpening the Lens: Recent Research on Cultural Policy, Cultural Diversity, and Social Cohesion. Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 27, 179-196.

Keung, N. (2012, March 2). Ontario launches immigration expert panel. The Toronto Star.