Post #12: Communication

According to the official Statistics Canada website's report on language diversity there were more than 100 languages spoken by Canadians at the time of 2001 census. Looking at some general trends, although many European languages were on the list, the language groups from Asia and Middle East recorded the biggest gain (link). More specifically, significant change was noted from 1996 census to 2001 census, as just over 5 million Canadians spoke a mother tongue other than French or English (allophones) in 2001. In comparison with 1996 census, there was 12.5% growth in the number of allophones (link). One of the demographic implications of this trend is that there were a lot more allophones immigrating to/born in Canada in 2001 than 10 years before. Related social, as well as cultural, implications of this trend is that there are now a number of rapidly growing diaspora populations inside Canada. The term diaspora refers to a permanently displaced group of people who share a common national and/or ethnic identity (link). The existence of large diaspora populations, such as those of Chinese, Ukrainians, Greek, Filipinos, Pakistanis and many other ethnic/national communities has long been the major factor in defining the identifying character of Canada as a truly multicultural nation. A nation where all kinds of people are allowed to call themselves Canadians, becoming part of the larger Canadian society but at the same time keep their unique ethnic identities at the forefront if they so wish, passing their culture and language to the next generation of Canadians. But in my opinion, there are important political implications to be aware of as well. As Canada becomes a new homes to numerous immigrants, these new Canadians bring different political identities along with their unique cultural identities. So sometimes there could arise some international/diplomatic tension between Canada and other states, as in the case of India which is often concerned with the activities of Canadian Sikh separatists whose expatriate political movement could potentially draw funding from their new home country's economy (link). And yet Canadian government cannot in no form attempt to limit the economic or social activities of such openly separatist groups, because such actions would undermine the open, multicultural reputation of Canadian society. These are some of the things that Canadian politicians and policymakers should keep in mind as Canada takes on greater economic and diplomatic roles in our increasingly globalized world.

In the photo: Canadian Sikh community celebrating Sikh New Year in Toronto, Canada.