Canadian Identity Diversity

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Ever since Canada has become an independent country, it has been looking for its own national identity that sets it apart from all the other countries in the world. While there is no consensus about what makes up The Canadian Identity. Of course no two people are exactly the same and not everyone fits into a single identity. So what makes up the Canadian Identity must be a widely held belief in Canada. Canada has been a country that has developed a diverse and multiculturalist population. There has been a debate regarding whether or not diversity is a part of the Canadian Identity. Canada has developed a large ethnical, cultural and religious diversity, but would Canada still be the same without the diversity? Given the history of Canada …show more content…
Scientists believe that the Aboriginal people were not here originally: “Archaeologists believe that North American Aboriginals originated in Asia and came over the land bridge connecting Siberia and North America during the Ice Age. It is believed by scientists that Aboriginals first lived in Canada anywhere from 10,000 to 13,000 years ago.”("1492 - 1779: From First Contact to the Peace and Friendship Treaties.")The aboriginal people moving to Canada would be the beginning of the diversity in Canada. The Aboriginal people did not fall under one category, but were rather quite diverse themselves: “Aboriginal peoples . . . in North America can be divided into 10 cultural areas: Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Plains, Eastern Woodlands (sometimes referred to as the Northeast) . . . Only the first six areas are found within the borders of what is now Canada.”(Parrott, Zach.) The six categories of Canada were further broken down into individual tribes which have different cultures from each other. The Aboriginal people of Canada also had a wide diversity of religions: “There is no definitive and overarching “Aboriginal religion.” Traditional Aboriginal religions vary widely, as do the spiritual practices of contemporary Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”(Smith, Derek G.) Canada was already very diverse …show more content…
Most of the West land of Canada was uninhabited when Canada became independent but that would change: “Significant changes occurred in Canada after 1867 that made the Prairie immigration boom possible: the construction of a transcontinental railroad made transportation and travel accessible; the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 created free and fertile homesteads for settlers.”(Gagnon, Erica) These changes allowed for mass immigration to the prairie provinces to occur :“From 1867 to 1914, the Canadian West opened for mass settlement, and became home to millions of immigrant settlers seeking a new life.”(Gagnon, Erica) The massive amount of immigrants from other countries added a tremendous amount to the large amount of diversity already in
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