Support of Canadian Multiculturalism

May 3rd, 2006

To: The Honourable Beverly J. Oda
Minister of Canadian Heritage
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6

Cc: Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Leader of the Bloc Quйbйcois Gilles Duceppe
Leader of the New Democratic Party Jack Layton
Leader of the Official Opposition (Liberal) Bill Graham


Re: In Support of Canadian Multiculturalism

Dear Minister Oda:

We would like to express our grave concern about the apparent lack of commitment of our government to the Multiculturalism Policy. Currently, our government does not have a Minister of Multiculturalism. Your recent comment about the Multiculturalism Program in the House of Commons also downplayed the importance of multiculturalism in Canadian society.

As citizens of Canada, we take pride in Canadian multiculturalism. Our nation was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. Canadian multiculturalism is fundamental to our belief that all Canadian citizens are equal regardless of their racial or ethnic origins, language or religious affiliation.

We would like to affirm our full support for federal programs that promote and strengthen Canadian multiculturalism. We call for our government to commit to and invest in a socially progressive vision that encourages and supports full participation of all citizens, regardless of their racial or ethnic origins, language or religious affiliation, in social, cultural, economic and political affairs. We also ask government for greater investment in the Multiculturalism Program, which has assisted the work of citizens and groups to promote civic participation of ethno-cultural and racial minorities, to increase community capacity in addressing racism and building cross-cultural understanding, and to help facilitate equitable access to public institutions for all citizens.

We thank you for your attention to our concerns.