For years, Canada struggled with creating appropriate policies for people of it's country that allowed equal

rights through permitting citizenship to those that qualified for it. Looking back at the history of immigration to Canada, distinct divisions occur in creating rules and regulations that discriminated and excluded innocent people who were trying to enter the country with hope for a better life. In Chong's essay "Being Canadian", she shares the implications encountered by her grandfather who came to Canada from China in hopes of this "better life". The fluctuation of the laws implemented, included the "Chinese Immigration Act" (Cho, 2002, p.62) of 1885, which forced the Chinese people to pay a fifty dollar a person "head-tax" (Cho, 2002, p.63) on entrance into the country. Eventually, this fee increase to five-hundred dollars a person, and was available only for those who met the qualifications. By 1923, the "Chinese Exclusion Act" (Cho, 2002, p.73) was passed to prohibited Chinese people from entering the country. The hardships that Chinese people endured, reminds people of the importance of unifying the general society through accepting others regardless of what ethnic they are, where they were born, and what they preach religiously. Accepting Multiculturalism as a policy, will begin to unify people universally to work towards a brighter future, which in time, will eliminate the cultural divisions that still exist today. In order to reap the benefits of being a multicultural country, preservation of existing cultures, religions, and traditions need to be heavily emphasized. This policy welcomes people to bring over their cultural traditions and religion as they begin their new life in a country that encourages more diversity. It also allows the people of its country to take advantage of being described as a "mosaic" (Peach, 2005, p.6) nation where diversity in ethnic, culture, and religion unifys its people is considered apart of their country as one whole, rather than a being a "melting pot" (Peach, 2005, p.5) like the United States, where individuals must conform to expectations and sacrifice their cultural identity to blend in to what is considered accepted and right. When a multicultural policy exists, it ensures that people of all walks of life are granted the right to express themselves the way their native homeland has intended them to, as long as it does not harm others. This will allow minorities of different ethnic groups to feel safe while welcoming them to share their thoughts and endured hardships while the policy protects them from being discrimination and outcasted for their differences. Multiculturalism in a country will unite its people by encouraging them to learn more about one another origins. Cornelius Holtorf (2010) states in his article on existing divisions between communities that "If your past is different you do not fit easily into the group" (p.91) but having a multicultural policy encourages individuals to be open in embracings each others differences, including their past, while getting to know eachother on a deeper level. Being able to do that will lower the rate of discrimination and racism a society may face because it allows each individual to hold on to their own personal uniqueness where culture and color do not dominant in stereotypes. The reason why racism exists today is

because people are still uneducated. The multicultural policy lets others explore different cultures which will allow them to learn why existing ethnic groups believe the beliefs they preach and why they act the way they do. At the same time, it will interwine into the new culture that a muticultural policy produces by lessening existing divisions by promoting exploration into different cultural and religious practices where different beliefs and values can make up a persons belief system that isn't divised into specific groups such as being "Catholic" or a "Bhuddist" but a mixture of both. As people begin to accept the multicultral policy as a culture, they will begin to look past their differences. This will happen because people will stop judging eachother and spend less time scapegoating on the minority groups, blaming them for issue's the country needs to address. Real problems of the society will be looked at on a deeper level for the root cause rather then taking cultural differences into perspective with people who are involved in the issue. The country can then make decisions on policy and laws more effectively without any limitations or divisions among its people. In time, a multicultural policy will strenghten the country it resides in as people begin to accept one another and come together to celebrate cultural differences. Chong states in her essay that "Canadians by immigration have equal status with Canadians by birth" (Chong, 2007, p.224) which is an important saying to keep in mind to have a sucessful multicultural policy that eliminates cultural divisions. If a country is able to unify its general society through their people, and pass down the strenghtened new culture provided by having this policy, it will begin the process of expanding multiculturalism globally for the future. Overtime this policy will become a cultural norm in society that is passed on to other countries when immigrants return home for a visit taking along with them the new set of values and beliefs that they now carry from being apart of a multicultural environment. Acknowledging the hardships that immigrants have faced; reminds people that there is a shared goal regardless of cultural differences, and that is hope for a brighter future. When people of a society can look past their differences and begin to embrace eachother culturally, the country will see a brighter future with less division as its people come together to meet that goal.

Cho, L. (2002). Rereading Chinese Head Tax Racism: Redress, Stereotype, and Antiracist Critical Practice. Essays on Canadian Writing, (75), 62-84. Retrieved from http://support.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.acbv.talonline.ca/knowledge_base/search_db.php

Chong, D. (2007). Being Canadian. In S. Norton and N. Waldman (Ed.), Canadian Content (pp. 222-225). Toronto, ON: Thomson Nelson. Holtorf, C. (2010, May). Ironic Heritage: overcoming divisions between communities through shared laughter about the past. Museum International, 62(1/2), 91-95. Retrieved from http://support.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.acbv.talonline.ca/knowledge_base/search_db.php

Peach, C. (2005, March). The Mosaic Versus the Melting Pot: Canada and the USA. Scottish Geographical Journal, 121(1), 3-23. Retrieved from http://support.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.acbv.talonline.ca/knowledge_base/search_db.php