Canadian multiculturalism

Members of Canada’s three major forces entered this country in trickles and droves over the years, beginning with the arrival of the ancestors of the Aboriginal peoples from Asia, followed thousands of years later by the French and the British colonizers, who appointed themselves the official founders of Canada. [...] Events and developments during the 1960s paved the way for the eventual demise of assimilation as government policy and the subsequent appearance of multiculturalism. [...] In 1987, the Committee issued an extensive report that called for the enactment of a new policy on multiculturalism and the creation of the Department of Multiculturalism. [...] For many Quebeckers, the idea of reducing the rights of French-speaking Canadians to the same level as those of other ethno-racial minorities in the name of multicultural equality is inconsistent with the special compact between the two founding peoples of Canada. [...] A Multiculturalism Secretariat was established under the direction and control of the minister, through which the minister administers and carries out the provisions of this Act.