Diversity In Canada

“Canada is often referred to as a land of immigrants because millions of newcomers have settled here and helped to build and defend our way of life, starting with settlers from France and England.” ( )
When Canada became a country in 1867 Sir John Alexander McDonald, our first Prime Minister, was an immigrant from Scotland. The first legislation regarding immigration was in 1869. Canada received many immigrants from Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Sweden and France in the 1900’s. Between 1928 & 1971 hundreds of thousands of immigrants came to Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was an ocean liner terminal and immigration shed. In the 1960’s one third of Canadians were natives of Britain and France.
It is good for our economy. It is good for cultural diversity, which is one of our Canadian values. I have always been open minded, accepting and non-judgemental. I feel everyone deserves a chance to have a good life. Many immigrants come to Canada to escape poor living conditions, dictatorship, and to give them and their families a quality of life or a good education. It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not as easy as people think it is. It takes a long time and is very expensive. I have friends who have gone thru or are in the process of getting their citizenship. They are wonderful people and I’m so glad I got the chance to know them. It’s so cool to learn about their cultures, beliefs, values and traditions, and to share ours with them. It’s a great way to teach our children to be accepting of cultural diversity and other ethnicities. The only problem I have with immigrants is when they come to Canada and expect us to change or give up our Canadian values and culture to accommodate them. I believe in integration and inclusion. I think if you want to come here and be a citizen you need to take on some of our culture as well. I respect the fact they have their own cultural traditions and beliefs but they also need to adapt to ours. There are things in Canada that we hold near and dear to our hearts and we shouldn’t be expected to give those up because it offends an immigrant that has migrated to Canada. For example the Lord’s Prayer or the Canadian anthem. I get very upset when people act with prejudice & discrimination against immigrants. I hate that there seems to be a stigma attached to many people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their