I am sometimes weary of hearing of Canada’s “Multiculturalism” – as though it is a large seamless patchwork quilt, very elegantly stitched together. It so easily seems to gloss over the many tensions, anachronisms, dualisms and contradictions inherent in our complex social interactions. Indeed, the rhetoric of multiculturalism as a national dialogue seems to skim right over the lack of recognition that this country treads very heavily on the Nations who predated it – implying in its language that people of all cultures are given equal opportunity and respect, which I might argue is far from the case.

Սակայն, at the level of micro-intersections there is absolutely no doubt that interactions between myself and my First Nations friends and colleagues is “բազմամշակութային”. This shift to the micro-view may in fact be a brilliant opportunity to reveal how different it is to be First Nation than any other immigrant culture to this beautiful land, and to build some compassion for the distinction.

Thank you both for your awareness and for sparking the conversation.