Discrimination and Multiculturalism in Canada: Exceptional or Incoherent Public Attitudes?

In this article, I argue that satisfaction with multiculturalism and support for discrimination in the immigration system are conceptually linked but distinct in the Canadian public's mind. Following a large literature, I make the case that despite a normative assumption of nondiscrimination in the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:American Review of Canadian Studies Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 166 - 189
Autor principal: Donnelly, Michael J.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Mar2021
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:In this article, I argue that satisfaction with multiculturalism and support for discrimination in the immigration system are conceptually linked but distinct in the Canadian public's mind. Following a large literature, I make the case that despite a normative assumption of nondiscrimination in the intellectual framework and policy rhetoric of multiculturalism, the public can support discrimination while also supporting multiculturalism. To support this, I present the results of a 2017 survey of Canadians. I show that slightly less than half of respondents are willing to explicitly support discrimination. Next, I show that, when faced with a more complex decision that offers the chance to discriminate, many do so. Finally, I compare experimental results to a nearly identical experiment in the United States, which reveals that Canadian and American respondents discriminate at similar rates.