A Diverse Society

Canada is home to people from all parts of the world. **A nation of immigrants** Except for Aboriginal peoples, all Canadians are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Over the past 200 years, immigrants have come from virtually every country on earth. Canada welcomes approximately 250,000 new immigrants each year. **The cultural mosaic** Unlike the American "melting pot," Canada is often described as a cultural mosaic — a society where people are encouraged to maintain their cultural heritage while sharing common Canadian values. The Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988) made Canada the first country in the world to have a national multiculturalism policy. **Settlement patterns** Most immigrants settle in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec — particularly in the cities of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, which are among the world's most multicultural cities. **Waves of immigration** • **Early 1600s–1800s**: French settlers, British settlers, Black Loyalists, United Empire Loyalists • **Late 1800s–early 1900s**: mass immigration from Europe — Ukrainians, Germans, Italians, Poles and others settled the Prairie provinces • **After WWII**: refugees and displaced persons from Europe • **After 1967**: immigration from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America increased dramatically **Anti-discrimination laws** Canada has strong laws prohibiting discrimination. The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on grounds including race, sex, age, religion and disability in federal jurisdiction. Every province has its own human rights legislation. **Refugees** Canada has a long tradition of offering protection to refugees fleeing persecution. Canada accepted Vietnamese boat people in 1979-80, Kosovar refugees in 1999, and Syrian refugees in 2015-16 among many others.