n. — Ethnicities, Politics, Administration
the appreciation of diverse immigrant cultures; policies to support cultural diversity and its appreciation.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Multiculturalism appears to have been coined in early 1960s Canada as an addition to the then-established term biculturalism, referring to English and French cultural identities, which was seen by some as an exclusion of non-Francophone minority groups from the Canadian mainstream. In 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared a formal commitment to the principle of multiculturalism and to the promotion of cultural diversity, while retaining English and French as the only official languages (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference).
Multiculturalism has been a difficult issue in relation to public policy, especially among some Quebecers who see it as a threat to Quebec culture and identity (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference and the 1971 and 1976 quotations). However, multiculturalism has become an important part of the Canadian identity (see, e.g. the 2007 quotation) since at least the 1970s and 1980s (if not earlier). The concept became an unassailable part of public policy in 1985 with the passing of the Canadian Multicultualism Act (assented to in 1988), which states that “multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity and that it provides an invaluable resource in the shaping of Canada’s future” (see Justice Laws Canada reference.)
The term is used in Canada before American (or Australian) news media take it up and when they do (The New York Times in 1971), they report on the Canadian context. It is therefore also a Canadianism by virtue of Origin, Type 1, in addition to its cultural salience, which we deem as overriding the Origin type.
COD-2 lists "multicultural" and "multiculturalism" but does not mark it as Canadian.