social integration and shared citizenship in canada immigrant integration in a multination /...
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Social Integration and Shared Citizenship in Canada
Immigrant Integration in a Multination / Multilevel State
Keith BantingQueen’s University
CÉRIUM Annual Conference Université de Montréal April 2008
Growing Concerns in Canada
Flashpoints Growing problems in economic integration Residential segregation Gang violence and terrorism arrests Sharia law and public funding of faith-based schools Debate over reasonable accommodation in Quebec Debate over dual citizenship
Canada has its own social integration debate
Focus on social integration
Nature of the integration agenda Challenges go beyond economic integration
Challenge of social integration High level of immigration Diverse diversity
High levels of immigration / racial diversity Diverse sources of immigration
Multination state: role of founding peoples Not simply “old” versus “new” Canadians Divisions with the ranks of the “old” are critical
Nature of social integration: two approaches
Cultural: “Who is Us?” Shared national identity, values and history Belonging, attachment, commitment, solidarity
Participative: “How do we live together?” Legitimacy of diverse identities and values Consensus on liberal democracy and citizenship rights Engagement in civic and political processes
Does Canada have a problem? Who is us?
Measures of belonging and attachment Not simply “new” versus “old” Canadians Lower attachment among québécois and Aboriginals Newcomers attachment grows with time Difference between white and racial minority immigrants Second generation Differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada
Does Canada have a problem? How do we live together?
Measures of engagement and participation Civic engagement
Putnam: “hunkering down” in U.S. Canadian evidence more reassuring Interpersonal trust / engagement
Political participation High level of naturalization (84%) Newcomers and racial minorities do report voting Minorities are underrepresented in elected bodies and
public bureaucracies
Framing a Policy Response “Who is Us?”
Building a “people” with a common culture Common language Shared sense of identity and national values Deeper understandings of history
Instruments Immigration policies and naturalization policies Settlement and integration services Citizen education: grand historical narrative Celebration of nation symbols: ceremonies, holiday, flag Oaths of allegiance
Framing a Policy Response“How Do We Live Together?”
Reinforce rights culture Democratic rights and equalities Anti-discrimination and human rights legislation
Civic networks Support civic associations Encourage participation in civic associations
Political participation Voting at the municipal level Representation in legislatures and city councils
The Canadian ResponseConstraints on a cultural strategy
Cultural instruments Language priority in immigration Citizenship tests Citizenship ceremonies and lots of flags
Constraints on cultural strategies Multination state
Identities of the “old” Canadians preclude common culture Multiculturalism as a defining feature? Contested
Multilevel state Different pathways to integration across the country Larger obstacle to cultural strategies
Tip balance to participative strategy
“Shared Citizenship”
Citizenship in multinational / multilevel state Nature of “shared citizenship” Key issue:
How to strengthen “shared citizenship” in a society without a common culture?
Canadian echoes of T.H. Marshall Civil, political and social rights Assumes rights will generate attachment
Shared citizenship in practice
Multinational / multilevel constraints Instruments on which country relies to mitigate its internal
divisions are themselves shared by the more powerful of those divisions
Variable geometry of citizenship rights Some rights established on pan-Canadian basis
Charter of Rights Controversial among founding peoples Framework for immigrant integration (eg Sharia)
Some rights established in a more variegated pattern Social rights and retrenchment Social rights and federalism
Conclusions
Nature of the problem Economic and social integration Is social integration a problem: Cultural versus participative
answers Nature of the policy response
Integration strategies shaped by domestic politics Canadian drivers: multinational / multilevel state
Limits the scope for a cultural strategy Tips balance to a rights-based, participative strategy Variable geometry of “shared citizenship”
Effectiveness A leap of faith Future of Canada assumes “Who is us?” is the wrong question
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