Volume
96, Issue 64
Thursday January 23, 2003
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LAST UPDATED: Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 1:45 p.m.
Canada's multicultural smorgasboard: Part I of II
In September, The
Gazette addressed the issue of “What is Canadian culture?”
While we discussed cultural icons, such as tuques, Tim Hortons coffee
and the great B.C. Gold, we avoided the topic that Sheila Copps, our Heritage
Minister, would love for us to boast about: Canadian multiculturalism.
There is no denying that our country has a wide variety of culture, but
the diversity Canadians are often proud of was not something we felt we
could address in short pieces. The issue of multiculturalism simply can
not be summed up in 250 words or less.
We sat down seven Western students from diverse backgrounds and cultures
to discuss what multiculturalism and living as a young Canadian means
to them.
Throughout grade school, and now as university students, we have been
taught to believe that our nation is a wonderful “mosaic”
of happy, diverse cultures. Individual impressions of this “mosaic”
are mixed, as our student roundtable discusses the issues of identity,
discrimination, stereotypes and the media.
The following is the first of this two part discussion. Please read Friday’s
edition of The Gazette for the finale.
The Participants
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| Name:
Ash Boutros Sex: Male Age: 26 Canadian status: Immigrant Ethnicity/“background”: Egyptian Religion: Christian Sexuality: Heterosexual Where do you consider home? Toronto, Canada |
Name:
Catherine Clune-Taylor Sex: Female Age: 20 Canadian status: Born here Ethnicity/“background”: Half Bahamian, one fourth Irish and one fourth French Canadian Religion: Recovering Catholic Sexuality: Sexual Where do you consider home? Toronto, Ontario |
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| Name:
Spencer Daniels Sex: Male Age: 22 Canadian status: Born here Ethnicity/“background”: Anglo Saxon Religion: Christian by default Sexuality: Heterosexual Where do you consider home? Pickering, Ontario, with its scenic backdrop of eight nuclear reactors. |
Name:
Joyce Ho Sex: Female Age: 21 Canadian status: Born here Ethnicity/“background”: Chinese Religion: Christianity Sexuality: Heterosexual Where do you consider home? Markham, Ontario |
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| Name:
Rob Lidstone Sex: Male Age: 21 Canadian status: Born here Ethnicity/“background”: British/Irish (very distantly) Religion: Agnostic (United Church) Christian Sexuality: Gay Where do you consider home? Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Name:
Amrita Panda Sex: Female Age: 22 Canadian status: Born here Ethnicity/“background”: Indian (East Indian) Religion: Hindu Sexuality: Straight Where do you consider home? Mississauga, Canada |
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| Name:
Kamilla Pietrzyk Sex: Female Age: 20 Canadian status: Immigrant Ethnicity/“background”: Polish Religion: Agnostic Sexuality: Flexible Where do you consider home? Where my mom is |