Re:Sorry, there is nowhere for you to go... (Score 1)

I would have to disagree that contemporary Toronto is undergoing something comparable to the displacement experienced by aboriginal peoples. Their populations were decimated by disease or removed by force of arms or law irrespective of their culture.

Canada's immigration policies are the product of our society, both its cultural institutions and economic needs in response to voluntarily decreased birth rate in the Canadian-born population. Immigrants predominantly arrive in response to an invitation from the state and are hand-picked to fill roles in the culture as defined by the status quo. In a very real sense, those that gain citizenship do so in service to the culture and have their lives and identities profoundly shaped by it. That our culture will, likewise, respond to them is the unavoidable. Over all, the imperatives of operating in Canadian society tend, over the course of a generation, to be "Canadianizing".

I am not certain if there are parts of the Toronto experience you feel are not reflective of Canadian culture. Personally, I find the diversity of cultural presence hugely enriching but not without conflict and negotiation. I feel that there have always been a plurality of cultures within Canada, but that their voices and visibility are increasing as a result of refinements and improvements in our practice of social democracy over the past 50 years. I believe that, for many years now, Canadian identity could perhaps be best described as a dialogue about "what it means to be Canadian" and that we on the whole are interested in all Canadians' input. And I would contend that the practice of democratic inclusion better prepares us for the realities of the increasingly small globe and is perhaps the greatest Canadian cultural achievement.