Equality and accommodation: A narrative approach to Canadian multiculturalism

Abstract

In Canada, a liberal democracy that constitutionally protects liberal freedoms and civic equality, how should the government respond to culturally based demands for accommodation? Should culture be recognized by a liberal democratic government? Does such recognition challenge liberal freedoms and civic equality? In this thesis I argue that there may be times when the Canadian government ought to acknowledge cultural differences for the purposes of legislating and creating public policy in the interest of fairness and to achieve good outcomes. Previous attempts at reconciling cultural diversity with public institutions have focused on protecting and affirming cultural identities. I critically examine three such approaches and argue that cultural identification is tied to fundamental liberal freedoms such that fixing cultural identities in bureaucratic and legislative frameworks conflicts with liberal freedoms in a problematic way. I propose an alternative approach to cultural accommodation that avoids the problems of cultural identification by focusing on concrete relationships between citizens and the practical consequences of cultural practices.