We don't get to call 'shotgun' on reasonable accommodation

Since 2001, immigration rates in this country have ranged between 221,352 and 262,236 immigrants per year. Barring a few city states and a couple of island nations, Canada has the highest per capita immigration rates in the world. @R:In Toronto, currently the most ethnically diverse city in the world, so-called 'minorities' now actually form the majority. How's that for turning the status quo on its head? In this country, the question: "Where are you from?" should not – and cannot—be viewed as divisive and patronizing anymore, because it pretty much applies to everyone.

What does that mean? It means that, irrelevant of where we come from and how long we've been here, with the exception of the aboriginals, we're all immigrants in this country!

After the initial period of French and British colonization, a steady period of immigration and settlement took place over a period of two centuries, followed by heavy immigration in the early 20th century from Europe. Since the 1970s, visible minorities from China, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines have been the predominant wave of immigration. As the world changes and evolves, so does the makeup of this country.

Sure, some of us got here first, but homesteading or squatter's rights don't dictate official immigration policy. Just because some ethnic groups have been here longer, does not entitle them to additional privileges. When you become a Canadian citizen, you are subject to the same laws as everyone else and you are entitled to the same treatment. The firstcomers don't get to decide what is acceptable. We don't get to call 'shotgun' on what constitutes reasonable accommodation.

As the Bouchard-Taylor commssion winds down in Montreal this week, it's become evident that a lot of soul-searching still needs to take place; not only in this province, but across the country. Misconceptions about cultural, religious and language issues still have the power to create tension and division, but at the same time, when questioned, Canadians cite multiculturism as central to the national identity; more so than bilingualism and hockey! As far as we're concerned, anything that beats hockey in this country has staying power!

With the right attitude, an open mind and an open heart, we can move forward to something that goes beyond tolerance in this country. We can move on to acceptance. 'Different' does not mean 'less than'; it can just mean different. The sum of the parts can still make a whole.