[schwarrrtz]

Ok so I have some actual stats now:

> More than 45 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents are foreign born, according to the 2011 census. There are only three major cities on the globe that have a higher percentage of foreign-born residents.

> They are Dubai, Brussels and Toronto.

http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/vancouver-fourth-fo...

[deanCommie]

And yet all these people are united in their love for Vancouver, and Canada.

Canada draws strength from diversity.

I could see an American conservative looking at this list and shudder in fear from the "loss of white culture", and how immigrants couldn't possibly love their second country as much as native-borns.

Yet we do. And Vancouver is proof. Source: Am Immigrant Vancouverite (presently living in Europe)

* Obligatory footnote acknowledging our dark past with Japanese internment, and dark past and present with dealing with social problems that affect first nations communities disproportionately.

[robterrin]

I appreciate your view point and wish it were true, but Canada is way less diverse than the United States. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Canada)

Research shows that as diversity increases, so do political difficulties. Homogeneity is credited for a lot of policy successes in Scandinavia. Canada is simply another example of this, plus it is one of the earth's biggest petro-states.

It is less a cosmopolitain melting pot and more like Minnesota with the oil wealth of Texas. Vancouver and Toronto are admirable exceptions.

[ChrisjayHenn]

I think it's easier to be laid-back about immigration here because of how diffusely populated Canada is. I think for the 'cultural mosaic' model to work the different cultures need to feel they have the space to be themselves as well as have edges and margins where they can interact. That is probably a bit easier in a country with the geographic footprint of Canada.

[to_bpr]

I keep reading this "Canada draws strength from diversity" line but I've never seen anything to substantiate it. Could you please give it a shot?

Because I'm an immigrant living in Toronto. The diversity here, while "nice", seems to be a significant weakness if anything - a highly fractured, multi-cultural society simply tolerating one another's existence with no real united identity, goals or vision for Canada's future.

[surge]

Are you confusing "white" culture, for western culture, and yes, there are aspects of western culture that should not be sacrificed in the name of multiculturalism, like free speech, pluralism, religious freedom, etc. I don't think anyone has issues with immigration as long as the immigrant adopts the culture here, and does not try to make their new place be more like back home and imposes their old culture on the new area to in an effort to respect their heritage, when the cultural values back home are half the reason things were so bad there. America is made up of immigrants of multiple races, but at some point we all agreed to adopt the values of the nation we lived in, the issue comes with those that want to impose their conservative or traditional values from back home on the society they moved to, including their prejudices, views on the value of women, etc. They come here for all the great opportunities, but they don't want to give up the things and attitudes that are incompatible with our cultural values or possibly part of the problems they had back home to begin with.

NYC and Toronto are success stories in multiculturalism, where people come, become educated, and integrate into the local culture, but ethnic/cultural enclaves that have been forming in cities overseas are not (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9r6ZCwQxZk).

[durge]

It's not quite that rosy on the guns and butter issues there. I moved to Van for grad school from the Midwest looking for opportunity, worked for two years after my degree and then moved back stateside. One makes so little money there, housing is really steep, and it's hard to responsibly start a family. But you do get to feel good about that other stuff.

[DarkKomunalec]

> immigrants couldn't possibly love their second country as much as native-borns.

I think they're more worried that immigrants won't love whites as much as other whites do.