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Shibao Guo and Lloyd Wong, eds. Revisiting Multiculturalism in Canada: Theories, Debates and Issues. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2015. 352 pp. References. Index. $54.00 sc; $99.00 hc.
2016 was the 45th anniversary of Canadian Multicultural policy. That anniversary passed with barely a political whisper. Perhaps this is understandable. Canada had lots of other issues to consider in late 2015 and early 2016. The media was obsessed with whether Senators were fiddling with their expenses in order to make a few extra dollars at the public trough. With a hotly contested election in the fall, 2015 quickly led to the country becoming obsessed with the Syrian refugee crisis and whether the Liberals were going to be able to live up to their commitments to resettle 25,000 by the end of the year. As a new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and his new Cabinet had a steep learning curve, and so it is not that surprising that the celebration of the sapphire anniversary of this policy fell through the political cracks. Yet, despite this silence, 'multiculturalism' casts a long shadow, and is highly relevant for the many issues the country is currently facing.
Shibao Guo and Lloyd Wong's edited collection of essays in Revisiting Multiculturalism in Canada is a refreshing examination of the meaning and implications of the policy in the country today. Such an examination is particularly appropriate because, as the editors note, over the past decade several high profile political leaders in other Western countries have publically distanced themselves from their iterations of the policy. Canada seems to stand alone in its continuing commitment to the policy, and for the relatively widespread public support the policy still garnishes. The main aim of the volume is to expose readers to the broad range of "theoretical issues and debates with critical analysis of multiculturalism" (8). But and more importantly, the collection also presents specific case studies that are organized around thematic topics related to multiculturalism, such as policing, diaspora communities, divided loyalties and education.
The volume contains eighteen chapters and is organized into five sections. Will Kymlicka's essay on 'The Three Lives...