Race, Ethnicity, Indigenous Peoples and Politics

L04(a) - Reflections on Multiculturalism, Indigenous Sovereignty, and Identity in Canada

Date: Jun 3 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location:

Chair/Président/Présidente : Rida Abu Rass (Queen's University)

The Politics of Belonging in Canadian Law: Mapping the Evolution of Multicultural Terminology and Its Intersectional Dimensions: Mahdi Baratalipour (University of Toronto)
Abstract: This research investigates the evolution of multicultural terminology in Canadian law from the adoption of the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the present, with a focus on how the politics of belonging is reflected in legal discourse. The study innovates by using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to track shifts in key terms—such as multiculturalism, diversity, inclusion, cultural rights, and reconciliation—over time, correlating these shifts with major social and political events, including constitutional reforms, immigration policies, and legislation like Québec’s Bill 21. A key focus is on the intersectional identities of marginalized groups, including those defined by race, gender, religion, and sexuality, and how these identities are negotiated within Canadian legal frameworks. The research methodologically combines historical-legal analysis with computational tools to map how these identities are incorporated into or excluded from legal definitions of belonging. The findings reveal that Canadian legal discourse on multiculturalism is dynamic, continually redefining the boundaries of who belongs in society. By highlighting the role of intersectionality in legal debates, this study offers a new understanding of how law both shapes and is shaped by broader societal struggles over identity and inclusion. This research contributes to ongoing discussions on diversity and justice, not only in Canada but also in other multicultural democracies facing similar challenges. Keywords: Politics of Belonging, Canadian Law, Multicultural Terminology, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Cultural Rights, Reconciliation, NLP, Québec Bill 21, Community Integration, Indigenous Rights, Marginalized Identities, Legal Discourse.

Charles Taylor and Liberal Multiculturalism : Examining the Veneer of Canadian Toleration: Nuzhat Khurshid (University of Toronto)
Abstract: This paper seeks to interrogate the origins, influence and weaknesses of the concept of toleration in Canada. Although it boasts a national policy of multiculturalism, Canadian tolerance of difference and diversity is flawed and needs to be re-conceptualized to better allow for a mosaic of different identities and voices in the public sphere. To examine this claim, I will examine Charles Taylor’s “Politics of Recognition” essay alongside John Locke’s treatise on toleration from the 17th century. Not only is Taylor a leading Canadian philosopher, but he has written extensively on secularism and his work on toleration and recognition has been formative in the direction of Canada’s approach to multiculturalism. While Taylor is often categorized as a communitarian, his arguments have also been used to strengthen a Lockean sense of individual liberalism. Interestingly, Taylor himself criticizes what he sees as Locke’s political individualism and correlates it with a host of political theorists in the Western tradition who privilege the “self” before society. Locke’s natural rights, for example, are innate even before the social contract. Taylor argues that it is impossible to think of individuals in isolation and they must be considered against the social background in which they live and in which their choices take on meaning. Nevertheless, I will argue that the way in which his work has been taken up politically and legally in Canadian multiculturalism showcases a Lockean framework of tolerance that has also inherited some of the tensions of Locke’s own work. From a liberal, decolonial and Marxist perspective, the idea of Canadian tolerance is shown to contain theoretical flaws that impact meaningful dialogue and cooperation between different groups. A better acknowledgement of difference and a more generous interpretation of toleration can give the basis for better policies towards multiculturalism and celebration of difference.

The Inclusivity of Majority and Minority Constructions of Canadian National Identity Boundaries: Jesse Mehravar (University of Western Ontario)
Abstract: National identities that are defined by attainable and inclusive membership criteria can be equally accessible to ingroup members regardless of status. However, when an ingroup identity is defined narrowly by ascriptive and exclusive criteria, minority ingroup members may require broader conceptions of an ingroup identity to secure membership and belonging. Focusing on Canadian identity—a national identity defined by multicultural inclusivity and White prototypicality—this paper considers potential differences in majority and minority member constructions of ingroup boundaries. On the one hand, formal emphasis on multiculturalism in Canada promotes an inclusive national identity that is accessible to immigrants and visible minorities (Kymlicka 2021). On the other hand, White Canadians are regarded as the most prototypical of Canadian national identity in comparison to their non-White counterparts (Byrd 2023). As such, existing research suggests that White majority members in Canada can define national identity by ascriptive and exclusive traits (Bilodeau & Turgeon 2020). This paper builds on current research to consider whether non-White minority members differ in their constructions of Canadian national identity with reference to different markers of ingroup membership and belonging. Through qualitative analysis of in-person conversations and open-ended survey responses (total N ~ 2,000), this paper assesses whether majority and minority constructions of Canadian national identity vary according to mentions of attainable and ascriptive membership criteria. This exploration will further our understanding of how different understandings of national identity are constructed and employed by different members of the same national community.

False Claims to Statehood: A Critical Review of Colonial Power, Identity Politics, and Self-Determination in Canada.: Amy Hudson (NunatuKavut Community Council), Debbie Martin (Dalhousie University)
Abstract: Canada’s earliest foundations are rooted in the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from their lands and their very forms of governance. The exploitation of Indigenous lands and resources has been identified as the impetus behind early assertions of Canadian sovereignty, where colonial policies and legislation were rooted in erasure and assimilation. The entrenchment of European legal and religious concepts has undermined Indigenous rights to self-determine in areas like identity and lands. Canada continues to build on policies and legislation, like the comprehensive land claims policy and more recently, distinctions-based legislation, that reinforce colonial power over Indigenous lands and lives. Such power is often exercised through contrived identity politics that undermines legitimate, Indigenous peoples, who have rights to self-determination that pre-date the establishment of Canada. This presentation illustrates how Canada sustains power over Indigenous lands and lives through its own policies and legislation. An analysis of Canada’s approach to reconciliation illustrates how the State aims to absolve itself of responsibilities associated with its own legacies of colonial violence by seemingly shifting authorities onto ‘some’ Indigenous political actors. We use a case study approach that centres Indigenous communities in Labrador, Canada, to demonstrate how colonial concepts and values around land continue to be of relevance and trigger colonial concepts around identity. We conclude with a critical reflection on the current state of Indigenous identity discourse, impacts to Indigenous relations, and our vision for a revitalization of Indigenous forms of governance, where we collectively reject false authorities on identity and nationhood.