Secularism and Multiculturalism at 50: The Challenge of Indigenous Spirituality Panel and Q&A Event

This year, 2021, is the fiftieth anniversary of the Canadian government'sMulticulturalism Policy. Panelists will critically discuss the implications of this policy.

Moderated by Dr. Carol Duncan, Religion & Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University

Panel Members:

Dr. Eve Haque, York Research Chair in Linguistic Diversity and Community Vitality, York University.

Dr. Gus Hill, Indigenous Field of Study, Masters of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dr. David Seljak, Professor of Religious Studies at St. Jerome’s University, Chair - Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo.

The moderator’s questions are as follows:

1. How have your research, teaching and/or community work engaged "multiculturalism"?

2.  While multiculturalism offers a promise of social and cultural inclusion, it has been built upon and failed to overthrow historical legacies of white settler colonialism, racial exclusion, and inequality. Now that we are marking 50 years of multiculturalism as a federal policy in Canada what lessons can we draw from this history?   

3. What, if any, is the promise of a revised "multiculturalism"?