Racial and religious prejudice is more common and stronger among members of the working class in Canada than among any other economic groups in the country, it was established here at the conclusion of a two-week seminar sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Christians and Jews.
Participants in the seminar also established that children of college-educated parents are less likely to develop prejudice than children whose parents received only high school education. Prejudice is less common in a “cosmopolitan” Canadian centers such as Montreal, where there are many residents of various ethnic origins, than in homogeneous centers such as Quebec City or Toronto.
The presence of population elements of different cultural background in Canada, the Seminar found, has developed a form of tolerance and a modus vivendi which has resulted in the diminution of obvious discrimination or prejudice patterns. It has not resulted in the disappearance of prejudice.
There is a notably greater readiness to “live and let live” culturally in Canada than in the United States, the Seminar conclusions said. The melting pot principle which is widely accepted in the United States has fewer followers in Canada because plural culture is accepted here as a constitutional fact and as a social ideal, the students at the Seminar found. This pluralistic culture allows various ethnic groups in Canada to live without sacrificing their customs, language and creed.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
