Multiculturalism in Canada: A Public Education Strategy.

The goals of this proposed Canadian public education program on multiculturalism are to promote and reinforce positive attitudes and to create a social climate in which negative attitudes are neutralized. A review of public opinion surveys indicates that while most Canadians support multiculturalism in theory, there is little perceived need to support multicultural programs, and many confuse multiculturalism with immigration and refugee issues. The basic strategy of this program is a campaign to raise mass public awareness with the message, "Multiculturalism is good for you." The mass media will be used to address the general public, but target groups will be identified and addressed through more specific strategies that emphasize the particular benefits of multiculturalism to them. A 5-year program is described. A translation of the executive summary in French is included. The following materials are appended: (1) a summary of public opinion surveys on multiculturalism; (2) summaries of analyses of previous public education campaigns; (3) a description of current federal multiculturalism activities; (4) a list of interview participants; (5) a 38-item bibliography; (6) a description of other government programs with multiculturalism-related public education elements; and (7) a program description and budget. (FMW)