Hey Canadian… Speak Up! (Vas-y! Parlez Vous!)

A fines de Enero le proponí­a a los lectores la respuesta a esta pregunta… “Que le preguntarí­as a un canadiense?” Con casi 40 comentarios, el post tuvo mucha aceptación y recibí­ muchas preguntas. Finalmente, me quedé con unas pocas que me parecieron las mas significativas y fueron las que les enví­e a unos pocos canadienses con los cuales siento que tengo suficiente confianza como para pedirles su opinión en esos temas. Hoy querí­a compartir con ustedes las preguntas finalmente seleccionadas y parte de las respuestas recibidas hasta hoy.

Las preguntas enviadas fueron las siguientes (sabrán ustedes perdonar la traducción si no resulta la más exacta, pero en todos los casos reflejan el sentido original de la pregunta en español)

1. What are the main characteristics that define a Canadian? / Quelles sont les caractéristiques principales qui définissent un Canadien ?
2. What would you change in Canada, if you could? / Que changeriez-vous du Canada, si vous pourriez?
3. Honestly, do you really believe that multiculturalism is a benefit for Canada? Its risks include the creation of cultural ghettos. Don’t you think that it would be better to assimilate the immigrants into Canadian culture? / Honníªtement, croyez-vous vraiment que ce multiculturalisme est un avantage pour Canada avec ses risques, incluent la création de ghettos culturels; ne pensez-vous pas que ce serait mieux assimiler aux immigrants dans la culture canadienne?
4. What cultural features do you think immigrants (Latinos, in particular) should change in order to facilitate the process of assimilation into Canadian culture ? / Quelles caractéristiques culturelles des immigrants (Latins en particulier) devraient-ils changer afin de faciliter le processus d’assimilation í  la culture canadienne?
5. What do you think about the separatism movement in Quebec? Would you like Quebec to be a province or to be an independent entity from Canada? Why? / Que pensez-vous du mouvement séparatiste de Québec ? Aimeriez-vous que le Québec puisse íªtre une province ou íªtre une entité indépendante du Canada ? Pourquoi ?

Respuestas (Prometí­ a los participantes guardar su identidad, así­ que no voy a identificarlos con nombre…)

Canadiense 1:

1.- Canadians do, in part, have an identity based on being “not American” — the international reputation of this country is something we really hold on to, as truly Canadian. It’s kind of sad, but if you ever saw those “I am Canadian” beer ads from a few years ago, they really do ring true. Hockey, good beer, Tim Horton’s coffee, and a maple leaf on your backpack when you travel: simple pleasures are really what it’s all about.

2.- This is a hard one… I’m going to give the silly answer of “winter — it’s about 3 months too long”.

3.- This “cultural mosaic” is, I suspect, a compelling notion to many immigrants… You can be yourself *and* be a Canadian — you don’t have to choose one or the other. So yes, I do think it’s a good thing. While it does run the risk of creating cultural ghettos, there is also the possibility of creating cultural bridges. Without getting too “pie in the sky”, you can at least see that cultural groups that in other places in the world would be at each others’ throats can peacefully coexist and interact in the same community here. 2nd- and 3rd-generation Canadians from those groups might not even know that they “should” be at each others’ throats at all.

4.- One easy way to assimilate is to understand that Canadian culture is not an outwardly emotional one. On the one hand, it may appear passionless and bland; on the other hand, it may appear calm and cool. In either case, being passionate, boisterous, or otherwise standing out from the crowd is *really* noticeable.

5.- The tension between Quebec and English Canada is the very same tension that multiculturalism in general introduces — the risk of cultural ghettos versus the opportunity to bridge seemingly disparate cultures. As I stand behind multiculturalism, I stand behind Quebec’s unique contributions to the country as a whole. By the same token, I see there are other, equally diverse regions.

Canadiense 2:

1.- A Canadian is one who:

is accepting of those with different backgrounds
nice and polite
enjoys and values the outdoors
respects the laws of Canada

2.- I’d change…

• Healthcare system – provide universal and timely care
• Criminal System – become much tougher on criminal activity
• Social Services – tighten up on services provided to those who choose not to work
• Immigration – deal with the apparent corruption and mismanagement, revamp policies
• Ensure all Canadians can communicate in an official Language (Eng/Fre follow others like Australia)
• Legalization of marijuana

3.- Multiculturalism can be both beneficial and harmful to the Canadian culture.

Pros:
Provides ethnic diversity
Provides for more worldly learning

Cons:
Segregates communities which choose not to assimilate
Needs to be monitored for equality

I do think multiculturalism can be beneficial but some immigrant cultures have grown to such an extent and other social problems have resulted. (I.e. all the Jamaican immigrants to the Jane Finch area of Toronto – Cultural problems have resulted in a generation of young people without ambition or goals and thus have turned to gangs). This sort of problem seems to relate to the country of origin as well as the type of immigrant. Look at any major metropolitan area and you will find a “Chinatown”. Certain demographics stick together for safety and support… is this good???

4.- Hmmmm

5.- I think the Separatists are crazy. There is no way Quebec could survive as an independent nation. All this movement breeds is a sense of differentiation and had been going on for the last 30 years without any definitive change. Time to move on and focus on more important things. This movement has made Quebec a joke in certain parts of the country.

Como han podido observar, tenemos un “moderado” y un “radical” entre los entrevistados… Veremos que nos depara el futuro para los demás.

Finalmente… Me deben algunas respuestas más, las que iré agregando a medida que lleguen… Pero se me ocurrió que, quienes quieran, podrí­an invitar a su amiguito Canadiense a dejarnos sus respuestas en los comentarios. Con solo darles el link a este post y que lean las preguntas es más que suficiente supongo… Y si no… que lean abajo…

Hey! Canadian! Speak Up!! Answer the questions above and let us know what you think..! If you want to answer in French, go ahead. If you want to practice your High School Spanish, it’s OK too…

Allí´ les Québécois! Un groupe des immigrants latino-américains ont posé certaines questions í  propos de l’immigration au Québec. Si vous voulez nous écrire en Franí§ais, il n’y a pas de problí¨me. Par contre si vous voulez pratiquer votre Espagnol appris au CEGEP ou pendent vos voyages dans le Sud, tant mieux!

Que rica lengua el francés, que para decir lo mismo que un inglés le lleva 30 palabras más!

Otras notas similares que puedes leer

• Más respuestas a nuestro cuestionario para canadienses
  Hace unos dí­as recibí­ una serie de respuestas más al cuestionario que presentábamos en "Hey Canadian… Speak Up! (Vas-y! Parlez Vous!)" En este caso, nos...
• Respuestas Quebecas a las Preguntas para Canadienes
  Nélida me hace llegar las respuestas de un paciente de ella. Para dar un poco de background, les paso las palabras de Nélida... Este paciente...
• Entonces, en qué quedamos? Es Quebec una sociedad abierta a los inmigrantes, o no?
  Sale publicada hace unos dí­as en CTV.ca una nota con el tí­tulo "Quebecers urged to be more open toward immigrants" Para el que no sabe...
• Study: Canada’s economy in 2007
  The Daily, la publicación diaria de StatsCan, ofrece hoy a sus lectores un estudio sobre la economí­a canadiense en 2007. Algunos puntos para destacar.... Real...
• Ejercicio Teórico II: Integrarse significa dejar de lado mis estándares?
  Visto y considerando que el "ejercicio teórico" de la semana pasada parece haber gustado y generó un buen nivel de participación, les propongo uno nuevo....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.