They Shaped us.

     Is the country of Canada a result of immigration? Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, “the population of Canada is approximately 33,100,000” which leaves us wondering how all of these people arrived in Canada. “The original settlers were predominantly from England, Scotland, France, Ireland, and Wales, but were joined by immigrant families from Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and China in the nineteenth century.” There are many different tradition, languages, races and cultures rest in Canada. I believe this is due to the older immigrants that now reside in Canada. “This pattern of immigration had important implications for the age and sex structure of the aging population...”

     In my opinion, older persons hold valuable traditions that are sometimes lost as a culture changes with the times. An older immigrant on the other hand, would hold traditions different from those who were born and grew old in Canada. Can new traditions add to the country or will destroy it? Traditions from different cultures always fascinate me. I was searching for traditions that older Canadian residents held and how immigrants had impacted them when I came across an intriguing story told by a young girl today. She called her story Our Christmases are a smorgasbord of immigrant traditions. The story is about how her father was an immigrant that came to Canada, lived in Toronto and met his wife, who was a resident of Canada. She tells us how her holidays were split. Since Christmas and Easter were new to her father it was as if it was his first Christmas as well. Therefore, as this young girl grows up she will be a part of two worlds. I believe this is a good thing; she will be experiencing two cultures. This could change her into a more multicultural person with a better sense of self as she learns more about both worlds.
     Along with traditions, older immigrants brought more things into Canada. Immigrants brought multiple languages into Canada. There are tons of different languages used today. Unfortunately, many languages were lost throughout time. Wikipedia states, “according to the 2006 census, English and French are the preferred language. English and French are recognized by the Constitution of Canada as "official languages." This means that all laws of the federal government are enacted in both English and French and that federal government services must be available in both languages.” Canada is home to many languages, many are only spoken at home. When older immigrants came to Canada they were not faced with the language test that immigrants today are faced with. Citizen and Immigration Canada present that language test, “You must provide proof of language proficiency by taking a language test from an agency designated by CIC. With your test results, you will be able to see exactly how many points you will receive for the language selection factor.” This test is just another barrier to get into Canada.
     It is clear that older immigrants have shaped Canada’s Character. About Canada says, “all Canadians have a parent, grandparent or more distant relative who came to Canada as a stranger to a strange land. Because all Canadians share an immigrant past, there would be no Canada without immigration.” I fully believe this; I am here today because of the immigration that took place a long time ago. “Each newcomer played a role in the building of Canada.” In my opinion, our culture, our language, and our traditions have come from the first immigrants that came to Canada.

- Samantha

References

      Statistics Canada. (2007). Ethnic Diversity and Immigration. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/theme-theme.action?pid=30000&lang=eng&more=0

     True Knowledge. (2010). Populations Canada. Retrieved from http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/population_of_canada_2010

     Wikipedia. (2010). Languages of Canada. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Canada

     About Canada. (2008). Multiculturalism in Canada. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Canada
    
     Aging healthy. (2010). Canada - Characteristics of the older population. Retrieved from http://medicine.jrank.org/pages/213/Canada-Characteristics-older-population.html