Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T14:31:43.017Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Is There a Progressive's Dilemma in Canada? Immigration, Multiculturalism and the Welfare State

Presidential Address to the Canadian Political Science Association, Montreal, June 2, 2010

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2010

Keith G. Banting
Keith G. Banting
Affiliation:
Queen's University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Abstract. There is a widespread fear in many western nations that ethnic diversity is eroding support for the welfare state. This article examines such fears in the Canadian context. In-depth analysis of public attitudes finds remarkably little tension between ethnic diversity and public support for social programs in Canada. At first glance, then, the country seems to demonstrate the political viability of a multicultural welfare state. But this pattern reflects distinctive features of the institutional context within which public attitudes evolve. The Canadian policy regime has forestalled tension between diversity and redistribution by diverting adjustment pressures from the welfare state, absorbing some of them in other parts of the policy regime, and nurturing a more inclusive form of identity. These institutional buffers are thinning, however, potentially increasing the danger of greater tension between diversity and redistribution in the years to come.

Résumé. On craint généralement dans de nombreux pays occidentaux que l'immigration et la diversité ethnique de plus en plus grande soient en train d'éroder l'appui accordé à l'État-providence. Cet article porte sur de telles inquiétudes au sein du Canada. Une analyse approfondie des attitudes du public dévoile qu'il existe remarquablement peu de tension entre la diversité ethnique et l'appui du public à l'endroit des programmes sociaux du Canada. À première vue, le pays semble donc démontrer la viabilité politique d'un État-providence multiculturel. Mais cette tendance reflète les traits distinctifs du contexte institutionnel au sein duquel évoluent les attitudes du public. Le régime de politiques canadiennes fait échec à la tension entre la diversité et la redistribution en soustrayant de l'État-providence diverses pressions d'ajustement et en favorisant une forme d'identité plus inclusive. Certains de ces mécanismes de tampon institutionnels disparaissent progressivement, ce qui peut accroître le danger d'une tension accrue entre la diversité et la redistribution dans les années à venir.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 797 - 820
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Laban, Yasmeen. 1998. “Welcome/Stay Out: The Contradiction of Canadian Integration and Immigration Policies at the Millennium.” Canadian Ethnic Studies 30 (3): 190–211.Google Scholar
Abu-Laban, Yasmeen and Gabriel, Christina. 2002. Selling Diversity: Immigration, Multiculturalism, Employment Equity, and Globalization. Peterborough: Broadview Press.Google Scholar
Adams, Michael. 2007. Unlikely Utopia: The Surprising Triumph of Canadian Pluralism. Toronto: Viking Canada.Google Scholar
Alboim, Naomi. 2009. Adjusting the Balance: Fixing Canada's Economic Immigration Policies. Toronto: Maytree Foundation.Google Scholar
Alesina, Alberto and Glaeser, Edward. 2004. Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Baker, Michael and Benjamin, Dwayne. 1995a. “The Receipt of Transfer Payments by Immigrants to Canada.” Journal of Human Resources 30 (4): 650–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, Michael and Benjamin, Dwayne. 1995b. “Labour Market Outcomes and the Participation of Immigrant Women in Canadian Transfer Programs.” In Diminishing Returns: The Economics of Canada's Recent Immigration Policy, ed. DeVoretz, Don. Toronto: C.D. Howe Institute.Google Scholar
Baker, Michael, Benjamin, Dwayne and Fan, Elliot. 2009. “Public Policy and the Economic Wellbeing of Elderly Immigrants.” Working paper no 52. Canadian Labour Market and Skills Research Network. Vancouver: University of British Columbia.Google Scholar
Banting, Keith. 2008. “Canada as Counter-Narrative: Multiculturalism, Recognition and Redistribution.” In The Comparative Turn in Canadian Political Science, ed. White, Linda, Simeon, Richard, Vipond, Rob and Waller, Jennifer. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Google Scholar
Banting, Keith, Johnston, Richard, Kymlicka, Will and Soroka, Stuart. 2006. “Do Multiculturalism Policies Erode the Welfare State? An Empirical Analysis.” In Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Recognition and Redistribution in Contemporary Democracies, ed. Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. 2010. “Canadian Multiculturalism: Global Anxieties and Local Debates.” British Journal of Canadian Studies 23 (1): 43–72.Google Scholar
Banting, Keith, Soroka, Stuart and Koning, Edward. 2010. “Ethnic Diversity and Support for Redistribution: Stereotypes in a Multicultural Welfare State.” Paper presented to the Workshop on the New Politics of Redistribution in Canada. Toronto.Google Scholar
Barry, Brian. 1991. Democracy and Power: Essays in Political Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Barry, Brian. 2001. Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Battle, Ken, Mendelson, Michael and Torjman, Sherri. 2006. Towards a New Architecture for Canada's Adult Benefits. Ottawa: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.Google Scholar
Berry, John and Kalin, Rudolf. 1995. “Multicultural and Ethnic Attitudes in Canada: An Overview of the 1991 National Survey,” Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 27 (3): 301–320.Google Scholar
Bloemraad, Irene. 2006. Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Boeri, Tito. 2009. “Immigration to the Land of Redistribution.” Europe in Question. Discussion paper no. 05/2009. London: London School of Economics and Political Science.Google Scholar
Boeri, Tito, Hanson, Gordon and McCormick, Barry. 2002. Immigration Policy and the Welfare State. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Breton, Raymond. 2005. Ethnic Relations in Canada: Institutional Dynamics, ed. Reitz, Jeffrey. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brooks, Clem and Manza, Jeff. 2007. Why Welfare States Persist: The Importance of Public Opinion in Democracies. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Carney, Terry and Bouchard, Anna. 2010. “Social Security and Immigration: An Agenda for Future Research?” Legal Studies research paper no. 10/06. Sydney: Law School, University of Sydney.Google Scholar
Champion, C.P. 2010. The Strange Death of British Canada: The Liberals and Canadian Nationalism, 1964–1968. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 1994a. Into the 21st Century: A Strategy for Immigration and Citizenship. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services.Google Scholar
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 1994b. A Broader Vision: Immigration and Citizenship. Plan 1995–2000. Annual Report to Parliament. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services.Google Scholar
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Advisory Group. 1997. Not Just Numbers: A Canadian Framework for Future Immigration. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, Wong, Cara and Duff, Brian. 2001. “The Meaning of American National Identity.” In Social Identity, Intergroup Conflict, and Conflict Reduction, ed. Ashmore, Richard D., Jussin, Lee and Wilder, David. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Côté, A., Kérist, M. and Côté, M.L.. 2001, Sponsorship … for Better or Worse: The Impact of Sponsorship on the Equality Rights of Immigrant Women. Ottawa: Status of Women Canada.Google Scholar
Cuperus, René, Duffek, Karl and Kandel, Johannes. 2003. The Challenge of Diversity: European Social Democracy Facing Immigration, Integration and Multiculturalism. Innsbruck: Studien Verlag.Google Scholar
Deutsche Presse Agentur. 2010. “Right-wing Dutch campaign trumpets billion-euro costs.” Downloaded 20 May 2010. www.dpa.de/English.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, Gosta. 1990. The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Fearon, James. 2003. “Ethnic and Cultural Diversity by Country.” Journal of Economic Growth 8: 195–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fong, Christina, Bowles, Samuel and Gintis, Herbert. 2004. “Reciprocity, Self-Interest and the Welfare State.” In Handbook on the Economics of Giving, ed. Kolm, Serge-Christophe and Ythier, Jean Marciaer. Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Freeman, Gary. 2004. “Immigrant Incorporation in Western Democracies.” International Migration Review 38 (3): 945–69.Google Scholar
Freeman, Gary. 2009. “Immigration, Diversity, and Welfare Chauvinism.” The Forum 7 (3): 1–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gagnon, Alain-G. and Iacovino, Raffaele. 2007. Federalism, Citizenship, and Quebec: Debating Multiculturalism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Gilens, Martin. 1999. Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Goodhart, David. 2004. “Too Diverse?” Prospect February: 30–37.Google Scholar
Harell, Allison. 2009. “Minority–Majority Relations in Canada: The Rights Regime and the Adoption of Multicultural Values.” Paper presented at the Canadian Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Ottawa ON.Google Scholar
Harell, Allison and Stolle, Dietlind. 2010. “Diversity and Democratic Politics: An Introduction.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 43 (2): 235–56.Google Scholar
Hathaway, James. 1994. “Implementation of a Contextualized System of Family Class Immigration.” In Report of the National Consultation on Family Class Immigration, ed. papers, James Hathaway. Includes background and papers, discussion. Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada.Google Scholar
Hou, Feng. 2004. Recent Immigration and the Formation of Visible Minority Neighbourhoods in Canada's Large Cities. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar
Igartua, José. 2006. The Other Quiet Revolution: National Identities in English Canada, 1945–71. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Google Scholar
Johnston, Richard, Banting, Keith, Kymlicka, Will and Soroka, Stuart. 2010. “National Identity and Support for the Welfare State.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 43 (2): 349–77.Google Scholar
Joppke, Christian. 2007. “Immigrants and Civic Integration in Western Europe.” In Belonging? Diversity, Recognition and Shared Citizenship in Canada, ed. Banting, Keith, Courchene, Thomas and Seidle, Leslie. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy.Google Scholar
Koning, Edward and Banting, Keith. 2010. “Differentiated Inclusion in Canada's Welfare State: Immigrants' Access to Social Benefits.” Paper prepared for CCLA Conference, Who Belongs? Rights, Benefits, Obligations and Immigration Status, Toronto.Google Scholar
Koopmans, Ruud. 2010. “Trade-Offs between Equality and Difference: Immigrant Integration, Multiculturalism and the Welfare State in Cross-National Perspective.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 36 (1): 1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumlin, Staffan. 2007. “The Welfare State: Values, Policy Preferences and Performance Evaluations.” In The Oxford Handbook of Political Behaviour, ed. Dalton, Russell and Klingemann, Hans-Dieter. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kumlin, Staffan and Rothstein, Bo. “Questioning the New Liberal Dilemma: Immigrants, Social Networks and Institutional Fairness.” Comparative Politics (forthcoming).Google Scholar
Kymlicka, Will. 1998. Finding Our Way: Rethinking Ethnocultural Relations in Canada. Toronto: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kymlicka, Will. 2009. “The Multicultural Welfare State.” In Successful Societies: How Institutions and Culture Affect Health, ed. Hall, Peter and Lamont, Michèle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Larsen, C.A. 2006. The Institutional Logic of Welfare Attitudes: How Welfare Regimes Influence Public Support. Burlington VT: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Ley, David. 2010. “Multiculturalism: a Canadian Defence.” In The Multicultural Backlash: European Discourses, Policies and Practices, ed. Vertovec, Steven and Wessendorf, Susanne. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Macklin, Audrey. 2002. “Public Entrance/Private Member.” In Privatization, Law, and the Challenge to Feminism, ed. Crossman, Brenda and Fudge, Judy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Mahoney, Jill. 2010. “Minister urges provincial welfare review to curb bogus refugee claims.” Globe and Mail (Toronto), April 1, A1.Google Scholar
Marshall, T.H. 1950. “Citizenship and Social Class.” In Citizenship and Social Class, ed. Marshall, T.H. and Bottomore, T.. London: Pluto Press.Google Scholar
Martinez-Herrera, Eric. 2004. “Liberal–Nationalist Theory, Political Confidence and Support for the Welfare State: Evidence from Britain.” SPS working papers. Fiesole, Italy: European University Institute.Google Scholar
Mavi v. Attorney General (Ont CA). 2009. Ontario Court of Appeal. 794. 2009.11.12Google Scholar
McAndrew, Marie, Helly, Denise and Tssier, Caoline. 2005. “Pour une débat éclairé sur la politique Canadienne du multiculturalisme: Une analyse de la nature des organismes et des projets subventionnés (1983–2002).” Politiques et Sociétés 24 (1): 49–71.Google Scholar
McDonald, Ted, Ruddick, Elizabeth, Sweetman, Arthur and Worswick, Christopher, eds. 2010. Canadian Immigration: Economic Evidence for a Dynamic Policy Environment. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.Google Scholar
Miller, David. 1995. On Nationality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Miller, David. 2006. “Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Theoretical Reflections.” In Do Multiculturalism Policies Erode the Welfare State? ed. Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Myles, John and Hou, Feng. 2004. “Changing Colours: Spatial Assimilation and Racial Minority Immigrants.” Canadian Journal of Sociology 29 (1): 29–58.Google Scholar
Myles, John and St-Arnaud, Sébastien. 2006. “Population Diversity, Multiculturalism, and the Welfare State: Should Welfare Theory Be Revised?” In Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Recognition and Redistribution in Contemporary Democracies, ed. Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
National Council of Welfare. 1997. Another Look at Welfare Reform. Report no. 199.Ottawa: National Council of Welfare.Google Scholar
OECD. 2006a. Where Immigrant Students Succeed—A Comparative Review of Performance and Engagement in PISA 2003. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
OECD. 2006b. International Migration Outlook. SOPEMI 2006 Edition.Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
OECD. 2008. Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Page, Benjamin and Shapiro, Robert. 1983. “Effects of Public Opinion on Policy.” American Political Science Review 77: 175–90.Google Scholar
Pearce, Nick. 2004. “Diversity versus Solidarity: A New Progressive Dilemma.” Renewal: A Journal of Labour Politics 12 (3): 79–87.Google Scholar
Picot, Garnett, Lu, Yuqian and Hou, Feng. 2009. “Immigrant Low-Income Rates: The Role of Market Income and Government Transfers.” Perspectives. Ottawa: Statistics Canada report no. 75-001: 13–27.Google Scholar
Pierson, Paul. 1993. “When Effect Becomes Cause: Policy Feedback and Political Change.” World Politics 45: 595–628.Google Scholar
Pierson, Paul. 1994. Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher and the Politics of Retrenchment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert. 2007. “E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century.” The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture. Scandinavian Political Studies 30 (2): 137–74.Google Scholar
Ritter, Karl. 2010. “Anti-immigration sentiment grows in Sweden,” Associated Press, September 20.Google Scholar
Rorty, Richard. 1998. Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Rorty, Richard. 2000. “Is ‘Cultural Recognition’ a Useful Concept for Leftist Politics?” Critical Horizons 1: 7–20.Google Scholar
Rothstein, Bo. 1998. Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ryan, Phil. 2010. Multicultiphobia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Salter, Frank. 2004. Welfare, Ethnicity, and Altruism: New Findings and Evolutionary Theory. London: Frank Cass.Google Scholar
Shayo, Moses. 2009. “A Model of Social Identity with an Application to Political Economy: Nation, Class and Redistribution.” American Political Science Review 103: 147–74.Google Scholar
Smith, Miriam. 2009. “Diversity and Canadian Political Development.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 42 (4): 831–954.Google Scholar
Soroka, Stuart, Banting, Keith and Johnston, Richard. 2006. “Immigration and Redistribution in the Global Era.” In Globalization and Social Redistribution, ed. Bardham, Pranab, Bowles, Samuel and Wallerstein, Michael. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press and Twentieth Century Fund.Google Scholar
Soroka, Stuart, Johnston, Richard and Banting, Keith. 2007. “Ethnicity, Trust and the Welfare State.” In Social Capital, Diversity and the Welfare State, ed. Kay, Fiona and Johnston, Richard. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Google Scholar
Soroka, Stuart, Johnston, Richard, Kymlicka, Will and Banting, Keith. 2010. “Ethnic Diversity and Democratic Solidarity in Canada: Preliminary Analysis with the Canadian Election Studies.” Paper prepared for delivery at the Canadian Election Study and the Study of Canadian Politics workshop at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association, Montreal QC.Google Scholar
Soroka, Stuart and Wlezien, Christopher. 2010. Degrees of Democracy: Politics, Public Opinion, and Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Swank, Dwayne and Betz, Hans Georg. 2003. “Globalization, the Welfare State and Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe.” Socio-Economic Review 1 (2): 215–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sweetman, Arthur 2001. “Immigrants and the Use of Employment Insurance.” In Essays on the Repeat Use of Unemployment Insurance, ed. Schwartz, Saul and Aydemir, Abdurranhman. Ottawa: Social Research and Demonstration Corporation.Google Scholar
Tamir, Yael 1993. Liberal Nationalism. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Thomas, Derrick. 1996. The Social Welfare Implications of Immigrant Family Sponsorship Default: An Analysis of Data from the Census Metropolitan Area of Toronto. Final Report. Ottawa: Strategic Policy, Planning and Research, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.Google Scholar
Uberoi, Varun. 2008. “Do Policies of Multiculturalism Change National Identities?” Political Quarterly 79 (3): 404–17.Google Scholar
van Oorschot. 2000. “Who Should Get What, and Why? On Deservingness Criteria and the Conditionality of Solidarity among the Public.” Policy and Politics 28: 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertovec, Steven and Wessendorf, Sussane, eds. 2010. The Multicultural Backlash: European Discourses, Policies and Practices. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Walks, Alan and Bourne, Larry. 2006. “Ghettos in Canada's Cities? Racial Segregation, Ethnic Enclaves and Poverty Concentration in Canadian Urban Areas.” Canadian Geographer 50 (3): 273–97.Google Scholar
Wilkes, Rima, Guppy, Neil and Farris, Lily. 2008. “No Thanks, We're Full: Individual Characteristics, National Context, and Changing Attitudes Toward Immigration.” International Immigration Review 42 (2): 302–329.Google Scholar
Wolfe, Alan and Klausen, Jyette. 1997. “Identity Politics and the Welfare State.” Social Philosophy and Policy 14 (2): 213–55.Google Scholar
Wolfe, Alan and Klausen, Jyette. 2000. “Other Peoples” Prospect (Dec): 28–33.Google Scholar
Yu, Soojin, Ouellet, Estelle and Warmington, Angelyn. 2007. “Refugee Integration in Canada: A Survey of Empirical Evidence and Existing Services.” Refuge 24 (2): 17–34.Google Scholar