Canadian Multiculturalism Day 2025

In honour of Canadian Multiculturalism Day we’ve compiled a list of books that explore Canadian Multiculturalism, both past and present.

Check out similar titles in the McGill-Queen’s Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Series and Rethinking Canada in the World Series.

Forced Migration in/to Canada

From Colonization to Refugee Resettlement

Edited by Christina R. Clark-Kazak

Covering a broad swathe of time, from colonization to the present day, Forced Migration in/to Canada examines human displacement in a variety of contexts: Indigenous dislocation and settler colonialism, Black enslavement, human trafficking, statelessness, climate migration, and newcomer settlement.

The Racial Mosaic

A Pre-history of Canadian Multiculturalism

By Daniel R. Meister

The Racial Mosaic demonstrates how cultural pluralism in Canada was founded upon, and easily coexisted with, settler colonialism and racism. Looking at how Canadians interpreted diversity before multiculturalism became official policy, it compels readers to consider how racism has structured Canada’s settler-colonial society.

Ukrainian Ritual on the Prairies

Growing a Ukrainian Canadian Identity

By Natalie Kononenko

Natalie Kononenko describes the everyday lives of Ukrainian Canadians on the prairies and explores how they have preserved existing Ukrainian traditions and developed a new culture sensitive to the realities of Canadian life. Drawing on ten years of interviews, the book focuses on Ukrainian Canadian ritual practices such as weddings and holidays.

Sanctuary in Pieces

Two Centuries of Flight, Fugitivity, and Resistance in a North American City

By Laura Madokoro

Sanctuary in Pieces documents the evolving nature of sanctuary in settler societies. Drawing on archival research and interviews in Montreal/Mooniyaang/Tiohtià:ke, Madokoro explores the history of protection and hospitality over two centuries and the shifting political terrain upon which sanctuary has been sought and, on occasion, received.

We Still Here

Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel

Edited by Charity Marsh and Mark V. Campbell
Foreword by Murray Forman

We Still Here maps the edges of hip-hop culture and makes sense of the rich and diverse ways people create and engage with hip-hop music within Canadian borders.

Genuine Multiculturalism

The Tragedy and Comedy of Diversity

By Cecil Foster

A provocative look at why multiculturalism could only have originated in the Americas.