Discrimination, Ethnic Group Belonging, and Well-Being

Within Canada, an explicit goal of the policy of multiculturalism is the promotion of social justice for members of all the diverse groups comprising Canadian society (Canada Multiculturalism and Citizenship 1990, 1991). Indeed, there is evidence that social justice, as defined by equal opportunity and access in different domains of the social system (e.g., employment opportunities) is regarded as one of the most important aspects of multiculturalism when Canadians have been asked about different aspects of this policy (Angus Reid Group 1991). Surveys on this topic have found that Canadians claim to disapprove of ethno-racial discrimination (Reitz and Breton 1989; Berry and Kalin 1995; Esses et al. 2001), yet some Canadian attitude surveys tell a different story. They show that Canadians do indeed have preferences for neighbours, colleagues and potential partners for family members (Kalin and Berry 1994).