Afterword: Religion, diversity, and the state in Canada

This chapter talks about the problem of religion and diversity in the West as manifested in Canada. The fundamental elements of sociological analysis are found in population structure and dynamics. Numerically Canada remains a majority Christian and white nation, but that observation can be a somewhat misleading demographic abstraction if it suggests that there is a homogenous proportionate distribution of difference across the nation. The end points of relocation and settlement have been in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal. Schools, hospitals and the work of charity (social welfare) remained in the hands of "the religious" - a term broadened to include Protestant as well as Roman Catholic secondary control. The Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution failed to become law. On the other hand, discrimination on the basis of gender is specifically enjoined in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Keywords: Canada; Charter of Rights and Freedoms; diversity; religion