REGINA – A forum on multiculturalism kicked off Saskatchewan multicultural week on Saturday at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina.
“We need to understand everybody’s different cultures and embrace them as opposed to just seeing differences,” said Mark Docherty, minister of parks, culture and sport.
The free event, titled ‘Remember our Past, Envision our Future‘, focused on topics such as how to grow multiculturalism in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS) partnered for the annual week to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of The Saskatchewan Multiculturalism Act.
Many in attendance at the forum weren’t born in the same country but could find unity in their experiences of living in the province.
“When I started Grade 1, I didn’t know any English and the teacher wasn’t always very nice to us when we couldn’t say the words in English,” said Estevan resident Jake Dyck, who would “get the strap” in school when speaking German.
“That sense of assimilation in the past, that was not a good thing. It happened to many different cultures,” said Rhonda Rosenberg, executive director of MCoS, also referencing the residential school system.
Living together in a diverse society can bring challenges, but there is also room for good aspects, she added: “It really increases the kind of opportunities for creativity and innovation.”
MCoS aims to further that with the ‘We Are Saskatchewan’ public service announcement project. Using Saskatchewanians and their stories, the videos show the contributions of the multicultural community to Saskatchewan culture.
Roberto and Ingri Roman said they fled Chile to Canada nearly four decades ago to escape persecution.
“I was put in jail twice and the second time I disappeared for a week. My family didn’t know where I was,” he said.
Roman and his wife, Ingri, both attended the forum and are featured in the videos.
“It doesn’t matter where you go, you’re going to find people that you’re going to like and people you’re not going to like and there are going to be things that are going to be different than what you learned, but it all works out in the long run,” said Ingri, regarding why she participated in the project.
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