[Boris2k7]

The idea that multiculturalism poses a serious threat to the majority culture in any country is entirely bullshit. It's a big, fat, fucking lie propogated by conservatives who are offended by the sight of burkas or by seeing someone dare speak Chinese in public. It's stupid, petty, and outrageous.

As Josh said, most second generation immigrants are already very well integrated into the majority culture. That's a natural outcome. And within in majority culture smaller groups will form that choose not to fully integrate. That's also perfectly fine. They can't simply hijack the majority culture. That is a process that is more gradual.

As far as the nation goes, that's an outmoded concept as national borders around the world dissolve, companies shift jobs, and laws are standardized between political units. A global world requires the continual flow of people and goods around the world. And people bring bits of their culture with them. No nation is culturally pure, that is another stupid myth. For example, France has had a large number of black muslims for centuries... and are they any less "French" or do they simply not comform to the image of France that Westerners have constructed in their minds?

Ironically, the OP has it ALL backwards, and it is only convenient that the only true host cultures, that of native Canadians, are completely omitted from his post. By pushing exactly this integrationism across the nation, that of making sure everyone is like English or French immigrants, Canada has committed cultural genocide against its founding cultures. By putting natives on reserves, and by ignoring the contributions of immigrants of Eastern European and Chinese origin to building Canada, it has purged of itself all "unecessary" cultural elements. And these cultural purists are exactly the same types crying foul over multiculturalism, that rather benign policy that thus far has eased some of the suppression of other Canadian cultural groups.