ue is which approach is likely to lead to the highest levels of societal stability. Assimilation implies acceptance of the melting pot theory, which, as it has applied to Canadian society, assumed that immigrants to Canada would cease to be Italians, or Chinese, or whatever, and would become simply Canadians. Conversely, cul tural pluralism rejects the melting pot concept, assuming instead that various racial and ethnic mores will coexist within an umbrella culture.
Advocates of assimilation contend that the elimination of differences within a society will lead to the highest levels of cultural stability. While there is a great deal to say for this argument in theory, in practice, the melting pot approach to immigrant incorporation into Canadian society has had 3limited success at best. Assimilation in Canadian society does not accord a great deal of significance to the culture and ethos of the people being assimilated. Rather, immigrant popu lations are expected to adopt the prevailing Canadian culture and ethos during assimilation.
Unfortunately, there are three factors which work against the success of assimilation in Canada. First, most immigrants, over the long term, at least, eventually rebel at the idea of being required to discard the characteristics and values of their own racial or ethnic background. Seco
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