Chinese Medicine sans Chinese: The Unequal Impacts of Canada's “Multiculturalism within a Bilingual Framework”

Abstract

This work presents a critical analysis of the unequal consequences that may arise in a multiculturalist state when language is conceptually divorced from the human rights protections afforded to ethnicity and national origin. Drawing on the results of twenty-three qualitative interviews and a review of publicly available documents, our interpretive policy analysis examines the rationale, process, and impacts surrounding the controversial linguistic communication and policy approach taken by a regulatory body governing practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in Canada's multiethnic province of Ontario within an English–French bilingual policy environment. Our findings suggest a conceptual foundation for more equitable policy making based on principles of demographics and demand in jurisdictions concurrently characterized by state multiculturalism policies, significant ethnocultural pluralism, and a commitment to the principle of substantive equality.