Page - 154 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Augie Fleras | Ethnic and Aboriginal Media in Canada 154 coverage. No surprises here, argues Lawrence Lam (1996:255) since people are selective vis-à-vis their interests in what they see or read – especially in a media rich country like Canada. For others still, the inward looking nature of ethnic and aboriginal media not only postpones migrant integration into their adopted homeland, but also sabotages the integrationist logic behind a living together. This, of course, raises the question of what is meant by integration, how to bring it about, what it hopes to achieve, and what must be done to prevent mistakes from the past (Neill and Schweder 2007, but see EC Commission of the European Communities (Com (2005) 389/1-9-2005)2 For yet others, the persistence and popularity of ethnic and aboriginal media attests to the multiculturality that informs and defines democratic governance. 2 There is much talk of (civic) integration as a social contract to replace multi- culturalism. Yet there is little consensus regarding what integration means and how to bring it about (Neill and Schwedler 2007). To overcome this lacunae, the European Council adopted a commitment to integration in 2004 whose principles are paraphrased below (For critique, see Joppke 2007). - Integration is a dynamic two way process of mutual accommodation by immigrants and host country. - Integration implies respect for the basic values of the European Union. - Employment is a key part of the integration process for immigrants and host country. - Basic knowledge of the host country’s language, history, and institutions is indispensable to integration. - Access to education is critical to the integration of immigrants. - Immigrant integration requires full and non-discriminatory access to institutions, public and private goods and services. - Frequent encounters and creative interaction between immigrants and member state citizens secures to successful integration. - Integration is predicated on guaranteeing the practice of diverse cultures and religions, provided these practices do not conflict with rights or laws. - Immigrant participation in the democratic process is critical especially in the formulation of programs and policies that impact on their lives. - Integration is contingent on mainstreaming integration polices and measures in all relevant portfolios and levels of government and public services. - Clear goals, indicators, and evaluation mechanism must be in place to adjust immigration policies and evaluate progress.