ly where they were provided with the best opportunities and making their lives as prosperous as he knew how. He did this through hard work and determination. They traveled to Alberta where they met his brother who was already a resident. Here they settled on a farm. The Dutch were classified as preferred immigrants in contrast with non-preferred (Bone, 2000: Ch.4). Preferred immigrants may have experienced fewer barriers, but faced barriers nonetheless. Language, which is a key component of ethnicity, is one of those barriers. My grandmothers solution to this was to never allow her children to speak Dutch (Bouwmeester, 2000). This way they learned English faster, were less different and fit in faster at school. Today not one of eleven, second-generation Dutch-Canadian, children speak fluent Dutch; and not one of my 33 cousins, third-generation Dutch-Canadians can even understand the language when spoken. This was a very fast loss of culture. Diversity of people due to ethnic and cultural differences was a very prevalent issue in the development and growth of Canada and often led to friction between certain groups of people. Moreover, assimilation decreased difference and therefore reduced conflicts. Assimilation resulted in the gradual loss of ones culture as they adopted another. Despite loss of certain cultures, some still remain and are what make up Canada as a multicultural nation. Losing certain aspects of ones culture doesnt come as a complete loss because several things were also gained and beneficial to immigrants. A mere sense of family pride through accomplishments and significant feats created a sense of place. Even if Canada were not their original home, they would always have their family to turn to. My grandparent instilled this in their children by providing them with a stable home. Although it was for some, finding work for my grandfather was no a barrier as it had been arranged prior to their descent. From farming in Al...
