Canadian Salad
A No-Nonsense Podcast On Culture And Immigration
Canadian Salad
Blueberries, Parmesan & Cultural Intelligence: Canada’s Mosaic Unpacked
Global citizen and cultural intelligence advocate Muraly Srinarayanthas joins Andrea and Hostion for an energizing conversation about multiculturalism, curiosity, and what it takes to build true belonging in Canada.
From childhood cross-cultural moments to boardroom negotiations in Bangladesh, Muraly shares real-world stories that highlight both the beauty and the challenges of navigating diverse worlds. Together, they explore power dynamics, community, fear vs. possibility, and why Canada’s multicultural future depends on every generation stepping up.
Insightful, warm, and unexpectedly funny, this episode is a reminder that diversity becomes strength only when we practice it.
Connect with Murlay on LinkedIn, or check out his book 'Between Borders, Beyond Boundaries' or subscribe to 3 Magazine!
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SPEAKER_05:Welcome to Canadian Salad, a fun, factual, and friendly podcast about culture and integration in Canada.
SPEAKER_02:I'm one of your hosts, I'm the Ho Chen Ho from China, currently living in unceded territory of Moscow Majesty Newatu Nations.
SPEAKER_05:And I'm Andrea McCoy, an immigrant from the United States, broadcasting you from the unceded traditional territory of the Wakungan people, the song is an inspiring First Nations.
SPEAKER_02:And you're listening to Canadian Students.
SPEAKER_05:Hey everyone, welcome back.
SPEAKER_01:Welcome back to another episode.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you for joining us, Canadian Salad Podcast. New listeners, thank you, Momoa and old listeners. Obviously, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_03:Welcome back always, always.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, today we we have with us Muri uh Sri Narainathas.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, great. Thank you.
SPEAKER_05:I actually, I don't know if you remember, Muri, I met you about a year and a half ago at the immigration summit, which was hosted by the Conference Board of Canada.
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_05:And I did you you were promoting your book, Between Borders Beyond Boundaries. And I did a little shameless plug. I gave you a little postcard, and I was like, Yes, I remember. You do? Oh my gosh. Yeah. I loved what everything that you had to say. And um definitely Between Borders Beyond Boundaries is a book that is in my library to read. Um but we're very, very thankful to have you on the podcast. So those of you who do not know, um Mureley Murali is correct? Yeah, okay, co-founder of 369 Global. He's a third culture kid, which, if those of you who don't know what third culture kids are, please check out season two, episode two, which is Canada's Global Citizens, Third Cultural Kids. We did a whole episode on it. And we actually did a plug for your magazine, three, which I'm a subscriber, I'm a huge fan, as you can say. But Marilee, he's also a father, a marathon runner, um, and is a Forbes published author, which I alluded to earlier, Between Borders and Beyond Boundaries. Um, he also um is a leader of Computech College, which since 2014, from what I understand, has grown exponentially, um, earning recognition as one of Canada's fastest growing companies in 2024. But he also is global, a global citizen in the in the fact that he leads initiatives in healthcare and cybersecurity across Kenya, India, the UAE, and here in Canada. Big bio for a great person, but thank you so much, Marilee, for coming on the show. Did I is there anything you want to add to that?
SPEAKER_00:No, I I am very grateful. Um we met at the conference board. You have the book, and also a subscriber to the magazine. So, no, very excited to uh get into our conversation.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, us too. Us too. Yeah, very much.
SPEAKER_01:We love the we love, I personally also love the magazine, especially the number three is perfect at four third culture kid.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:And I think that that specifically from the book to the magazine, it definitely alert to this idea of like cultural intelligence for a lot of us, and you as a very global citizen in many ways, from your work to your person, to your interests. My first question, I would love to ask you something about cultural intelligence, especially for our listeners and maybe for those who never heard of the term cultural intelligence. What did that uh what does that actually look like in everyday life for you? And how would someone know they're practicing in it in the moment?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Thank you, Hoshan. It's really stemmed from my experiences growing up in different parts of the world, working with diverse environments, uh, diverse folks in diverse environments. When I think about cultural intelligence, I don't just think about, you know, ethnic culture. In our own organization, we have folks from their 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, and 20s, and all of whom in each decade, there's someone that's a decision maker. So thinking about, you know, someone in their 70s and in their 20s in a boardroom trying to battle in terms of which way we should go is um can be very challenging, but uh, I think coming back to your question, very important. And how do we figure out what that space looks like so that everyone has a uh chance to speak and uh and be respected, but then come towards a common goal? A simpler example is when you see a new food in front of you, you know, cultural intelligence to me is being curious about that food. I I talked, I try to share this with my nine-year-old daughter, and my son is turning seven tomorrow. You know, do we go, ew, look at that? Why is it looking like that? Or are we why did they do it that way, right? That kind of foundational layer of curiosity, I think, is is an important part of cultural intelligence.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we actually tell a lot about curiosity. Yeah, that's often what we talk about. Yes. I feel like that is always the first step to bridge understanding to the unknown, is that uh curiosity allows people to be able to understand. Yeah, always the first step.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, because we all come with our biases and kind of the single-sided stories, if you will, about what a certain kind of food, if we want to go back to the food analogy, is because I tasted and I don't like it, means maybe you should as well, rather than being, you know, well, I didn't know until I tried it. We just kind of take everything as like, well, this is how it is, rather than asking, well, why is this how it is? And why is my reaction maybe more knee-jerking as opposed to more question-seeking or trying to understand per different perspectives.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And I think the understand the other understanding from my perspective is also like maybe I don't like it, but that's I mean there's no value in in it, right? There may must be even go back to the food and analogy that maybe I don't like this food, but maybe maybe there's a way of preparing it, there's something that I can take away from the process of it. I can take something away from me and from it for my own practice.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I think it also helps when you have a trusted guide. My uncle, when I first went overseas, I was 2021. I came from just recently graduating from university. I think my yeah, my first stop was Malaysia on the way to Bangladesh. And my uncle was there. We were having a dinner, and he said, the key is he he had gone through this journey, I guess, decades ago, and he said, the key is you need to fall in love with a local. And um that's yeah, and he said, So, because you're gonna experience these things, but from when you experience that from that person's perspective, they're showing you the beauty perspective, you know, and you're getting it from someone who you appreciate, you admire, you love, and and so it it opens it up in a different in different way. The first time I had sushi is because I went on a date. I really liked this girl. I had never had sushi before. Then I I she was like, Oh, I like this part, and you know, oh, you're you're you're gonna eat it with like sashimi with no rice, nothing, just the fish. Um yes, and and I tried it and I liked it, right? So I think having the right folks around you really is helpful to that as well.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I love I love that. I really love that. I think that is, yeah, I think having someone that you are that you enjoy to do things with and then they introduce you that new thing, it definitely makes you open to it easier. I can see how that, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, no, it's true. And I think even in Canada, you know, as so when I first moved to Canada, I remember being told, you know, oh, Canada is a mosaic, we are a patchwork of cultures, we are a salad, which was the inspiration for this podcast name. And I said, Well, what do you mean? They're like, Oh, well, we're just not like the states, we're not a melting pot. We don't make people assimilate. And of course, that's not the story of so many that come to Canada because there is a lot of assimilation expected, despite the fact that we've got a multiculturalism act of 1988 and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that legally on paper says, no, multiculturalism, that's who we are, putting it on paper and then putting it in practical application. And I feel the practical application, Canada still, as a very young country, if we will, quote unquote country, has still a long way to go. Where do you think in the Canadian context we get stuck between celebrating this multiculturalism and diversity and actually living it out? Is in your perspective, I'm I'm very curious. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I I think uh that's a great point that you're making, Andrea. You know, when when I grew up in in Winnipeg, I I grew up there when from the ages of seven to twenty one. And uh that was I think '87 uh when I first got there. My my aunt and uncle got there in the mid-70s. They had the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg. I don't know what that year that was, but the sometime in the mid-70s. And they both came from Sri Lanka and they met a Canadian family that had been there for a couple generations, who was kind of their guides. And I brought up the example of me trying sushi for the first time. This Canadian family helped them connect to Canadian culture, but also that Canadian family was very curious about their Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. As a result of that experience, my aunt and uncle, when I was growing up with them and they had kids, we celebrated Diwali, my aunt Orsari's to work. We also celebrated Thanksgiving. My aunt volunteered for uh vote Canada, would knock on doors. She made us watch the Canadian political debates, she made us watch Brian Orser figure skating in the Winter Olympics. So it was this she helped us understand that being Canadian, part of being Canadian was ensuring that your cultural upbringing or your perspective was that was it. And I think the key that we've missed now, especially from my generation, I'm 46 now, is that I very much took that for granted. I'll speak from my own personal experience. I took that for granted, that upbringing. There was my family's Hindu, I went to Catholic church, uh, Catholic school. There were churches, there were temples, there was the library that you could go to, community centers, all these institutions that really were foundational in terms of the upbringing of our society. And as a newcomer or whoever, you could go to these places, or there was a family that would help guide you. And now that's missing for several reasons. One, I think my generation has taken it for granted. We are now responsible to lead those organizations, and we're not, in that's a general statement, but I think it's true. Freed Zakaria had a great talk with the Matt Galloway recently on CBC, and he speaks about this lack of community. Now, where we used to go bowling together, we're connecting online, where we used to like go to the local mechanic store to pick up a tool and have a conversation with someone. Now it's this massive place Home Depot, or you order something on Amazon. Like that connection of community is missing. And so, yes, government can bring in these policies to help with integration, but it comes down to each and every citizen looking at how are we connecting, because it's people connection at the end of the day. How are we showing, you know, Canadian values and appreciating the culture that you're bringing and connecting the two?
SPEAKER_05:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I mean, it ties back to the how you were saying in the first question, having a person that you trust. I think there was a study with babies that they did a study where they would teach them English language through videos like Baby Einstein and things like that. And then they had another set of babies that were just taught English through their caretakers. And the babies who had excelled the most in language advancement were those who had learned from their caretakers only. There's something about connecting with one another and the impact that that can have and being that usher or being that kind of conduit of understanding. And to your point, I do think we've missed it because in our globalization, we've also tech has also made that globalized world look very different than it was back in the 80s when the Multiculturalism Act was created, or back maybe when um when you were eight years old and um that Canadian family, like it became front and center a bit more, and now it's shifted, not in a good way, um, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I think that translates in the workplace as well. Uh sorry, Hoshan. Uh just quickly, I think it translates in the workplace as well. And we try to emphasize this in our organization. This we we have some of my mid-level senior team has an expectation that these this new person already has the skills and everything. Oh, I'm just gonna give them the work, they're gonna come back with, but it takes time, and you have to uh nurture that person and and sometimes break down the stereotypes you've been bombarded with in your head, biases, yes, and so so that takes time, that takes patience and and an open mindset. Yeah, sorry, Hoshan, you were gonna share something.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I would just want to add on the point that I you mentioned one point about technology. I just want to add on that I read this article, which is still like affecting me um a lot in terms of how I see online communities. Like, as I would say I'm a newer generation, you know, uh here among us too. But and of course, a lot of my communities they usually start online, I have to say. I learned a lot of friends online, but this article was allowing to the fact that maybe on now uh the online technology makes us make the world seems easier to access and the world's enough smaller. But culture in many ways becomes this commodity in many ways and becomes this very generalized idea for everyone. If you understand culture, it comes with many layers and nuances, and and when it comes to different people, they also have different interpretations. And so I just want to like add on that point, and I absolutely agree that come like learning from communities is way more important than through a screen. To the point I just mentioned, the first question is about cultural intelligence. I think having access to different communities that had different that you know from different cultures also help us with you know the culture intelligence that to nurture our culture intelligence to navigate different cultural differences. And especially I assume you have work uh worked across like industries and communities and countries. Have you like when have you ever when have you uh seen culture intelligence make a real difference? Maybe at you know in your personal life or work.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Personally, I share the story. Maybe, Andrea, you heard this story in in uh in my talk at uh Conference Board of Canada, but it was such an impactful one, and uh it was in Bangladesh, I I was dealing with the supplier, and I came in there thinking, hey, this is an elder person, a key supplier for us, and he offered me tea. I said no. I didn't drink tea at the time. He offered coffee, no. Would you just like some water or something? I said no. And I in my head, I was like, here's an elder person. I need to not waste his time, get the deal done, and and you know, leave him. And and it was someone that did the deal with us for a long time. And um, and he didn't send the shipment. It was a it was a little bit of a challenge. I mean, uh uh eventually it worked, but the point was, you know, uh, business is about relationship first. You have to spend the time and get to know what someone and you know, I think folks that are in the business community, or I was in my early 20s then and just in a rush to get things done. Perhaps someone more mature would have understood that. I I didn't. And the importance of that interaction was a huge eye-opener for me later on as I came to negotiations. And in in some, especially for me in Bangladesh, that was kind of a a critical aspect of the conversation. You had to go through this process, even though you wanted to just get to the point, you have to that was part of the etiquette, I should say, um, of the process. And the other one is not speaking to someone eye to eye. And I had this person who just stood beside me and I kept like turning just to face it, but he would just keep staying at the side. And uh again, thinking about what is the interaction and what I would later reflect on more deeply is the power dynamics between my team member and myself as the business owner. Yeah, I went to my team and said, Look, I'm not from Bangladesh, I don't understand the market. You guys are from here. Let's do a brainstorming session and let's hear your ideas, how we could market this product. And their response was, Well, what do you think, sir? And I and I said, No, no, no, no, I need to hear from you. But they didn't want to, they were never given an opportunity, at least the team, those particular individuals, never had an opportunity to share their voice and share their so it didn't compute for them. Um, and uh, you know, we it took a really long time to build that. So, one, that understanding was critical, but later on, when I got their insights, recognizing how much of a value add and competitive advantage we had when we were launching those products.
SPEAKER_05:Gosh, I think Kosha and I, all of us have so many stories of these cultural dynamics where, you know, you're like, well, I just put my big foot in my mouth. Or, you know, I've been in places like India and Bangladesh as well, where, you know, I couldn't, I couldn't have the milk in the tea. And so I'm trying to like subtly pass the tea to my friend so she can give me her empty cup and she can have my full cup. And I'm like, yes, thank you. You know what I mean? Like we've all been there. I love those two stories that you alluded to because I think that just one, it shows that we're all in this journey of learning and unlearning. Like, no matter like you might have a degree or certificate in cultural intelligence, but often those that intelligence comes with community, comes with engaging with people, it comes with making those faux pas and these mistakes and discovering, oh, I guess, yeah, the power dynamics between me and my team, that makes sense why no one was put putting forth their input because they're used to such a a higher power distance hierarchy, right? Looking at Canada, because I think we've heard this. I mean, when I immigrated to Canada, Justin Trudeau, his whole platform was like diversity is our strength. And at the time we had Trump's first election in the States, and I thought, who is this? A leader of a of a of a country saying diversity is our strength, like, wow, way to go, Kendall Prime Minister, because he always looks like a Kendall to me. Anyway, what else? But I remember thinking, wow, yes, diversity is our strength. It is. And um, but I think if we're really honest, we look at the way in which Canada was formed. It wasn't formed on welcoming new cultures, it was formed on eradicating them. And so historically, we have this legacy where we want to welcome, but I think that the generations and the legacies of of the you know what was created initially, I think we're still we still have a long way to go in kind of unraveling all those things and making true reconciliation. And I'm just wondering, in your experience, I know that in my experience as just someone who's been born and raised on Turtle Island, you know, very Western mindset. How can we as Canadians maybe unlearn some of the things that we've learned? What do you think we need to let go in order to truly welcome other cultures and find ourselves because I find that immigrants and newcomers are always the ones adapting, changing, giving, sacrificing. And I don't know that a lot of Canadian-born people, maybe more Eurocentric descendants, are giving as much or unlearning as much or adjusting as much. How would you speak to that?
SPEAKER_00:I think um well, we definitely try to do it in three magazine. That is my, I guess, business way of doing it. Because for me, there is a huge value in what we have in Canada, and that is seen through the experiences of many of our Canadian diaspora working in globally in global organizations, and the international community recognizing and appreciating how Canadians can respect different cultures and bring them towards a common goal. And to me, when many nations are challenged with this question of diversity, immigrants coming to their country, and the fear of losing their culture that they grew up with, Canada, we still have a long way to go, Andrea. I think as you've highlighted in your point, but Canada is a leader in this in terms of our multicultural thinking. And and I think multiculturalism isn't about one culture that's dominating, it's multicultures. I think we have a long way to go. I think policy is important, those conversations are important. But coming back to your question, Andrea, how do we embrace that? I think it's the recognition that Canada is a leader of this globally. This is a problem that many cultures, uh many countries are facing, and Canada can uh showcase itself as a leader in this by successful examples of our Canadian diaspora working in many different nations. I think by successful examples of navigating this tariff discussion and building more global trade, um, again, that's an opportunity. How are we gonna do that? We're going to only do that if we leverage our multicultural society uh by exploring these global markets, right? Um that's gonna take real leadership, but the possibility is there for sure.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, I see that like with many differences, you know, like uh even with Frank group, right? When you have many friends from different perspectives, no matter how close you are, there's always disagreements, there's always things that you cannot agree on. But I feel like part of it is just to like I I feel like agreeing on it in disagreement is such a huge important skill. Like I often see Andrea and me as an example. We in many ways on paper, we're very different. We're so different. No, yeah, we're so different. We are. I mean, in religious, you know, we in religion understandings like sexuality, gender, identity, uh, upbringing, many things we're very different. And a lot sometimes we really disagree on certain things, but the thing is, I respect what you believe in, and I and I know Angel, respecting what I believe in, even no matter how different they are. So I feel like part of the multiculturalism is just the respect that we give to each other, no matter how different we are, how much disagreement we have. And uh and I and I think that leads to also the another another question that I have is the about cultural tension. Like disagreement definitely will create tension, um, no matter how small or big it is, and it's just part of life. So, what do you personally what is your personal approach to these moments when perspectives clash or misunderstanding, like in workplace or in your own personal life?
SPEAKER_00:I'll leave my personal life out of it because my wife will probably kill me. No, I don't know.
SPEAKER_05:Your wife listens to your speaking, my husband does not.
SPEAKER_00:So my wife and are very different as well. So when you guys were talking about this, I was I was thinking about Dasha and I's relationship. We just celebrated 10 years of marriage on Saturday.
SPEAKER_03:So we're a decade, a decade, yes.
SPEAKER_00:Potion, I I don't know if I have an answer to this, but I I'd like to share a story. And that is um in Italy, where they make Parmesan cheese, it was a dying industry because the next generation didn't want to continue with the production of uh Parmesan cheese in Italy. And what happened was Sikh Punjabis uh that migrated to Italy uh that were from the farming community started learning how to produce Parmesan cheese, and now 95% of Parmesan cheese produced in Italy is from the Sikh Punjabi community. Oh wow. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty wild. So it's pretty wild. So why I say I don't have the answer yet is how do you how do we feel about that when we hear it? Like one perspective is hey, this was Italian, an Italian industry in Italy producing this cheese, and now some other cultural community is doing it, but also economically, you know, this was a major uh revenue generator for the that region and and for Italy. And they were challenged on who's gonna continue on with this, and now they have people that are doing that in their traditional methods, right? But back to your question, I personally, whether it's in my company or within my organization, I look for those universal connectors. You know, if it's in the business, okay, hey, we need a good quality product that our customers are going to appreciate. I respect your opinion. I respect your opinion. This is the kind of underlying focus, the driver for us, right? You know, I think there's universal connectors in food. We want the food to taste good at the end of the day. Universal connectors in terms of music, um, sports. We all the Blue Jays were in the World Series recently. Yes. But I go back to these universal connectors, fundamentals.
SPEAKER_05:And I I it it reminds me of it's there's always this question, it's kind of like, well, what is Canadian? You know, there's there's always this, and Hoshan and I have seen it. I mean, if you go to our TikTok, we've got some pretty intense people that like to really be anti anyone who's not, you know, straight white male, which okay, whatever. Um, but there's this overarching, you know, like, well, they're not Canadian, they're not Canadian. And then, you know, when you think about even this story about, you know, the Punjabi community creating Parmesan Italian cheese, it really comes down to like we're all a part of this human race. We're all citizens of really the globe. Like we are, yes, our passports say Canada. Yes, I speak this language, and not to devalue that by any means, but also to say there's more that unites us than divides us. And those common core values is like, well, I'm a human, I feel, I bleed red, I cry when I'm sad, I get mad when injustice happens, and you do too in another part of the world. And I would hope, and and this is kind of the the dream behind Canadian Salad too, is just to normalize like we're all trying to navigate cultures together. We're all trying to understand how people work, we're all Trying to build lives and communities in Canada, we're not threats, but we are we might sound or look or smell different, but that what forest has all the same trees and that's it? What for you know, what what part of the ocean just only has one type of sea life? Their diversity uh as much as it is our strength, diversity is it. If you want to embrace other people or because you embrace so much that's already different around you, why is embracing other people who are different a big ass? Culturally like culturally, like it just should like that should be our default rather than the exception. And so yeah, I just that's just my two thoughts on yeah, what you were sharing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, I appreciate that, Andrea. And I I definitely um connect with what you're saying. I think you know, folks are motivated by desire or or by fear. And I think I think the community of of folks that you're um speaking about, I think they're really coming from a place of fear whereby they don't see the opportunities in front of they're not excited about what's ahead. I think they feel like they're being left out and pushed forward. And you know, we do a lot of work at Computech. We're in the GTA at Computech College, and there's a lot of support for people of color, newcomers, and that's our focus at the college. Doesn't mean we don't have students from all different backgrounds, but we know that space, our team is built uh around that, and and we do a lot of great work there. But when we think about rural areas in Ontario, since we're in Ontario, there is not enough support. And in some places, like I didn't even know this till I came back, they don't even they didn't have proper internet access. And so if you're talking about these exciting things in IT AI, but you don't have internet access, you feel like you're left out. If you're talking about, hey, there's this funding for women of color for their on their startups, but you're in rural Ontario, you you feel left out. And I don't want them to be left out. I want everyone to come together, right? That again is part of multicultural Canada. So I think, you know, where is the conversation where we're bringing these folks along? Yes. Um, I think uh to your point about Canadian values, it is that multicultural concept. It is first can First Nations community, you know, French Canada, everybody. And I think we really need to get back on that focus. Um, it is a multicultural mosaic. That means every culture should be represented.
SPEAKER_03:No, absolutely agree.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I agree. And I think that is also a great topic for us to kind of end on uh in this episode, uh the multiculturalism of Canada. So my last question that I want to ask you is what gives you optimism about where Canada is heading in this bigger cultural story, in this multicultural mosaic that we would kind of stand on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I am extremely hopeful. I mean, actions speak uh louder than words. My entire investments, my business is focused on this multicultural focus in terms of education, in terms of the magazine. We believe, Hoshin and Andrea, you know, there are a lot of global challenges. It is going to take global thinkers to address those global challenges. You know, of course, third culture thinking is included in that. And who are the leaders of that type of thinking? A multicultural nation like Canada, not only in terms of the diversity of its people, but the policies like the multicultural act that we have in Canada. Again, we have a lot of work to do. It is going to take leadership to step up, generations to take up that mantle and do the have the conversations that need it that are needed, bring the people together. That's gonna take patience, that's gonna take work. But we have the ingredients in the salad for a very delicious.
SPEAKER_05:It's a good job.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_05:You're one of us now, not just so I I I am very hopeful.
SPEAKER_00:I think um I think it's gonna take work, but I by but I am very hopeful. And I think going back to food, we have here in in Toronto Japanese-Peruvian food, uh, Jamaican-Chinese, and and to me, it's like this generations of kids that have grown up in different cultures and are merging these things. Someone said to me a few years ago, you know, in terms of gay rights, that there was so much of this fight, you know, for so many years, and people kept fighting. And then all of a sudden, there's this generation that grew up within, and they're just like, why are we fighting about that? Like, of course, this should happen, right? Look, there's still ways we have to go there, but it is a generation that grew up in an environment where they're like, Why is this even a debate? And I think the same thing is gonna happen in terms of the multiculturalism and where Canada is today. It is a very polarized world we live in today. Again, Canada is a leader, but I'm very hopeful that this is a transition period that uh Canada is gonna come out strong.
SPEAKER_01:I love that. I love that. I do I do hope that you know, maybe the next generation or the next next generation that grew up in an environment to just put like multiculturalism as a default. That would be such a dream. Yes.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and I do. I think that we there's been a lot of headway made as far as like with the Multiculturalism Act, and I do feel like there's gonna be resistance. And my I guess my hope is that this is a point in time where people are resisting, maybe older generations or people who just don't understand and are have like fearful mindsets. And I think if we're consistent and if we keep championing people and keep amplifying people like yourself, Merlee, Hoshan, other leaders, the doctor from Nigeria that just landed in a clinic down the street. Like everyone is a leader in their own right, and if we keep amplifying them and supporting them, I do feel like there is uh greater hope because there's so much joy in this. There's so much life when you have not just a multicultural mosaic, but that you can experience it and experience the beauty of it. This discussion has been so, so, so fun. Um, Early, I'm just very, very thankful for you being here. So thank you for honestly providing all that perspective and insight. We end every episode with a Canadian salad pop quiz.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_05:Pop quiz. Now, this quiz is a question related to our topic. I don't Hoshan doesn't know my question. I don't know his question. You don't know our questions. This is the drama T for the Canadian salad D. Um, so I Hoshan, do you want to go first with your question? Or do you want me to go first?
SPEAKER_01:I I can go first, I don't mind. Um my question is how many ethnic or cultures of origin in Canada based on a 2021 Canadian census?
SPEAKER_00:Oh wow. Oh my goodness. Okay. It's just a guess.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, we won't withhold the gold gold stars. Yeah, you can you can still get one.
SPEAKER_01:150. 150. Okay, Andrea, what about you?
SPEAKER_05:Um, this is my question too. So I know the answer. I'm not well I do, I do have uh, I do have like a little twist on, so I'll yeah, that's okay. Um I won't answer. So do you want to do yeah, can we go ahead and share the answer for our listeners?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the the answer is uh over 450. 450?
SPEAKER_00:Oh wow. Yeah, over 450. Okay.
SPEAKER_05:There you go. Oh, yeah, exactly. Yes. Okay, so my question, very similar. So five years prior to that, how many ethnic origins or ancestries were reported in the Canadian population? So what was it before it was 450?
SPEAKER_00:Oh I mean, it's gotta be close, I think, right? I mean, I know the answer.
SPEAKER_05:You're on the hot spot, sorry.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know, four four hundred and forty-five? I can't imagine. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:So the actual answer is only is two hundred and fifty. So within five years, are you kidding? And and this part of that could be just the way that Canada Stats Canada changed the survey so that more options could be documented, but only 250 were reported at the time of 2016. Five years later, we had over 450. So and that that in that also that includes First Nations, so that you know, and I think there's um there are over 600 First Nations in all of Canada, but cultural representations. So I think it's it's good to know that number because sometimes we think maybe, you know, oh, it's just all the French or all these Americans coming over, you know what I mean? Um, but there's a lot of different ethnic origins that are here, and that's what makes um an incredibly beautiful and tasty salad. So good job. You you try.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean the French and the French and the butcher still is the most common, but there's many other. And then you're right. I actually look into it. There was the reason for the the increased part of it is also because Canada is like more understanding of how the the ethnic breakdown. Yeah, commented. So in general, this also but it's also a sign of Canada and the government at least understanding more of how ethnic groups are different, you know, how they're different from each other and how the breakdown should be. So it's always another sign of progress as well.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing that.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yes, we we like to stay informed and and know history. So all of our episodes end with a Canadian style pop quiz. So we're always learning stuff. But before we end, Merlee, I would love to hear if you could describe yourself as an element of the grand old Canadian salad. What ingredient would you be?
SPEAKER_00:I I think I would like to be a fruit. Oh, okay. And um, I would choose blueberry.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, do tell. Not a very common you know, ingredient for a salad, I would say.
SPEAKER_00:But that's okay.
SPEAKER_01:That's your that's your be a b, yeah, be a blueberry. Yeah, be a blueberry.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, some people think that having fruit in a salad is like it's controversial. Yes. So I so I like that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, controversial.
SPEAKER_00:And I I I like blueberries. I like the color blue. I it's a great fruit, good for you. Antitoxins.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know that's the only fruit that's blue? Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Blueberry is the only fruit that's blue.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Where do you have a link for that, Hoshin? Yes. You know, we don't just make stuff up on this podcast. We need I need a source data. Give it.
SPEAKER_01:I never make things up. I never make things up.
SPEAKER_00:Blueberry is the only fruit that is blue. I absolutely love that.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:We learned so much on this podcast. This is awesome.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you. Where can people find you? Um, do you want to share? Do you have socials? Is do you have a website? You know, is there a specific thing maybe you want to point people towards?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think I think moraleys.com is uh my website. Most things are there, but you know, always happy to connect with folks on LinkedIn. Yeah. And check out the magazine, please. Yes, magazine.
SPEAKER_05:Yes, we will. We will include the link in our show notes. Honestly, it's so beautiful. I feel like it's like the Vogue magazine for culture. It is just the pictures are beautiful. They really, really are. So if you're on the content too, exactly.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_05:So, yes, um, if you enjoyed this episode, please do leave us a review. Uh let us know what you think. You can email us hello at CanadianSalad.ca. You'll find all these links to Merley's what website, the magazine, the book, um, some of the sources that we quoted today, the blueberry stat that I'm hoping that Hoshan gives on our website. Our website is CanadianSalad.ca, and you can find us on TikTok, Instagram, and Blue Sky. Yay, I did it. Okay. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for listening, and we will talk to you again next week.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, talk to you again again next week. Bye.
SPEAKER_04:Lady and Style is written and produced in British Columbia, Canada by Ho Chen Hoan Andrea McCoy. Theme music is by Navir Avetyan from Pixabay.
SPEAKER_02:This has been the good job production.
