Loose Threads

Before starting this review, I was aware of conservative critiques of multiculturalism: claims that it erodes national identity, promotes cultural relativism, or turns once pleasant communities into immigrant ghettos. In his 2010 book, Multicultiphobia, Phil Ryan, a professor at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, analyzed and rebutted such criticisms. But I really didn’t know about the commentary at the other end of the political spectrum that he examines in his latest work, On the Other Hand: Canadian Multiculturalism and Its Progressive Critics.

Progressives in the media usually celebrate diversity rather than besmirch it, while high-profile conservatives have effectively simplified their talking points and spread them widely through just about every outlet available. As a result, public discourse tends to highlight progressives who praise multiculturalism and conservatives who criticize it, leaving little room for...