Integration Ain’t Inclusion and Here is Why

Not all individuals and/or groups in societies are eager to be “integrated” into mainstream society, but all strive to be included (DESA, 2009, p.11)

Dear Syrian refugees entering Canada,

61,391 text messages were sent to you to ask you whether you were interested in coming to Canada, 15,685 of your fellow Syrian refugees have already arrived in Canada since November 4, 2015, 165 welcoming communities across Canada are set to assist you in your resettlement, integration and more.

In fact, the Canadian government will spare no effort to help you integrate. And to thrive, you will have no choice but to integrate. But, you need to be aware that integration ain’t inclusion.

Let us start with what I assume you already know: the five steps planned to get you here in Canada:

1. With the help of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Canada identifies the Syrian refugees to come to Canada from Jordan and Lebanon
2. Those of you who are interested, because many are not, are scheduled for processing in visa offices in Amman and Beirut
3. You are brought to Canada via chartered aircrafts and the assistance of military aircrafts when needed
4. A final verification of your identity and screening for any serious illness you may have occurs upon your arrival to the Canadian soil.
5. You are transported into communities across Canada, where you start building a new life for yourselves and your family, using the immediate, essential services and long-term settlement support that you receive to help you settle and integrate into the Canadian society.

In other words, once you are here , it is considered your responsibility to make things work for you and your family, regardless whether you happen to be in an inclusive environment or not.

John Berry (2006) uses the term integration to contrast four acculturation scenarios adopted by newcomers: assimilation, separation, marginalization and integration.

• Assimilation happens when newcomers exhibit little interest in maintaining their own culture and opt for the host’s.
• Separation occurs when newcomers decide to preserve their own culture and avoid any interaction with the larger society.
• Marginalization happens when newcomers reject both own and host’s cultures.
• Integration exists when newcomers maintain their culture while seeking involvement with the larger society.

Along the same lines, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) uses the term integration to describe its strategies that aim to assist newcomers in preserving their cultural identity while fitting in the Canadian society.

While the concept of social inclusion “is still in evolution” in the Canadian context it is used interchangeably with social integration in the CIC website and publications. Interestingly, the Ministère de l’immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI), modified its name from Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles (MICC) few years ago to include the term inclusion, and yet uses integration when discussing the Ministère’s vision and interventions. Similarly, the CIC uses exclusively the term integration in its mission. However, the Report on Plans and Priorities 2015–2016, prepared by CIC, uses the term integration when it refers to newcomers’ role and the term inclusion when it refers to the welcoming role and responsibility of the Canadian society. Further, in the report, inclusion is used four times while integration thirty-six times, which could reflect the expectations that CIC and Canada have in regards to newcomers’ responsibility to adjust.

The difference between an integrating society and an inclusive one is as follows: An integrating society strives to equip newcomers with the necessary tools and resources to help them fit in the pre-existing structure, whereas an inclusive society alters the structures and remove the barriers while celebrating diversity and focusing on the “mutually beneficial state for both the community and the individual” (DESA, 2009, p.12).

In other words, integration happens when newcomers adjust and inclusion happens when the host society adjusts. Despite the fact that integration and inclusion are interdependent processes and planning for both to happen is mandatory, dear Syrian refugees, do not be delusional.

I admit that many members of the Canadian society want to help you but it is up to you to adjust if you really want to belong.