Mosaic Madness: The Poverty and Potential of Life in Canada

John Stanley is a policy advisor with the Ontario Government.

This book’s subtitle is more revealing than its sensationalist title,
for Bibby offers a “pop” analysis of Canada’s current troubles.
Some analysts might focus on the economic crisis, the restructuring of
Canadian political life, the breakdown of traditional political parties,
or simply the lack of national leadership to explain the mire in which
the nation currently appears to be stuck. But Bibby claims to have
discovered the “real” problem: too much individualism and, oh yes,
too much pluralism. In fact, Bibby’s opinions are judged to be
“truths.” Using opinion polls from the past decade, he attempts to
show how Canada has gone “wrong.”

He convincingly demonstrates that the old Canadian pattern of male
dominance, WASP dominion, and religious conformity was not healthy and
produced a stultifying society. He condemns the uniformity expected of
interwar Canadians, yet decries the pluralism in culture, morals, family
structure, and sexuality that characterizes Canada in the 1990s. He
quotes Pierre Trudeau to demonstrate political support for the mosaic
that has resulted from this pluralism, but does not seem to recognize
the economic and social changes that were—and are—the foundation for
the present pluralistic climate.

Bibby’s four “solutions” to the problem he poses are simply
jejune: “opting in, a problem-solving outlook, communication, and
accountability.” He avoids addressing the question of where all this
would lead. In fact, by the end of this diatribe, he virtually endorses
bilingualism, multiculturalism, and the Charter of Rights—all of which
are posited on the need for individualism and pluralism.

Mosaic Madness is intended to provide “clarity” in the current
national debate. Unfortunately, Bibby’s thin research base, his poor
understanding of the proposed American model (which is far from the
“melting pot” of the U.S. myth), and the garbled aims of his polemic
leave the reader confused, as confused as the logic underlying this
silly book.