Malign neglect.

The recent disturbances in the French cities has shaken western Europe. As young, second and third generation descendants of immigrants from the former French colonies took to the streets night after night to riot, burn and destroy, other countries look on, worried they might be next.

Some commentators point out that this occurred in a country that has one of the most generous systems of social benefits. However, these benefits have been inequitably distributed, with the very lowest income earner receiving few or no benefits. Most of France's income security programs are based on social insurance to which workers and employers contribute and these benefits are related tO their contributions. The problem is that most of these rioters are irregularly employed or work at the lowest paid jobs and as a result, they accumulate few of the rewards of social insurance.

Another so-called benefit is the subsidized housing provided in dense suburbs far from the city centre which houses many more persons than originally designed for.

As well, French society is reputed to be rigidly discriminatory. Even though the country's education system is good, it has not overcome the prejudices of race and ethnic origin. How one's name is spelled and the shade of one's skin affects job and other opportunities.

All of this is the product of the difficulty Europeans face in coping with the ethnic and racial groups among them. Europeans usually dealt with their ethnic minorities harshly by outlawing their languages and enforcing bans on their traditional ways. Immigrants are pressured to assimilate rapidly into the majority culture. This seemed to work when the newcomers arrived from other parts of Europe.

In more recent years, Europeans accepted, however reluctantly, immigrants from Africa and Asia to do the lowest paying and most menial jobs. They pretend that these groups do not exist, or would go home after a while. Citizenship is withheld even from third generation residents. Commentators suggested that one of the causes of the riots in France is the disrespect in which these ethnic communities are held.

Canada has a mixed history of racial and cultural relations. Almost 150 years ago, Lord Durham made a report which led to responsible government for British North America. His recommendation for the settling of linguistic and cultural conflict was: "benign neglect." He believed that the French in Canada would eventually vanish in the tide of English-speaking immigration. Since then, Canadian practice swings back and forth from care to neglect when it comes to linguistic, cultural and ethnic issues.

The Trudeau government introduced the concept of "multi-culturalism" in Canada at a time when the major sources of immigration came from Europe. We are not always sure what "multi-culturalism" means but we encouraged immigrant groups to participate in helping their fellow newcomers settle in Canada. Public funds assisted festivals and performances with traditional garb and instruments and this has enriched Canada's cultural experience. Most important, a strong message of respect for the differences in Canada's population was conveyed.

Much has changed since Trudeau's time. At present, the main sources of immigration are from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. The number of so-called "visible minorities" has grown and is expected to become the majority in the cities of Toronto and Vancouver in the near future. As in France, many of these newer immigrants are located in high density suburbs where families have lower than average incomes and the young adults, including the native born and the Canadian educated, experience higher than average rates of unemployment.

Add to this, Canada's own internal migration of aboriginals who have moved from the reserves and remote settlements to the cities, especially in western Canada.

Bernard Ostry, once an advisor to Prime Minister Trudeau, proposes a new royal commission to examine issues of immigration, ethnic and cultural integration, and to come up with recommendations for policy and action. In a recent Globe & Mail article, he claims that such commissions--e.g. bilingualism and bi-culturalism, and women--have had a positive effect on policy and practice. Whether this particular approach is desirable or not, it should certainly be considered.

Whatever the approach, we must pay attention. The events in France are a warning. Our failure to act now constitutes malign neglect.--L.K.