The difference being that in Canada we recognize two "official" language's, French and English. We don't expect others to integrate, but rather offer them the freedom to practice there language, culture, religion and traditions openly. Canada is not considered a melting pot but rather a salad bowl, each ethnicity is recognized as unique and not expected to meld into the whole of Canadian Culture. We encourage diversity of all sorts.
Does it work in practice is debatable and depends on what side of the issue you find yourself... While I apprechiate the rights of the French to be able to recieve all services and programs in their mother tonque, the cost to the tax payer to provide services in both languages is enormous..
Further, recently there have been a lot of situations were in an effort to be PC, we have gone to far. For instance, Government offices and schools can no longer openly celebrate or decorate for holidays such as Christmas due to its Christian (more acurately Pegan) background, as it may offend employee's of other faiths... All very reasonable, and understandable, but at times seems to be missing the origional intent of the salad bowl theory...
There was a principle in a local elementary school here in NB who recently halted the daily morning singing of the national anthem due to references to God in the anthem. He did this out of respect of a minority of kids who where from different faiths. He said he would continue to play the anthem for special assembly's as a comprimise. This single incident created a huge national debate that ended in the principle quietly resigning. The poor guy recieved death threats... I cannot imagine being that blindly patriotic that I would threaten a man's life because he was attempting to be respectful and tolerent... It's not like we choose where we are born... I could just as easily be Afgan or German... People are strange indeed..
So exactly why is it that the "minority religion" kids can't be tolerant of the majority when the anthem is sung?