On October 16 and 17, 2003, the Department of Canadian Heritage, in partnership with the Canadian Embassy in France, hosted in Gatineau (Quebec) a conference and workshop on Canadian and French Perspectives on Diversity. This event was a follow- up to an earlier one hosted by the Institut de Recherché sur les Sociétés Contemporaines (IRESCO) of the Centre national de la recherché scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, in the spring of 2001. Both events, along with a workshop to take place in Paris June 3 to 6, 2004, were held to increase understanding between the two countries in matters of diversity, and ultimately to foster comparative research in this area in time for the celebration of Champlain’s 400 year ago arrival in Canada. This edition of Canadian Issues is devoted to highlighting some of the research involved in the October 2003 event.