The Third Sector: Cultural Diversity and Civil Society

<jats:p> This paper provides a general overview of the types, membership bases, major positions, and political strategies of cultural groups and policy networks in Canadian cultural policy. There is a need for independent and critical research which can assess and respond to the growth of the several cultural coalitions operating throughout civil society. Within this context, the Canadian and multilateral initiative around a separate cultural accord in global politics offers an avenue of possibility for Canadian rethinking of the value of cultural diversity on the local, national, and international levels. The paper concludes with some suggestions for applying the principles of civic realism to the politics of cultural diversity. </jats:p>