A 1974 study surveyed the ethnic and multicultural content in prescribed elementary and secondary curricula used across Canada during the 1974-75 school year. Data sources were the documents for social studies, social science, and history programs published by the provincial and territorial departments of education; correspondence provided information on rationales, policy statements, and guidelines used for developing ethnic studies. Although Native Indian and Inuit were accorded highest visibility (particularly in elementary school), there was an overwhelming British and French cultural perspective within most curricula. Numerically significant groups (one quarter of Canada's population) such as the German, Italian, and Ukranian were conspicuously absent. At the elementary school level, notions of culture and ethnicity were generally defined as material things, with emphasis on the unique, static, and different. At the secondary level these notions were conceived historically as heritage. There was little emphasis upon cognitive culture or contemporary culture change. Curriculum developers appeared to be culturally monopolarized at times and there were virtually no suggestions for preservice or inservice training for the use or development of ethnic and multicultural studies. Because of possible consequences which images and stereotypes have for students, the underlying finding was a need for ethnic studies which are truly ethnic in name, content, and perspective. (BR)