A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate. At that time, the French immigrants arrived at Acadia and the River valleys of St. Lawrence. Aside from the various aboriginal First Nations, there is also the nation of francophone Quebecers, that of the anglophones who identify with English Canadian culture, and perhaps that of the Acadians. The question of what it means to be a Canadian — what moral, political or spiritual perspectives it involves — has been a difficult and much-debated one. A more recent view of Canadian identity sees it as marked by a combination of both unity and plurality. Much of the energy of the early Canadian feminist movement occurred in Manitoba. As Canada became increasingly independent and sovereign, its primary foreign relationship and point of reference gradually moved to the United States, the superpower with whom it shared a long border and major economic, social and cultural relationships. considered largely cultural entities. During the 2000 election in the United States, Mercer successfully staged a Talking to Americans segment in which presidential candidate George W. Bush gratefully accepted news of his endorsement by Canadian Prime Minister "Jean Poutine". The identity of Canadians relies on certain features and codes established, ratified, and embraced for years (Morton, 1972). As in the U.S., there are a lot of regional differences across Canada — it is, after all, geographically huge — so that there is no single Canadian “identity.” "[55] Arthur Ray says the war made "matters worse for the native people" as they lost military and political power. In itself, it has actually shown to have little unification with its own natives, and even after they were colonized by various European countries, it has actually failed to combine as one nation. A nation must be based on a sense of belonging, of participating in a common national project, and sharing the same values. 17 Hilarious American-Canadian Differences, According To Tumblr ... Canada does stuff like this. Canadian Identity is what defines us as a nation Travel to most places around the globe and you’ll find the impression most people have of Canada is a vast wilderness teeming with spectacular forests, mountains, lakes, and prairies. marked by a combination of both unity and plurality. I need 3 arguments, and 3 proofs for each argument. "North America beyond NAFTA? [31] In a CBC contest to name "The Greatest Canadian", the three highest ranking in descending order were the social democratic politician and father of medicare Tommy Douglas, the legendary cancer activist Terry Fox, and the Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau, responsible for instituting Canada's official policies of bilingualism and multiculturalism, which suggested that their voters valued left-of-centre political leanings and community involvement. But I can say what the differences between Canadian society and American society are, at least in the broad strokes. This is fully in keeping with Canadian tradition. The unified idea of Canadian identity has taken various forms throughout history. Get a better understanding and appreciation of Indigenous peoples, the role of the monarchy, as well as the languages, anthems and symbols that define Canada’s identity. "The Indians and the fur merchants of Montreal had lost in the end," says Randall White, Dwight L. Smith, "A North American Neutral Indian Zone: Persistence of a British Idea", There is no mention of the historians in the announcement of. The difference between americans and Canadians is that Canadians are smart enough to know the difference americans just have no ******* clue … The differences between America and Canada will certainly be of interest to you if you are a native of either country but others might be fascinated too – I am! Linda Morra. In the 1920s, the Dominion of Canada achieved greater independence from Britain, notably in the Statute of Westminster in 1931. These factors together with the conquest of the British and their settlement in the modern France during the 18thcentury resulted immensely in the development of Can… Further Chinese immigration was limited and then banned by a series of restrictive and racially motivated dominion statutes. [citation needed] On the other hand, concerns have been raised of the danger that "ethnic nationalism will trump civic nationalism"[62] and that Canada will leap "from colony to post-national cosmopolitan" without giving Canadians a fair chance of ever finding a centre of gravity or certain sense of Canadian identity.[63][64]. Mercantilists, Critics of the idea of a fundamentally "liberal Canada" such as David Frum argue that the Canadian drive towards a more noticeably leftist political stance is largely due to the increasing role that Quebec plays in the Canadian government (three of the last five elected Prime Ministers have been Quebecers, four if one includes Ontarian-born Paul Martin). [36][37], While Canadians may dismiss comments that they do not find appealing or stereotypes that are patently ridiculous, Andrew Cohen believes that there is a value to considering what foreigners have to say: "Looking at Canadians through the eyes of foreigners, we get a sense of how they see us. [28], In keeping with this, it is often asserted that Canadian government policies such as publicly funded health care, higher taxation to distribute wealth, outlawing capital punishment, strong efforts to eliminate poverty in Canada, an emphasis on multiculturalism, imposing strict gun control, leniency in regard to drug use and most recently legalizing same-sex marriage make their country politically and culturally different from the United States.[30]. Je me souviens, (English: "I remember"), the motto of Quebec, became the watchword of the Québécois. Well, the difference between any given Canadian and any given American really depends on the individuals, not as much on their nationality. Some of the "stories" for which he solicited comment included the legalization of staplers, the coronation of King Svend, the border dispute between Quebec and Chechnya, the campaign against the Toronto Polar Bear Hunt, and the reconstruction of the historic "Peter Mann's Bridge". ", Stephanie R. Golob. Conservative in politics, distrustful or even hostile towards Americans, republicanism, and especially American republicanism,[14] this group of people marked the British of British North America as a distinctly identifiable cultural entity for many generations, and Canadian commentators continue to assert that the legacy of the Loyalists still plays a vital role in English Canadian identity. But Canada had numerous The Surprising Reason Canadian Thanksgiving Is Different From ... luck at not being American. "[15], Canada was twice invaded by armed forces from the United States during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. As for the role of history in national identity, the books of Pierre Berton and television series like Canada: A People's History have done much to spark the popular interest of Canadians in their history. At the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982, the Quebec premier did not sign it; this led to two unsuccessful attempts to modify the constitution so it would be signed, and another referendum on Quebec independence in 1995 which lost by a slim majority of 50.6%. It now plays a largely symbolic role in the country. of the country due to a multicultural policy that some critics believe has led to ethnic ghettos rather than the assimilation of immigrants. Like Canada, most American high schools have four grades: 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. 17 Hilarious American-Canadian Differences, According To Tumblr ... And then they ask about "Canadian" Thanksgiving. Several immigrant groups settled in sufficient densities to create communities of a sufficient size to exert an influence on Canadian identity, such as Ukrainian Canadians. as well as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Reform Party. [26] (A similar crisis, though much less intense, erupted in World War II.). Carrying through the 20th century and to the present day, Canadian aboriginal art and culture continues to exert a marked influence on Canadian identity. In a way to define what it is that truly makes up the Canadian identity is to say that one must envelop what their country stands for while at the same time finding meaning in what is not Canadian. The Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France resulted in the conquest of New France by the British in 1759 at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, an event that reverberates profoundly even today in the national consciousness of Quebecers. If you need an essay or research paper on Canadian identity essay topics, go on with reading this article. These threats include: untamed nature, as symbolized by the harshness of winter, the wilderness, or Indigenous peoples; Canadian identity and society. Petty says, the segment "was extraordinarily popular and was initiated by viewer demand. These include the Social Credit parties in the west and Quebec, Like British English, Canadian English retains the “-re” ending of nouns which come from French such as “theatre” and “centre”, whereas American English adopts the “-er” ending for all of these words. Those that put the economy first believe that Canada is at its best when it can provide its citizens with an “efficient society.”. The foundational narrative of the United States is that of revolution and expansion. about “cultural mosaic”. Canada: Home of our First Nations. Pierre Trudeau in regards to uniformity stated: Uniformity is neither desirable nor possible in a country the size of Canada. At the time, the Canadian identity did not include non-Europeans. Canada: A wilderness nation, a land of awesome size and grandeur, with savage beauty and incredible obstacles. John Ralston Saul, among others, has noted that the east–west shape of modern Canada had its origins in decisions regarding alliances with the indigenous peoples made by early French colonizers or explorers such as Champlain or De La Vérendrye. Or, as we know it as "Thanksgiving." It was “as Canadian as possible, under the circumstances.”. That said, the civic or political conception of Canada recognizes that the country contains many other kinds of communities, including the national. This view was held by the Chateau Clique in Lower Canada and the Family Compact in Upper Canada. With the gradual loosening of political and cultural ties to Britain in the twentieth century, immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean have reshaped the Canadian identity, a process that continues today with the continuing arrival of large numbers of immigrants from non British or French backgrounds, adding the theme of multiculturalism to the debate. During his long tenure in the office (1968–79, 1980–84), Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau made social and cultural change his political goal for Canada, including the pursuit of an official policy on bilingualism and plans for significant constitutional change. There is no reason to think that the argument will end any time soon. Today, it continues to value the richness and diversity that various cultures contribute to society. Blattberg thus sees Canada as a multinational country and so asserts that it contains a number of nations within it. "[35] Mercer would pose as a journalist in an American city and ask passers-by for their opinions on a fabricated Canadian news story. The west, particularly the oil and gas-producing province of Alberta, opposed many of the policies emanating from central Canada, with the National Energy Program creating considerable antagonism and growing western alienation. Though Canada does have a first ... something to help Canada craft a national identity. Prime Minister Mackenzie King quipped that Canada was a country with "not enough history, too much geography". In many old countries, the name of the dominant ethnic group is synonymous with the country’s identity — for example Germans in Germany, or French in France. Saul argues that Canadian identity is founded not merely on the relationship built of French/English pragmatic compromises and cooperation but rests in fact on a triangular foundation which includes, significantly, Canada's aboriginal peoples. A more recent, postmodernist view of Canadian identity sees it as However, it is noteworthy that many Western provinces (particularly Saskatchewan and British Columbia) also have reputations as supporting leftist and social democratic policies. That we are obedient, conservative, deferential, colonial and complex, particularly so. CHILD EMIGRATION TO CANADA Monarchists pointed to the Crown and the country’s ties with Britain. Canada has a unique problem in that one of its provinces wants to separate from the Confederation. Despite both being democratic countries, the United States and Canada are both fundamentally different in terms of their forms of government. The Statute of Westminster also gave Canada its own monarchy, which remains in personal union with 15 other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The French version roughly translates as 'All the world can serve' or 'Everyone can serve' and 'Let's buy victory bonds. Canada is also considered a mosaic because of the multi-culturalism. The British were assisted again by local militia, this time not only the Canadiens, but also the descendants of the Loyalists who had arrived barely a generation earlier. It remained part of the larger Commonwealth but played an independent role in the League of Nations. [60], On the other hand, critics of Canada's multiculturalism argue that the country's "timid" attitude towards the assimilation of immigrants has actually weakened, not strengthened Canada's national identity through factionalism. between the Indigenous peoples and the European colonists and their descendants. Canada's Official Languages Commissioner (the federal government official charged with monitoring the two languages) has stated, "[I]n the same way that race is at the core of what it means to be American and at the core of an American experience and class is at the core of British experience, I think that language is at the core of Canadian experience."[43]. The settlement of the west also brought to the fore the tensions between the English and French-speaking populations of Canada. [48] The official goal was to make Canadians aware that: In a 2012 poll, 25% of all Canadians ranked their victory in the War of 1812 as the second most important part of their identity after free health care (53%). As a proud product of Canada myself, it's easy to see what make the "Great White North" and the "Land of the Free" so different. In defining a Canadian identity, some distinctive characteristics that have been emphasized are: Canada's large geographic size, the presence and survival of a significant number of indigenous peoples, the conquest of one European linguistic population by another and relatively open immigration policy have led to an extremely diverse society. I mean that in the most positive sense. ', The main crisis regarding Canadian identity came in World War I. Canadians of British heritage were strongly in favour of the war effort, while those of French heritage, especially in Quebec, showed far less interest. The attention of the Dominion Government has been drawn to the fact that the children sent to Canada from England are street waifs and workhouse paupers, and that the professional philanthropists engaged in the work are largely prompted by mercenary and not charitable motives. As a result, most notions of Canadian identity have shifted between the ideas of unity and plurality. Lipset, Seymour Martin, Noah Meltz, Rafael Gomez, and Ivan Katchanovski. have stressed the more liberal elements of their platforms. Monarchists pointed to the Crown and the country’s ties with Britain. The question is whether the ethnic group wants recognition and self-determination from the state, or if they identify primarily with Canada. [51] The British had a long-standing goal of building a "neutral" but pro-British Indian buffer state in the American Midwest. They have emphasized either a vision of “one” Canada or a nation of “many” Canadas. shared understanding. The royal elite of (what is now) Ontario gained much more power in the aftermath and used that power to repel American ideas such as democracy and republicanism, especially in those areas of Ontario settled primarily by Americans. Originally, there were two main competing views on the question of Canadian identity. These include not only communities of ethnic, regional, religious, civic (the provincial and municipal governments) and civil associational sorts, but also national communities. Another approach moves in between, rather than combining these two extremes. In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adapt multiculturalism as an official policy. [16], The years following the War of 1812 were marked by heavy immigration from Great Britain to the Canadas and, to a lesser degree, the Maritime Provinces, adding new British elements (English, Scottish and Protestant Irish) to the pre-existing English-speaking populations. In a poll that asked what institutions made Canada feel most proud about their country, number one was health care, number two was the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and number three was peacekeeping. John Herd Thompson and Stephen J. Randall, Jasper Trautsch, "Review of Whose War of 1812? The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by two fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relations between English Canadians and French Canadians stemming from the French Canadian imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the generally close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, resulting in a gradual political process towards complete … Canadians have never reached a consensus on a single, unified conception of the country. This view of the common good in Canada encourages a strictly political, rather than national, conception of the country. It is also the professional historians, their books and periodicals. Often, it depends on which authority is given the final word over matters of profound disagreement. Legislative restrictions on immigration that had favoured British and other European immigrants were removed in the 1960s. Examples As a result of this emphasis on liberalism, Canadian political parties hoping to form a government The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by two fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relations between English Canadians and French Canadians stemming from the French Canadian imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the generally close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, resulting in a gradual political process towards complete independence from the imperial power. It would have recognized Quebec as a “distinct society” and allowed its citizens to be treated differently than other Canadians. Each of these positions has been well-represented in the debate over the nature of Canadian identity. From the founding by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons of Port Royal in 1605, (the beginnings of French settlement of Acadia) and the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Canada was ruled from and settled almost exclusively by French colonists. Commonplaces of Canadian Culture and Identity 1. Instead, they are [27], Much of the debate over contemporary Canadian identity is argued in political terms, and defines Canada as a country defined by its government policies, which are thought to reflect deeper cultural values. In January 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised the creation of a new sub-ministerial cabinet portfolio with the title Canadian Identity for the first time in Canadian history, naming Jason Kenney to the position of Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity. [52][53] They demanded a neutral Indian state at the peace conference in 1814 but failed to gain any of it because they had lost control of the region in the Battle of Lake Erie and the Battle of the Thames in 1813, where Tecumseh was killed. He inserted this into the Constitution during its patriation from Britain. Multiculturalism and inter-ethnic relations in Canada is relaxed and tolerant, allowing ethnic or linguistic particularism to exist unquestioned. One difference is that instead of saying "first grade" or "seventh grade" like Americans, Canadians say "grade one" or "grade seven". The most noticeable difference between Canadian and American politics is the head of state: America is led by a president while Canada, like many other Commonwealth countries has a prime minister. If you would like to share your ideas on preserving Canadian English, we invite you to contribute a post to the Our Languages Blog. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. 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