Canada and its cultural identity

The term "culture" has several different meanings. It may refer to the appreciation and
understanding of literature, the arts, and music. It may even refer to growing bacteria for
study. For this study, the concept of the culture of a nation is important: the culture of a nation
comprises many aspects. It is shaped and moulded by the background of its people, their
languages and beliefs. It includes the many ways that people express themselves in words,
movement, music and images. It reveals itself in the ways people choose to spend their time,
the music they listen to, the books they read and the films they watch, the sports they
encourage, and the historical sites and natural environments they protect. These factors shape
how a nation sees itself, and how it establishes its identity. The culture of a nation is said to be
the expression of the character of that nation. anadian culture is held to be the mirror that
reflects the lives, histories, and identities of anadians. For this reason, governments have
tried to protect and promote anadian culture through subsidies and regulation.
!hen the word "culture" is combined with the ad"ective "anadian," the problem is
compounded. It is made even more difficult when "culture" is combined with "identity" in
such phrases as "the cultural identity of anadians." The #overnment of anada argues that
"the ongoing cultural dialogue ... defines our national identity, our shared values, and the
common social purpose that provides the foundation of democratic institutions." Further,
cultural content must "reflect our linguistic duality and cultural diversity."
National identity?
$ccording to %ierre &erton, "'ne of the unifying forces of anada is the long debate about
who we are. (o other country debates the way we do, and that is because of the presence of
the )*nited+ ,tates". In light of the growing diversity of anadians- values, this debate is
likely to become more fractious. .et /arshall /c0uhan once said that "anada is the only
country in the world that knows how to live without an identity" 1!ilson2,mith, 3445, p. 678.
The famous anadian architect $rthur 9rickson agrees. :e argues that anada-s lack of
national identity will prove to be their strength in the next century as the world moves toward
a "humanity2wide consciousness." &y having "no history of cultural or political hegemony2
almost no history at all to hinder us2we are welcomed over all other nations. !e are more
open to, curious about, and perceptive of other cultures."
'n the basis of extensive polling on anadians- "silent but deep patriotism," $nthony !ilson2
,mith 1344;, p. <8 argues that "anadians are convinced there is such a thing as a uni=ue
national identity2even if they are unable to agree on what constitutes it." $mong the more
interesting findings are the following:
>? percent of the respondents agreed with the assertion that anadians have a distinct
character.
!hat makes anadians distinct@ $ tendency toward non2violence 17AB8, and a tolerance of
others 164B8.
!hat makes anada distinct from the *, and other countries@ ,ocial programs 17<B8 and
a non2violent tradition 167B8. &ut what about the persistent tensions relating to Cuebec@
anadians are evenly divided on whether anada is becoming more like the *,. ,ome ?5
percent of respondents who said they would rather move to the *, than to a particular part of
anada said they would rather not move to Cuebec.
,ome >> percent of men and >7 percent of women agreed with the proposition that the way
they view themselves revolves largely around the work they do. This is surely one of the most
interesting findings for it hardly supports the arguments of cultural nationalists that anadian
content re=uirements are critical to anadians- sense of identity as individuals.
anadians lead the world in pride of their enduring political system. In fact, says a new
international poll testing national pride, anadians are among the most proud people in the
world on a broad range of achievements they attribute to their country. anada rated third
over all among 67 nations polled in 344; on a list of 3; =uestions designed to test civic pride
in areas such as the economy, culture, the military, and sports. Ireland was first and the *,
second. 1&eltrame, 344<, p. $3A8. $t the same time, the results of a recent =uestionnaire
indicate that most anadians are ignorant of the country-s past, people, and geography
19venson, 344<8. ,usan Delacourt has offered a new interpretation of anadian identity.
!e are the world-s reigning experts at imagining how other people think and feel, even about
us. !e can put ourselves in somebody else-s shoes at the drop of a maple leaf.... &ilingualism,
multiculturalism, and religious and political pluralism are all part of the complicated mix that
we call anadian society. They function with tolerance, but they flourish on empathy. %eople
talk about anada being an act of will. It may be more correct to say it-s an act of willingness.
To be anadian means to be willing to shrug off your own identity so you can imagine what
it-s like to be someone else.
!hen compared to other public policy ob"ectives, how important is the search for anadian
identity@ $ recent survey of 6,754 members of the general public and <47 eliteEdecision
makers 1political, bureaucratic, and corporate officials8 asked them to rank 66 values for the
federal government.
"anadian identity" was ranked fifteenth by the general public and seventeenth by the elite.
"(ational unity" was ranked seventeenth by the general public while the elite ranked it
number 36. 1The four items on which there was the greatest disparity were "ompetitiveness,"
number 3 for the elite, number 6A for the general publicF "/inimal #overnment," numbers 7
and 66 respectivelyF "9xcellence," numbers ; and 3< respectivelyF and "9=uality for all
Gegions," number 34 for the elite and number > for the general public.8
anadians2unlike officials in :eritage anada or the GT2do not seem anxious about
national identity. $ national poll of 3,;AA anadians age 3< or older conducted in (ovember
3445 found that concerns about anada-s culture or national identity were not expressed by
even one percent in response to the =uestion, "!hat is the most important problem facing
anada@" To this open2ended =uestion, responses were grouped into 3; categories and culture
or identity was not one of them. The top five issues were: unemployment 173B8F
deficitEgovernment spending 13;B8F national unity 13;B8F the economy in general 15B8F and
health care 1;B8. It is possible that the "national unity" category refers to culture and identity
as well as the threat of separation by Cuebec.
These figures should give pause to the cultural nationalists bent on using the coercive powers
of the state to "create" a national identity and ensure cultural sovereignty. /ost anadians2
including the political and bureaucratic elite2think many other issues are much more
important.
Shared values
If national identity is about shared values, what values do anadians share@ In a mid2344?
national poll, when anadians were asked to say what "most ties us together as a nation," the
top response was "our system of government." !hen specific suggestions were offered there
was substantial agreement on health care and hockeyH 1Dwyer, 344?, p. 3>8. !hile ;3 percent
of Cuebeckers say that their view of anada is a relationship among 3A e=ual provinces, 57
percent of those in the rest of anada give this response 1Dwyer, 344?, p. 3>8.
Iune allwood suggests that "now it seems, there are hundreds of nations at war within
anada-s bosom ... the rage produced by frustration and mistrust between geographical,
cultural, and religious divisions is drowning out reason." $s for the things that most divide us,
the top three were: Cuebec separatism 165B8, bilingualismElanguage 167B8, and multi2
culturalism 15B8 1Dwyer, 344?, p. 3<8. 'ne has only to think of the 'ctober 344; referendum
in Cuebec to appreciate how divided it is. The people of that province are divided on a central
issue. It is difficult to define the character of anada, to define its important values and to
distinguish them from those of other nations.
The rather fatuous notion of old, that anadians sometimes are, well, nicer, is not entirely
hogwash. anada-s human rights legislations are a codified form of public conscience....
%erhaps the unifying vision for anada is civility. Fairness to others is a modest aspiration
when compared with the dreams of world leadership implied by $merica-s soaring eagle or
Iapan-s rising sun but many advantages would accrue a nation that becomes renowned for a
patriotic duty to be kind. 1allwood, 344?, p. <8
$ few years ago, a Globe and Mail editorial sought to give voice to "the anadian idea," what
"we stand for as a nation:"
/ost of us already know in our hearts. !e are against the idea that people should be treated
differently because of their skin colour, language, religion, or background. !e are for the idea
that all anadians should be treated as full citiJens. !e are against the idea that any person is
more purely anadian than another, no matter how far back his or her anadian ancestry
goes. !e are for the idea that everyone should have an e=ual chance to succeed on his or her
merit. !e are against ethnic nationalism, in which people of common ethnicity rule
themselves2masters in their own house. !e are for civic nationalism, in which people of
different backgrounds come together under the umbrella of common citiJenship to form a
community of e=uals. 'urs is a modern nationalism: liberal, decent, tolerant, and colour2
blind. That is what anada represents to the millions of people who come here from other
countries. That is the idea of anada. 1Globe and Mail, (ovember ?, 344;,8
This brief discussion is useful because it spells out the values and behaviours that anada-s
"national newspaper" says makes us what we are as a nation. &ut it is important to note that
there is no mention of cultural nationalism or the need for a pervasive and intrusive
broadcasting policy to ensure ade=uate anadian content on radio or television stations.
,o why does the federal government intervene in cultural activities and, in particular,
establish elaborate anadian content regulations in broadcasting@ Is the policy attributable to
a weak sense of national identity@
Weak national identity: English Canada versus French Canada
%rofessor 9dward #rabb 1344?, p. 3648 notes that anadians are notorious for wondering
about who and what we are, and inevitably seem to define our own identity by comparing
ourselves with $mericans. /ore than a few observers have suggested that, in fact, anadian
identity is very difficult to describe or explain, except as a negative. In other words, whatever
anadians are, the one certainty is that they are not $mericans.
#rabb 1344?, p. 3768 notes that several analysts have suggested that "our relatively weak
national identity )as compared to that of $mericans+, especially among 9nglish anadians, is
one reason why anada is able to accommodate such diversity in its cultural composition."
:e notes that anada-s foreign2born population 135 percent of the total8 is more than twice
that of the *, and ranks as one of the highest in the world.
This diversity includes regional and linguistic diversity 1but only to a limit of two official
languages8 and multi2culturalism which is reinforced by a host of federal government policies.
The result is a "mosaic," rather than a "melting pot." In summary, it is argued that anada-s
identity is its diversity or multiplicity of different identities. &ut we know that individuals do
not thrive on multiple identities or internal diversity. Those who have this characteristic may
be diagnosed as schiJophrenics. an a nation thrive with multiple identities@
In contrast to most 9nglish anadians, "French anadians are believed to have a very clear
understanding of who they are as a people and, in this way, are much more like $mericans in
their nationalism and patriotic fervour"2for Cuebec, not anada 1#rabb, 344?, p. 3768. $s a
result, support for anadian content in Cuebec., French2language programming, has always
been strong.
!hen television began in anada in 34;6, /ontreal =uickly became the world-s second2
largest centre of French2language TK production. 9ver since, Cuebec television and radio
have been dominated by indigenous production. For example, TK$, the province-s largest TK
broadcaster, includes only one *, drama series in its weekday prime2time schedule. To the
envy of producers in 9nglish anada, the unprompted allegiance of Cuebeckers to home2
grown shows has been enough to make TK production a largely profitable business within the
province.
!hile the federal government uses a host of policies to differentiate anada from the *,,
Cuebec employs at least as many policies differentiating itself from the rest of anada. The
motto must be Vive la difference! Indeed, much of the political 1and cultural8 elite in Cuebec
is determined to create a new nation2state so as to better able to express their concept of a
uni=ue identity. anada-s tolerance for diversity goes so far as to subsidiJe the federal party
which is openly and energetically devoted to the creation of a sovereign Cuebec.
learly, both the existence of a national identity and the nature of that identity for anadians
is contested. It is also hard to agree on the key values shared by most anadians. The national
identity of francophones seems to be better defined than that of anglophones. (o wonder there
is so much debate about the role of anadian content regulations in shaping national identity.