Over the past few years, a number of commentators have argued that we as a nation have reached the end of one stage of our cultural development, but are having trouble finding the way into the next (Tom Henighan, quoted in Conlogue; Kingwell, quoted in Cobbs, A3). I want to develop this theme.
1. introduction
I take the matter of arts funding as an index of this country's commitment to the arts. In funding the arts, our governments at all levels take a middle way, below the European approach, which tends to be complete support, and above the American approach, which tends to be a combination of private patronage and free market (Conlogue). I employ the terms "old order" and "new order" to evoke old world thinking and new world thinking in this matter. I want to identify the dynamics at work here, rather than develop a detailed history of cultural policies.
2. the old order
We begin with the British connection, which for many generations was strong indeed (I follow Bliss 2003a). Great Britain gave birth to British North America and later (1867) the Dominion of Canada. We gained our independence from Britain in 1931, when Parliament in Great Britain passed the Statute of Westminster, clarifying the powers of the dominion governments; at Canada's request, the British Parliament retained the power to amend the BNA Act, i.e., the Canadian constitution.
In short, Canada's political institutions, its economic orientation, the flow of immigrants, its dominant culture were shaped by the Mother Country. The Thirteen Colonies had left (1776) the British Empire in violent revolution and had developed distinctive political and social institutions, leading the world in the development of democracy and individual liberties. Canada...
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...003a, p. A12.
---. "Deux Nations in the socialist North." National Post, 14 January 2003b, p. A14.
---. "The Multicultural North American Hotel." National Post, 15 January 2003c, p. A14.
Cobb, Chris. "What does it mean to be a Canadian?" National Post, 2 July 2005, p. A3.
Conlogue, Ray. "Culture is a Blood Sport." Globe and Mail, 10 May 2001, p. A15.
Fulford, Robert. "How Massey smothered the Arts." National Post, 22 December 2001, p. A16.
Garnham, Nicholas. "Concepts of Culture: Public Policy and the Cultural Industries" (1985). In Ann Gray and Jim McGuigan (eds.), Studying Culture: An introductory Reader. 2nd edn. London: Arnold, 1997, pp. 54-61.
Taylor, Kate. "Fifty Years ago Canada's Culture began to Bloom." Globe and Mail, 6 April 2002, pp. R1 and R10.
Ward, Olivia. "What's in Canadian Culture for the Americans." Calgary Herald, 17 February 1987, p. A 5.
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.
Canada experienced the revolution of changing politics and new ideologies, it was a necessary wave
Is Canada a nation or has its control just switched empirical hands? As Professor Hutcheson asked, did Canada go from "Colony to Nation or Empire to Empire?" This question has greatly influenced Canada's changing identity since her birth as a British colony with Confederation in 1867 to the present day. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the shifting Canadian identities between the years 1890 to 1960. The objective is to illustrate Canada's transforming identity by using the novels The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and to connect the stories of each of these works of fiction to the varying political, economic, and social issues of their times. Each book is written by a prominent author, and portrays an accurate reflection of the demanding political, economic, and social concerns throughout the late nineteen and first half of the twentieth century of Canadian history. All of the novels reflect Canada's peripheral view of the world, as opposed to a central point of view, because throughout its history Canada has always been perceived as a secondary player. As George Grant says in his literary piece Lament for a Nation, Canada is "a branch plant society" , meaning Canada is controlled by another power. The essential question is where has Canada's loyalties traditionally lay and how has this shaped the Canadian identity. The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, written in 1904 reflects a very British influenced Canada. At this time, Canada is still a British colony under British rule, and the people of Canada are very content to consider themselves British. The novel predominately ill...
Canada, G. o. (2013, 05 13). Defining Culture. Retrieved 03 12, 2014, from Statistics Canada: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/87-542-x/2011001/section/s3-eng.htm
The history between the British Empire and its dominions always was significantly distinguished through the strong ties which people connected to the mother-country of Britain. However, as always in history changes were about to happen as each dominion urged to become more and more independent. The end of this process is marked by the Statute of Westminster passed in 1931 which granted the former dominions full legal freedom and established legislative equality between the now self-governing dominions of the British Empire. Therefore, the Statute of Westminster is one of the most remarkable acts in Canadian history as it set the road to the development of Canada in which we live today.
Wallace, W. “The Growth of Canadian National Feeling.” The Canadian Historical Review Vol. 1, No. 1 (March, 1920), pp 136-165.
Stevenson, Garth. "Canadian Federalism: The Myth of the Status Quo." Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century. Ed. M. Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2003. 204-14. Print.
Finally, if the comparison were ever made a survey, it would really show the full scale of Americanization in Canada. But until now we can only see from the daily life, how American culture is inviting Canada. Today more then ever, Canadians are in real danger of loosing their national identity. It is unfortunate that if the study of this cultural influence will be done few years later, it might be too late to save Canadian culture and identity.
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
Spicer, Keith. 1991. Citizen’s Forum on Canada’s Future: Report to the People and Government of
Have you ever wondered which events in Canadian history have been the most significant in shaping Canadian identity? Many significant events in the twentieth century left a lasting legacy for Canada. Canada would not be the culturally rich, prosperous and progressive nation that it is today, without its immigration patterns in the past. World War I (WWI) was also a significant event as it united Canada and left behind a legacy of sacrifice and national pride. Economic development during the post war period contributed to Canadian success nationally and globally. Immigration, WWI and economic development were significant events in Canadian twentieth century history. Each event brought new and powerful
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
...nguage, and religion all make up Canada’s human face, but also front how the cultural accommodation will continue with the risk of losing Canada’s main traditions. Faultlines again come into perspective within demographic issues, especially with newcomers/old-timers, aboriginal population expansions, and French/English language. The core/periphery model is also represented. The end of the chapter places a focus on Canada’s economic face as well, dealing with stresses inside the global economy as well as its strong dependency on the U.S markets (Bone, 169) especially with the stimulating global recession. Canada’s economic structure leans on the relative share of activity in the primary (natural resource extraction), secondary (raw material assembly), tertiary (sale/exchange of goods and services), and quaternary (decision-making) sectors of the economy (Bone, 166).
Canada’s own identity starts with our remarkable sense of culture and customs. For the native peoples, the Canadian identity stretches thousands of years into the search of struggles to retain elements of their ancient culture. From a colonial perspective, the traditions which surface in Canadian culture seem to be born of an earlier time, of different origins and places, of old-fashioned rituals, and customs. Unlike the United States, its senior neighbor, Canada’s aged-like identity is more reserved and skillful, unwilling to commit it self to anything specific. Within each region of Canada-
Kroeber, A. and C. Klockhohn, Culture: A Critical Review of Concept and Definition New York: Vintage Books, 1989.