Canada Lacks A Real National Identity

Canada Lacks A Real National Identity

I believe that Canada lacks a real national identity. Canadians tend to identify with community and region rather than the nation. Because Canada has such a great cultural diversity the Canadian identity is shaped by our values and attitudes as they have emerged from our history and geography. Bilingualism and multiculturalism are very important to the Canadian identity. They both strengthen and challenge Canadian identity. Because Canada has so many cultural and regional groups, interaction between them influences one¹s identity.

Differing views of Canada by Canadians and other countries prove that Canada does not have a true national identity. Because of these factors Canada lacks a national identity, one which everyone can recognize.

When someone asks a Canadian what his nationality is, he does not reply,

³Canadian², instead, ³German², ³Scottish² or ³Ukrainian². This is because we as

Canadians do not see ourselves as distinct Canadians. We need to have a common idea of what it is to be Canadian rather than always identifying with the place we came from. We identify with community or region over nation. To gain a

Canadian identity we must learn to identify with a nation, Canada. This is one of the main reasons we lack a Canadian identity, because we as Canadians do not really think of ourselves as Canadians. We may be Canadians but we think of

Canada as a place of refuge rather than a home. This ties in with our lack of patriotism. Many Canadians that I know, come Olympic time or another big world competition, rather that cheering for Canada, will cheer for their home country.

A reason for this is because of our multicultural society. Because in Canada, Œ anything goes¹, there is no push to be Canadian. So they can do what they want and carry on with their cultural traditions. Because there is really no

Canadian identity to begin with, it makes it all the easier for them to carry on as they wish. This explains why people who are Canadian citizens tend to identify more with community or region than with Canada.

Canadians all have different values and traditions, like any country, but in Canada there is a great diversity of values and traditions. This makes it harder for people to identify with each other. Alexander and Pearl e...

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...e West feel alienated by the East and think that they are not cared about, that they do not have an equal opportunity with those in the East. Those in the East think the Westerners are treated the same and that there is nothing for them to be upset about. Canadians as a whole do not see Canada the way the other countries do. Canadians don¹t think we are as great of a country as we really are. The country of Canada lacks a true national identity, partly because of all of the different views of Canada.

Because of many factors, Canada lacks a real national identity.

Canadians identify with community, region, but rarely a nation. Values, attitudes and cultures of different groups shape identity as they have emerged from our history and geography. Bilingual and multicultural polices which help people preserve their own cultures can also have an affect on Canadian identity.

Interaction between groups and people that have different views on Canada can influence the Canadian identity. Even though people have their own idea of the

Canadian identity, Canada lacks a true national identity, one that is clearly

Canadian and can be recognized by anybody, anywhere.