Research Assignment: Expo 67 and National Identity
What does it mean to be Canadian? What is Canada’s national identity? These are questions which are difficult to answer. The International and Universal Exposition in 1967, or otherwise known as Expo 67, was an exhibition held in Montreal, Quebec from April to October, which was celebrating Canada’s centennial. I found many primary and secondary sources that recognize how Canadians perceive national identity through the exhibition. The theme for the Expo was ‘Man and his World’ and this raised the sense of national pride for Canadians. I found some sources that looked at ‘Canadian National Identity’ as a whole; as well as Canadian National Identity for the Natives, the French Canadians and English Canadians. Themes that are recurrent include how to represent Canadian national identity at the exposition, the French/English relationship towards Expo 67, as well as the search for a united Canada.
Primary Sources
Lister Sinclair’s pamphlet Change Comes to Canada was distributed at the Canadian Government Pavilion during Expo 67. Sinclair looks at the meaning of the name Canada. She analyses common points in people’s daily lives such as the meaning of ‘our home and native land,’ Canadian history, Canadian resources, transportation, climate and culture that tie each Canadian together. She claims that “every Canadian who thinks about Canada has his own idea about the meaning of that dream.” She argues that there is no actual national identity but individual identities that made up our national identity. She challenges the questions related to a national identity. It is interesting that something that questions the national identity would be distributed at Expo 67; but, it provides in...
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...ally and Joanne Sloan, 27-46. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010.
Miedema, Gary. “Changing the Meaning of the Word ‘Canada’: State-Sponsored Public Religion at Expo 67.” In For Canada’s Sake: Public Religion, Centennial Celebrations, and the Remaking of Canada in the 1960’s, edited by Gary Miedema 114-136. Montreal: McGill- Queen’s University Press, 2005.
Ontario Department of Economics and Development. Predispositions and Expectations of Ontarians with Respect to Expo ’67. Toronto: Institute for Analytical Research, 1967.
Rembold, Elfie. “Exhibitions and National Identity.” National Identities 1, no.3 (1999): 221-225.
Sinclair, Lister. Change Comes To Canada. Montreal: Canadian Government Pavilion Expo 67, 1967.
Speir, Rosemary. “Indians Migrating to Expo Pavilion.” The Canadian Press, August 9, 1967. http://expo67.ncf.ca/expo_67_news_index.html.
Although Quebec is in Canada, a majority of Quebecers do not identify with the national identity of Canada. Both societies create a sense of identity as well as nationalism (Hiller, 295). Hiller mentions two approaches to assessing Canadian identity; the unitary approach and the segmentalist approach (Hiller, 277). The unitary approach suggests that society consists of people who regardless of their ethnic back ground, identify as belonging to the national society, while the segmentalist approach concentrates on groups and communities that share racial, linguistic, occupational, or cultural similarities (Hiller, 28). While most Anglophones are more unitary or pan-Canadian, Quebec heavily identifies with the segmentalist approach. This dissimilarity of identity perspective may be problematic for the country, at the same time however, it can also be viewed as a struggle where contradictory parties find a way to compromise and reshape Canadian society together (Hiller, 277). Canada’s former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau made it his objective to unite Quebec with the rest of Canada. In 1969 Trudeau’s government implemented Bill C-120, otherwise known as the Official Language act, which made French an...
...to identity with at least one of the countries predominate languages, English or French, dictated the degree in which they could participate in Canadian life. According to the Commission, this participation was real under two conditions: “that both societies, the French-speaking as well as the English-speaking, accept[ed] newcomers much more rapidly than they have done in the past; and that the two societies willingly allow other groups to preserve and enrich, if they so desire, the cultural values they prize[d]” (RCBB Book 1 xxv). It creates an interesting take on the acceptance of those “othered” groups, as change was necessary not only on the part of the minorities but also from Canada’s French and English-speakers. The Commissions work remains focused on language and culture, more so than ethnicity amongst a bilingual, bicultural and “othered” Canadian society.
When asking some of my friends why they would often say that their families all still spoke their native language or that they lived in a community which a lot of people still spoke the language as well. This is why it’s hard to describe a Canadian identity. We are a very diverse country that celebrates differences. I don’t think there is one Canadian Identity, I think everyone has their own that is influenced by the many different cultural identities that we celebrate in
‘Roots Nationalism’ was a product of the globalizing world economy, of the growing emphasis on branded clothing and lifestyles, and of the particularities of the national crisis in Canada” (Carstairs 2012). This statement clearly argues that the brand ‘Roots’ created Canadian identity and used it as a mechanism to sell their product. Carstairs also mentioned that “over the past two decades, Roots, along with other companies such as Molson (a beer company whose leading brand, Canadian, features a maple leaf) and Tim Hortons (a chain of coffee and doughnut shops created by Canadian hockey great Tim Horton that capitalizes on Canadians’ love of doughnuts and coffee) has created a new type of branded nationalism in Canada” as this can be called stereotypes of Canadian lifestyle and using Canadian symbols to promote and sell products (Carstairs 2012). Furthermore, in 1983, “Roots was declared a good example of how a very human-orientated business can be carried on in the 80’s through integrity, quality and honestly” as this just shows how beneficial it is for people to have Roots merchandise through the manipulation of branding using nationalism (Patricia
Any person, place or event that has held the honour of being commemorated in Canada has been recognized of an extreme importance to the country. It is impossible to research commemoration in Canada without reading about world war one and two; The great wars are arguably the most commemorated events in History let alone Canada. Understanding this they are not the only events that receive attention from Canada, the government recognizes many other occurrences as, well, anything from Sir John A. Macdonald day on the 11th of January to the anniversary of the statute of Westminster on the 11th of December. I do not believe that any one event can be placed above or below another, and that they all hold a value in whatever way that may be. This Essay
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
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
What does it mean to be a Canadian? What are the common values shared by the Canadian citizens? Denise Chong, who was an economic advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister, delivered the speech “Being Canadian” during the Canadian citizenship week, 1995. She explains in this speech the importance of Canadian citizenship, the values shared by the Canadians and how to strengthen the Canadian values.
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.
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Over time, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms, media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence, it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada.
Expo 67 was a defining moment for Canada because it made the whole world notice how good Canada really was and is today. Expo also put Canada on the map as a successful country by hosting the biggest word’s fair in history. It also showed the world that both the English and French could work together in a major project like Expo 67. This experience of both the English and the French working together could also result in making more bigger and better projects in Canada. Last but not least, Expo told everyone that Canada was a great and beautiful place to visit and it made more and more people wanting to visit the country, and see Canada first hand.
The background cause and context of Expo 67 was crucial to the success of the event, due to the uniqueness of Expo 67 as it celebrated the hosting country’s advancements and centennial, the collaborative efforts of different Canadians and the large cost allowed the creation the amazing attractions. The event itself, was highly successful, attracted millions of tourists to Canada and displayed Canada’s advancements. Expo 67 also, sparked the sovereigntist movement, positively impacted Canada and strengthened Canada’s reputation. Expo 67, unlike other events, is significant as it directly relates to modern-day Canada, as the country is approaching the 150th anniversary. Through analysis of Expo 67, Canadians can compare the progression of this nation from 50 years ago. From the 1967 world exhibition, one can learn the importance of international events on a country since it promotes the country to the world in a unique way, and increased national
Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American sphere of influence. Although it is true that the book was initially written as a response to the events that took place in the late 1950s, many of the points are still valid today.
One of the common criticisms of national pride is the development of xenophobic, “Us vs. Them” thinking. Living in Canada, a nation which has a relatively small population of approximately 33,390,000, compared to America, a country of an estimated 303,824,000 people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008), gave me a glimpse of how this kind of thinking can work. Canadian culture is, at its core, incredibly nationalist. Canadians have an irrational fear of cultural dilution at the hands of America's exported entertainment, news, and world politics. Given the fear and righteous self-view of the dominant culture, it is an inevitability that co-cultures separated from the dominant culture by national identity are treated as sub-cultures.
The first thing we should examine is what exactly is meant by “strong national identity”. A very good example of strong national identity is the U.S.. I doubt there is a man on this planet who is not familiar with the U.S.. People immediately recognize their flag, and most people can tell you quite a bit about them. The same is true of Canada, and what do they know of Canada? In 1995 U.S. President Bill Clinton stated his view of Canada in a speech where he declared, “Canada has shown the world how to balance freedom with compassion and tradition with innovation, in your efforts to provide health care to all your citizens, to treat senior citizens with the dignity and respect they deserve...”(Canada Today 9). We were also rated first in the UN’s 1992 “Human Development Index” (9).