Canada 150 is an important time for every Canadian to find out what makes us a nation. It represents 150 years since Canada has become a country. Many Canadians with celebrate in different ways that show their own national pride and why there are proud to be Canadian. However, the one event that stands out from the rest is Participaction’s Canada 150 Play List. Participaction’s goal is help Canadian’s sit less and move more. So, for Canada 150, they created a playlist, that included votes from over 450,000 Canadian’s, in which had activities for communities in every part of Canada to do. The idea is to get different communities or schools or families to do an event on the list, and have a chance to win a prize, like a ticket to the grey cup …show more content…
This is the underlying truth as to why Participaction decided to do their 150 Play List. Doing all these activities helps Canadian’s come closer together because it encourages us to do things together instead of separately. When we get communities together for events, it gives those people a sense of togetherness and Canadian pride because you know that these are the things that give us an identity. In a Journal named Thoughts about Togetherness, it says what exactly “togetherness” means. To Bert Van Oers, togetherness “describes the fact that an activity does not break down when problems have to be faced and when conflicts have to be settled in the context of that activity. Instead, the participants in that activity demonstrate an implicit or explicit wish to continue their shared activity,” (Van Oers 106). I believe that this is what Participaction wants out of their Canada 150 Play List. They want to give Canadian’s something to rally around because we are so used to being in the shadow of the American’s that we aren’t one hundred percent positive about what truly makes us Canadian. As a Canadian, I do believe that being part of a group is what identifies me because of days like July 1st (Canada Day). These days also have events across the nation that bring people together and in a sense, brings the whole country together. Whenever there is a huge sporting event, like the Olympics, Canadians always watch with other Canadians to support the teams. It wouldn’t be the same if each Canadian watched on their own; you wouldn’t feel the same sense of pride. Basically, the meaning for Participaction in creating this Play List, on the surface anyway, was to help Canadians stay active for their physical and emotional health. However, if you look deeper, it was so Canadian’s can gain a sense of togetherness, which in turn, gives us national pride and truly shows us what
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...
Canada is an ethnically diverse country. The notion of "multiculturalism" began circulating in Canada in 1971 and is a word that is now commonly used to define this country, unlike the word "melting-pot" which is used to describe Americans' loss of ethnic identity. The broadcasting system in Canada is pressured by the government to acknowledge the culturally diverse society by broadcasting a fair representation of the population in terms of ethnicity. This is achieved through the many acts that have been passed through parliament: the multiculturalism policy of 1971, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982, the Ethnic Broadcasting Policy of 1985, and most recent, the Broadcasting Act of 1991. These legislative and policy frameworks have provided guidelines for the management of Canadia...
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...
"Social Movements in Canada." Web log post. Social Movements in Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
In what could have been a simple eulogy, Justin Trudeau transforms the political legacy of his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, into a budding revolution based on love, and inspires Canadians to follow Trudeau’s example, not necessarily in political leanings, but in developing their own character. Through Justin’s words, a father’s love turns into a national love, spreading from coast to coast to
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.
When I think of what it means to be Canadian, one of the first things that come to mind is hockey. This is true for many Canadian’s as hockey was and is an integral piece of the formation of the national identity. However, when people think of playing hockey their attention usually turns to the men in the National Hockey League or other top men’s leagues and tournaments. Even so, Canada has come a long way from its beginnings, when women were not even considered persons under the law until 1929. While it has taken many decades for women to receive more recognition in the world of sport, today shows great improvements from the past. A key reason that women are not treated the same way as men in regards to hockey is due to how the game began;
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
But she wonders if there is something else other than the spirit of citizenship that could hold the Canadians together. Are there values commonly shared by the Canadians? Chong has found out solution for these questions, and she states, “What sets Canadian society apart from others is that ours is an inclusive society” (Chong, 2015. P. 8). Canadian immigration laws are forward-looking than many other countries, because the Canadian immigrants and the naturalized citizens enjoy status. Canadians understand the importance of “Unity in Diversity”. The inclusiveness is the bridge that connects the Canadians, and this bridge is tempered with the values like tolerance, fairness, understanding and
One of the most contentious issues in Canada’s history is that of the Metis. Some people feel this unique group of people does not deserve any sort of recognition, whereas others believe their unique history and culture is something to be recognized and cherished. The history of the Metis people is filled with struggle; not only struggles against other powers, but also a struggle for self-identification. Despite strong opposition, the Metis people of Canada have matured as a political force and have taken great strides towards being recognized as a unique people.
Quinlan, Don, Doug Baldwin, Rick Mahoney, and Kevin Reed. The Canadian Challenge. N.p.: Oxford University Press, 2008.
During the last 4 months, I’ve studied a lot about Canadian history and come across many great historical events that have shaped Canadian identity. The two most defining moments between the years 1900 to 2000 were women’s suffrage which was an issue to determine if women should have the right to vote or not. The other defining moment for Canada was Expo 67, which was the most successful worlds fair in history.
Canadians have come along way in their culture and identity. Canadians have participated in multiple wars and battles that have shaped our country and the people that live in this country. But it’s not just the violence what shaped our country but the people and traditions that originated outside of Canada and was brought here. European, British and French cultures and tradition have all influenced Canada’s culture and identity. (Blattberg, C. 13, January 02). Immigrants from all over the world have in the passed contributed to the way we view Canada and because of that we live in a safe, mosaic, multicultural country. (Blattberg, C. 13, January 02).There have also been the First Nations people who started Canada’s good reputation and because of them we have accomplished everything that we have done today. (Blattberg, C. 13, January 02).
Canada is an example of a nation with the question of a country wide unification among all its citizens on the table since the time of confederation in 1867 and even a few years prior. What some these factors that make Canada different from areas around it? How can a country that dominates such large land mass and that bares such vast cultural differences, be united? Can Canadians ever come to agreement upon the values they hold to be important? The debates of these questions continue to plague Canadian parliaments, especially when examining the differences between Canada and the province Quebec. Even though many argue and hope for Canada’s unity in the future, the differences in political socialization and culture present throughout the country creates a blurry vision of Canadian harmony and makes it extremely difficult to realistically vision Canadian unification. Is that, however, a bad thing?