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 one's 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, ?Canadian?,
instead, ?German?, ?Scottish? or ?Ukrainian?. 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,
?anything goes', 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 eat the traditional cabbage rolls and
perogies every other day. Franz and Augusta on the other hand would much rather have
their traditional sauerkraut and strudel. It is because of differences like this that
Canada can not have it's own identity. When different cultural groups each have their
own way of getting things done because of the way they were brought up, it is almost
impossible to have a true Canadian identity. Over time the traditions of the different
groups will blend but until then, Canada can not have a real national identity. It can
be argued that the differences in cultural values and traditions are an aspect of the
Canadian identity, but I feel that a Canadian identity is one which everyone can relate
to and see in their own life. To me, a Canadian identity needs to be shaped by different
values, traditions and cultures that have emerged from history to create a truly Canadian
identity.
Bilingualism and multiculturalism can be good for, but also challenge the Canadian
identity. These policies challenge the Canadian identity because they allow people to
keep their culture. I feel a true identity is one which everyone can relate to, when
everyone keeps their culture it is harder to have a true Canadian identity. It would be
much easier to have a national identity if our country was unilingual and unicultural,
because there would be one common way of getting things done. On the other hand, with
these policies others see us as a country that does not force others into a certain
culture, they can keep their culture if they want. Because of these policies we gain
popularity with other countries. That is the view other countries would have of Canada,
which again shows that there is really no national identity. The bilingual and
multicultural policies are ones that play a significant role in the Canadian identity.
Because Canada has so many different cultural groups, interaction between them can
influence or change the Canadian identity. In Canada, although it is a multicultural
society, there is a lot of integration, people sharing bits and pieces of their culture
with each other. Sometimes it is sharing recipes or inviting friends over to help
celebrate Ukrainian Christmas. All of this has an affect on the Canadian identity.
Canadians from different parts of the country and people from different parts of the
world have different ideas on what the Canadian identity is. This gives the idea that
there really is no national identity. People from other countries tend to see Canada as
one of the best places in the world to live. They say that Canadians are nice, mannerly,
polite, and law abiding among many other things. The United Nations went as far as to
say that Canada was the best country to live because we rank very high in life
expectancy, average level of education and average per capita income. We have a great
world reputation as being helpful and a very key component of UN operations. We have
been said to be a world role model and a model for multiculturalism, something many
Canadians are worried about and bicker over. Canadians tend to worry too much about the
little things, when there are better things to worry about like trying to find an
identity. Canadians in the 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 don't 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.
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