What National Identity Means To Me

To me, national identity is an identity that individuals of a nation collectively hold. These individuals set aside their differences by connecting to the shared beliefs and values of that nation. This creates a sense of belonging, cohesion, and unity between the members. For example, singing the Canadian national anthem promotes a sense of belonging.

However, national identity in Canada seems to be harder to define. The country is known as a "cultural mosaic" meaning that a multitude of different cultures and ethnic groups reside in the country. Some individuals may feel as though Canada is a incoherent muddle of cultures. These individuals want Canada to have a distinct Canadian identity, meaning removing some laws that apply to the founding/distinct groups. For example, some rights that are given exclusively to Aboriginal people, and French being an official language. However, I believe that you cannot just remove these laws and ights as they are a part of Canada, due to it's history. I believe that the Canadian identity is not easily defined as there are so many factors that come to play.

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Visual Rep of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism

Note: Comedian isn't meant to be there, instead the word should have been Canadian This image is my visual representation of Canada's multiculturalism and bilingualism. I will highlight on a few terms that I've selected to add to my visual. Canada's multiculturalism is represented by the words recognition, acknowledgement, aboriginal, diversity, treaties, and cultural mosaic. Multiculturalism is known as a the presences of many different cultural or ethnic groups in a nation. With that, Canada is often referred to as a cultural mosaic, being composed with so many different cultural and ethnic groups. Efforts to acknowledge the importance of respecting diversity in Canada are often made. For example, with the Meech Lake accords aimed to recognize Quebec as a "distinct society". Another example would be the land claim agreements between the Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian government. It allows for the Canadian government to acknowledge the Abo

Influential Canadians: Terry Fox

What has he done that contributes to a national identity in Canada? Terry Fox Terry Fox was a cancer research activist, and used his voice to raise awareness of cancer. When he was experiencing months of chemotherapy he saw the pain and suffering others who had been diagnosed with cancer was going through. This became a driving force in Fox's mission to help. Dick Traum, an amputee that ran the New York City Marathon, had inspired Fox with an idea. What if he would run across Canada on his own feet, to raise awareness and funds for cancer research? In April 1980, Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope initiated. More than 5,000 km were logged on his training runs. He also gained the support of a multitude of companies and organizations: the Canadian Cancer Society, War Amputations of Canada, Ford Motor Company, Imperial Oil, and Adidas. On average, Fox was set on running about 42 km per day. Terry Fox contributes to a national identity in Canada because his actions are what

Promoting an Alternate Canadian Identity: Louis Riel

What were his motives and goals behind creating a national identity for Canada? Louis Riel Canada, Britain, and the U.S were attacking the Hudson’s Bay Company rule in the 1850’s. The HBC decided it would be best to surrender its monopoly, which included Rupert’s Land, the North West, the Red River settlement. This led to the migration of Protestant settlers from the East to move into the primary. They created tension and fear in the Roman Catholic Metis through their aggressive methods. Metis felt that preservation of their religion, land rights, and culture was threatened, as the British and Canadian government didn’t care about the Metis. This mentality of viewing the Metis as insignificant is seen because the negotiations of the Metis land and home were made as if no population existed there. This treatment served as a major motivation. Louis Riel’s main goals: Prevent the mapping out of Metis territory as part of the Canadian colony Preserve the Metis’ lan

National Identity in Canada

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