Canada Lacks A Real National Identity

Term Paper Title	Canada Lacks A Real National Identity
# of Words	1066
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.26

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 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 beca...

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