Oh Canada?
"We have in our country the patriotism of Ontarians, the patriotism of Québecers, and the patriotism of Westerners, but there is no Canadian patriotism, and there will not be a Canadian nation as long as we do not have a Canadian patriotism."
Henri Bourassa, journalist and politician
In an astonishing 2015 statement to the New York Times, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared, "There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada,” which consequently "makes us the first post-national state."
In a recent interview https://t.co/VYEZz3lHfc, the Prime Minister seemed to say that new Canadians are better than those who were born here.
How does this affect Canadian nationalism and Canadian identity?
Do Trudeau’s statements reflect a new emerging reality, or are his comments designed to divide and conquer by setting communities against each other?
Do Trudeau’s constant attempts to divide Canadians along ethnic or religious lines contribute anything positive to national unity, or are they destroying the fabric of Canadian identity and society?
Writing in Montréal’s Le Devoir in 2019, Robert Dutrisac described multiculturalism as an ideology associated with English Canada since Québec has ensured its cultural integrity through its cultural and linguistic differences from the rest of Canada.
Canada’s federal multiculturalism policy was adopted in 1971 by Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government. Multiculturalism was intended as a policy solution to manage rising francophone nationalism, particularly in Québec, and promote increasing cultural diversity across the country as a counterweight to separatism.
Canada was the first country in the world to adopt a multiculturalism policy officially.
Today we are faced with many questions:
Has it worked or diluted Canadian identity to a multiplicity of immigrant groups united by geography but reluctant to embrace and respect the historical common set of national values?
Can Canada ever be one country united from sea to sea to sea, with an identity that surpasses region, religion, or language?
The fundamental nature of Canada precludes this.
In 1867, three founding peoples, the First Nations, the English, and the French, had legitimate roots in modern Canada.
The English have long sought a common national identity in most of Canada. Much immigration has flowed to this part of Canada and, for many years, fostered a sense of “Canadianism” that the world recognized.
In Quebec, where most Francophones live, a unique culture with its own language, history, and sense of identity was allowed to develop despite British rule over the then-Dominion.
Relatively few immigrants sought to join Francophone Canada and adopt its culture as their own, and few Anglophones have transitioned to Francophone culture.
Instead, those who came to Québec preferred assimilating into the English-language culture of Montreal and the Eastern Townships and joining a global society in which English is paramount today.
Early immigration created a national consensus in which all Canadians, French, and English, respected their common institutions and national symbols.
Both majority groups shared leadership, and the Prime Ministership and Governor Generalship have rotated between French and English.
Multiculturalism and immigration have changed the complexion of Canada fundamentally.
New immigrants from non-traditional sources brought their own antagonisms with them, and soon Muslims against Jews, Sikhs against Hindus, and others began to manifest the hatred engrained in their countries of origin and created new challenges for Canada and its different levels of government.
Recent unprecedented massive levels of poorly planned and vetted immigration, together with the admission of many refugees, have created a difficult situation for immigration officials. Some 30,000 people with outstanding deportation orders are now missing from the system, and the Canadian Border Services Agency seems to have lost control over the process.
Today, the results of years of multiculturalism are manifest.
Pro-Islamist groups composed of both Muslims and non-Muslims are occupying our streets and campuses. No steps have been taken against them by different levels of government or university administrations despite calls for action from large parts of Canadian society.
Sikhs and Hindus are battling it out on the streets of some of our cities, and supported by elected officials from both communities, but also by the Indian government that has actually had a Sikh-Canadian murdered on Canadian soil.
The largest terrorist activity related to Canada took place in 1985 when a suspected Sikh group downed an Air India plane in which 268 Canadians, largely of Indian origin, were killed along with 24 Indian citizens.
Today, the situation in the Middle East has unleashed a level of antisemitism that is rocking the very foundations of our culture.
Unrestricted immigration and political catering to individual communities over others are the cause.
Foreign agencies like the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are active across Canada and persecute the large Iranian diaspora here.
The Chinese government has set up unofficial police stations in several cities to persecute opponents of the regime.
Can these challenges be managed to the benefit of all Canadians?
I believe they can, but it will require strong action at home and abroad.
Abroad, Canadian immigration officials must be directed, empowered, and held accountable to ensure that all prospective visa holders commit to respecting and adhering to Canadian values and are deemed capable of doing so. They are the gatekeepers and must be given the tools to do their job properly without political interference from the government or domestic ethnic groups in Canada.
At home, all levels of government must immediately arrest and deport those immigrants who are not Canadian citizens who engage in illegal activities, including divisive manifestations of hatred towards others for political, religious, or ethnic reasons. This must be clearly spelled out to all citizens and immigrants and be enforced accordingly.
Governments, starting at the federal level, must get a handle on immigrant communities to ensure that they adapt and assimilate and do not simply try to impose their beliefs on others, including in the areas of women’s rights under our Charter of Rights and Freedom.
Police and civic leaders must apply the laws equally and not be perceived as sympathizing with one side or the other in these squabbles. They must always be perceived as being on the side of Canadians and Canadian values.
What are these Canadian values to which I refer?
Respect for our national symbols, institutions, and freedoms, which tens of thousands have died to defend.
We need to educate all Canadian immigrants about our history and how the different founding groups created the equilibrium that is today’s Canada. While it is always fragile, it has been managed successfully.
We need to instill in everyone respect for the right of others to worship and live as they wish. We must ensure that immigrants understand that church and state are separate in Canada and that religious laws cannot supersede Canadian laws and rights regarding the family (women, children) and fellow Canadians.
Canadians must ensure that everyone respects Canadian institutions, social values, customs, and ways. Mutual respect must be engendered among all Canadians regardless of their ethnic or religious origin.
We must hold authorities accountable for enforcing the laws regarding hate speech and violence as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedom with regard rights of women and children in Canada.
And apply the laws and charter equally and effectively.
Is this draconian?
It shouldn’t be.
It should be the basis for any viable society to function well and thrive.
Freedom brings with it responsibility.
If someone wants to emigrate to Canada, they should understand what we stand for and be willing to adapt to our culture and respect its institutions.
I stand for all immigrants who come to help us build a better Canada.
I always refer to the example of Syrian refugees, the Hadhad family, who came from Syria to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, in 2015, founded their company Peace by Chocolate, and are today an immigration success story.
This is immigration done right.
If immigrants are unwilling or unable to adapt, or if they wish to continue fighting their local battles or impose their religious or social values on Canadians, they should remain at home or seek refuge in countries where they are free to practice their way of life and live by their values.
Immigration will be an important issue in the upcoming election.
Our political leaders must get it right and stop playing individual cultural communities against each other for political gain.
What do you think?
With Donald Trump talking of Canada as the 51st US state, time has probably come for canadians to look at options to reaffirm our national identity. Canada was born in 1867 as a response to the Manifest Destiny which had received a new push as a result of the end of the US civil war. Are we now facing a similar threath? Can we develop a united stand in spite of our divisions? Can we do it in the full respect of our differences? Or is it too late?
I successfully applied for immigration in 1988 at the Canadian embassy in Peru. I had to show proof of good health, education, language skills, and work experience. When I was asked why I wanted to immigrate, I said "because I appreciate Canadian values". The officer replied "in all my years of service, I've never heard anyone mention Canadian values as a reason, most people want to immigrate for economic reasons". I replied, "I have no economic reasons to immigrate".
I found it strange that no effort was made to check if immigrants agreed with our values.