...Canadian identity refers to the unique culture, characteristics and condition of being Canadian, as well as the many symbols and expressions that set Canada and Canadians apart from other peoples and cultures of the world. Primary influences on the Canadian identity trace back to the arrival, beginning in the early seventeenth century, of French settlers to Acadia and the St. Lawrence River Valley, English settlers to Newfoundland, the British conquest of New France in 1759, and the ensuing dominance of French and British culture in the gradual development of both an imperial and a national identity. Throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, First Nations played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada, from their role in assisting exploration of the continent, the fur trade and inter-European power struggles to the creation of the Métis people. Carrying through the 20th century and to the present day, Canadian aboriginal art and culture continues to exert a marked influence on Canadian identity. The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by three fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relations between English Canadians and French Canadians stemming from the French Canadian imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the generally close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, resulting in a gradual political process towards complete independence from the imperial power, and, finally...
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...majority. Through political, human and cilvil rights, social well-fare systems, and international relations, Canada has formed a strong governmental institution that fosters an inclusive democracy. Between 1945-2014, the Canadian identity transitioned to an inclusive democratic society defined by domestic social reforms and international commitments to the global community In the last seventy years, Canada developed lawful political, human and civil rights within the nation and in the global community. In May of 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organizations, to draw up the United Nations Charter. Canada participated in the San Francisco conferences as a founding member of the Unite Nations. The Charter strived for collective security to avoid war, to develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international co-operation in solving international problems and promoting and encouraging respect for human and civil rights. Canada’s participation in the United Nations was instrumental in a global reputation of humanitarian contributions. Canada’s dedication to fundamental human rights internationally, upheld Canadian core democratic values. Canada’s federal government crafted a new Canadian Constitution that domestically improved the civil rights of every citizen. Authorized in 1982, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed the rights of individuals by enshrining those rights and certain limits on...
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...even though it has only been a short time for Canada’s existence. Canadian Identity can be analyzed in two different ways. One way of analyzing Canadian identity is to study our image that we project into the world. Identity can also be analyzed by studying how other locations see Canada as a country. Canada has been recognized by most places around the world as a peacekeeping and multiculturist nation. To Canadians, the world revolves around Canada and its peaceful endeavours. Canadian identity directly refers to unique culture, conditions and characteristics of being a Canadian, as well as many other different symbols and expressions that set Canadian...
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...What is your understanding of a Canadian Identity? When you first entered Canada and now, has it changed? Canadian Identity is someone that can be identified as a Canadian. To be a Canadian there are different ways that you could identify yourself as a Canadian whether as an immigrant who became a citizen or Canadian born. Before I came in here I was expected to be a citizen as I was a “highly skilled worker” and entered here with my Public Relations, and came knowing already that Canada was the best place to live in the world, not America. I came with high expectations and with the mindset of living a better life which of course we are all living now. So in a recall, identity gives you the rights as a citizen and causes national pride for...
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...contemporary figures in Canadian literature. As a feminist, Atwood deals with portrayal of women, women’s perspectives and values, analysis, and myths and versions of what it means to be a woman. Atwood was born in Ottawa, Canada, the second of three children. She spent her early childhood in northern Quebec where her father was a forest entomologist. Her years in the wilderness influenced her writing which makes considerable metaphorical use of the place, its flora and its fauna. Later, Atwood’s childhood experiences of the bush provided material for her focus on rediscovering identity in the wild in Surfacing (1972). She has...
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...THE MAKING OF THE CANADIAN IDENTITY Jessica Barry and Yasmin Manji The seemingly simple question “What is a Canadian?” is often answered by blank expressions. The varied geography, regions and ethnicity of Canada, the second largest country in the world, leave its citizens searching for a unifying identity, grasping to things that could potentially help define them as “Canadian.” Canada prides itself on its multicultural society, which, however, raises a question: If what we have in common is diversity, do we really have anything in common? There are popular notions about Canadian characteristics, things recognised internally and externally as uniquely Canadian. The two traditionally considered the root of Canadian identity are the nation‟s love for hockey and its need to be distinct from America. The fast food restaurant Tim Hortons has adopted these identity markers and itself become part of the answer of what it means to be Canadian. This paper intends to explore how Tim Hortons incorporated the few accepted aspects of the Canadian identity in order to establish itself in the Canadian market. This business strategy was successful because, lacking a national identity, Canadians adopted Tim Hortons as an icon that all Canadians could relate to: rich, poor, educated, blue collar, spanning all regions, ethnicities and even political party lines. The Canadian embrace of Tim Hortons has led to the formation of new “Canadianisms” that Canadians are proud to use and...
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... Miranda Sheffer Stephen Harper was elected as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister on February 6, 2006, and is still in office as to this day. He has served for over 11 years in office, making a great amount of change to the Canadian identity. Stephan Harper has played a key role in shaping Canada’s identity by, reducing taxes, claiming territory and apologizing for Canada’s past mistakes. Canada’s identity refers to the characteristics, culture and symbols that represent Canadians. Canada’s represented by symbols such as the maple leaf, the beaver, and of course Tim Horton’s. These symbols tell stories about Canada’s traditions, history and citizens. So what does it mean to be Canadian? It means being used to harsh weather, knowing every word to O’ Canada, and watching every Hockey game ever played. Canadians feel a sense of home, they feel strong and free (Quoted right from its national anthem)! Canadians strongly believe that they live...
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...Canada’s relatively short existence is whether this country lacks a concrete national identity. * Briefly defining “National Identity”: A nation’s identity primarily consists of “common points” which the majority of citizens within that specific country can relate with * Point #1: the two cultures (the English and the French) that help create the foundation of this nation have been involved in a conflict with each other though out the history of the country. * Events such as the 1837 Rebellion, the Quiet Revolution and the late 20th century referendums all prove the negative tension between the 2 dominant cultures of Canada. * Point #2: the multiculturalism Canada is known for turns out to be one of the primary reasons why Canada hasn’t yet developed a strong national identity. * Thesis Statement: The combination of Canada’s cultural roots failing to coexist through its history and the significant amount of multiculturalism this country possesses makes it impossible for Canada to have one true national identity. * Closing sentence: the effects of these factors shows today, as the majority of people both inside and outside of Canada fail to recognize a consensual concept within the country, that could be concretely characterized as Canada’s national identity. Body Paragraph #1: * Topic Sentence: Perhaps one of the most critical reasons why Canada’s national identity has struggled to develop is due the considerable amount of tension between the two...
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...allied war effort intended on carrying out a swift victory over the barbaric ‘Huns’, completing duty before the Canadians could cross the pond. Unfortunately, the campaign emerged into an unprecedented, grueling struggle lasting five years. In all, the conflict claimed the lives of 60,000 Canadian soldiers and wounded 150,000. The loss of life was historic and horrifying. However, through pain and sacrifice, Canada’s contribution and success amongst the brutality and misery defined a new identity for a strong and proud nation. The Great War...
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...Indian Identity and the Reservation: The Historical Legacy of Modern Canadian Racism and Inequality in the Indian Community and the Canadian Federal Government The issue of inequality in Canada is part of a historical racism towards the First Peoples through the various federal legal mandates created through (1) the status of indigenous identity and (2) land issues on the reservation. Historically, the formation of Indian reservations has been part of the displacement and/or removal of First Peoples due to the problem of “white Canada” policies in the 19th century. The creation of the Indian Act of 1876 provided a means in which the Canadian federal government forced indigenous tribes to settle on land that was appointed by the government....
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...Canadian culture is an element of my identity that I struggle with describing and expressing. Throughout my twenty-one years of life, I lived equally in two different countries, Jamaica and Canada, both with distinctive cultures, identities, and approaches to communication policy and media production. In this introductory statement, I explore how my interests and curiosity in communication policy and political science developed because of my upbringing in both Canada and Jamaica; and, also, I explore my interest in and expectations for COMN 3250: Communications Policy I: A Comparative Introduction and COMN 3251: Communication Policy II: Current Issues and Case Studies. First, my interests in communication policy developed immensely due to...
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...The Dirty Thirties and the Emergence Of Canadian Social Assistance Grade 10 Academic-CHC2D Dec. 12, 2011 By: Kate Raatzs, Archana Selvaragan and Jennifer Joseph Table of Contents Task Page Design Plan Statement 1 Course Outline 2-5 Unit Overview 6 Unit Calendar 7-8 Enduring Understandings/Essential Questions 9-10 Lesson Summaries: a) Causes of Economic Troubles 11 b) Population Changes and Immigration 12-14 c) Technology of the 1930s 15 d) Life in the 1930s 16 e) On-To-Ottawa and Social Unrest 17 f) Social Assistance Programs 18 g) Then and Now Review Lesson 19-21 h) Then and Now Round Table Assignment 22-23 Appendix A: Round Table Discussion Handout 24 Rubric for Round Table Discussion and other Assessment ideas 25-28 Topic Organizer 29-31 Speech Planner 32 Design Process Statement Our group initially decided to work together because each of us was specifically interested in developing lessons for Grade 10 Canadian History – Academic. Some of us wanted to develop our understanding of the curriculum itself, while others wanted to focus on working with students of this age. After reviewing the curriculum...
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...their descendants. The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations), Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. More than one million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2006 Census.” (Indigenous Nationhood) Although many Aboriginal peoples in Canada identify as being Aboriginal, many Aboriginal peoples struggle to maintain or gain a sense of cultural identity due to the Canadian Governments assimilation policies. Throughout this paper I will discuss how the Indian Act, the Canadian Residential School System, and the Sixties Scoop assimilated Aboriginal peoples into a European way of life, by attempting to integrate them into society by abolishing their Aboriginal identities. This assimilation process impacted Aboriginal peoples in negative ways throughout the generations socially, culturally, and economically. The negative impacts within child welfare system, educational institutions, and the socio-economic status of Aboriginal peoples today, prove assimilation and the total integration of Aboriginal peoples within mainstream society is unacceptable. Decolonization techniques should be applied within those areas in order combat the long lasting effects of assimilation by colonization. Decolonization will also help enable Aboriginal peoples to regain a cultural identity. The 1876 Indian...
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...was their patriotism and sense of Canadian identity, both through the war and events occurring in the aftermath. A second effect on the population involved the development of a tumultuous relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada. A third and final effect on the population involved Canada’s Indigenous population and First Nations Communities and their acceptance by other Canadians, and soldiers of all armies, during the Great War. One of the effects of the Great War on the population of Canada was their patriotism. When the war began many men enlisted, and the causes included an air of war romanticism, because a large scale war had not taken place in recent history and the war was advertised as “over by Christmas” and as “an opportunity to see the world.” In the first few weeks after war had been declared 30,000 men enlisted, eager to fight and return home a hero. However, as the war continued and...
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...Robidoux, M. (2002). Imagining a Canadian identity through sport: A historical interpretation of lacrosse and hockey. Journal of American Folklore, 115, (45), 271-282. In his article, Robidoux claims, the origin of the national identity of Canada is closely connected to sports and competition. He also stated that the modernization of sport not only involved the style and rules of play, but also symbolized the introduction of organization, dictatorship and a political structure. The modernization of sport however had an underlining of imperial assimilation as European sports, such as cricket, were being introduced. Robidoux suggests that George Beers, a politician, used sports as Canada’s way of escaping Imperialism and creating unity between Canadians. Beers used the native game, Baggataway, that was soon modernized and renamed to Lacrosse, as a perfect game for the new Canadian identity because it represented the aggressive behaviours that were respected and said to be embodied in a true Canadian. Robidoux suggested that Lacrosse, in design, gave Canadian males an opportunity to display their superiority over one another in competition. Competition became so aggressive and dominant by the working-class and natives, that the upper-class invoked amateurism, which was highly exclusive and made the working-class and native competitors virtually unable to compete. Ultimately Lacrosse became so exclusive that the working-class turned to other sports, of them hockey was the most...
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