Means To Be Canadian

I am Canadian I am Canadian! I live in a house not an igloo. I drive a car not a dog sled or ski doo.

What does it mean to be Canadian? Many people, from our politicians to our greatest literary masters have pondered this question. The answer will likely vary from person to person, however in my opinion, being a Canadian means having the freedom to be who you are without fear. We are not a country torn by war, we have freedom of religion and a diversity rate that equals no other with one out of every five Canadians being foreign born. In the past, being Canadian merely referred to living in Canada or having been born in Canada. Over time this definition has changed. We are a highly inclusive, peaceful nation and therefore have little to no strife with other countries. Being a Canadian also means being open minded and respectful. I am proud

I am proud to be Canadian. I really am. No one can take that away from me. Canada is a unique country that provides many things to its citizens. There is a sense of unity, a sense of security, and most of us have a distinct sense of national identity. We have fresh air and clean land, and we are a free country, where we can speak our minds without fear. Many Provincial and National parks have been put in place to help preserve all of the natural land Canada has, and our country hasn’t been completely urbanized so we are a very clean country, with many freshwater lakes and Oceans on both borders. Canada has a very diverse amount of animals, and plants. Such as the caribou and moose, as well as deer and geese. Canadians have access to free, high

Identity is a complex topic for Canadians. How can we define ourselves as a nation if individually we are all different? The country of Canada became united under one flag and one anthem in 1867. Today, separatists like Douglas Christie and Tom Best have a hard time connected with the anthem, our countries means of unity. In the documentary ‘Disunited Sates of Canada’ Douglas Christie speaks to the comparison of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ to ‘O Canada.’ He says that when he hears American’s sing there anthem he feels passion behind it and it leaves goosebumps under his skin. Yet, when he sings or hears the Canadian anthem he does not feel confident in his nation. This statement touches on an emotion felt by many Canadian citizens today, including myself.

Canada’s identity comes in many shapes and forms. Multiculturalism has been adopted and is at the forefront of Canadian identity. Following the Second World War, Canada’s multiculturalism policies became more acceptable and even successful in, not only accepting, but inviting multiple ethnic cultures in. In contrast to other countries, multiculturalism adaptation works for the Canadian culture. Canadian policies on multiculturalism have shifted over the past few decades; policies are now implemented for integration, not discrimination.

Canada is a country, proud of its culture and heritage. Canada is a country in North America alongside the United States and Mexico, boarded by the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. Particularly Canada is a multicultural, diverse country with two national languages consisting of French, as well as English. Although the language is diverse it is not the only element that changes across the country. In addition, Canada consists of just under ten million kilometers squared of land, which is the second largest landmass in the world. Likewise, Canada has everything from flat grass to beautiful mountains, sparse hills to large valleys with mesmerizing beauty. Something to consider about Canada and its success is the aspects of Canadian society, and what is contributing to the overall well-being of all Canadian citizens making Canada a great country to live in.

Canada is a nation built on immigration, and as the world becomes an ever increasingly hostile place more and more have chosen to try and make Canada their home. This melting pot of different cultures has created an overall atmosphere of acceptance, and is teaching younger generations a sense of community, empathy, and togetherness. Sharing our space and learning to grow with different ethnicities has perpetuated our status as a friendly, caring, and loyal nation, that many are willing to risk everything for in exchange for becoming a part of it.

Also, to be Canadian, it is almost a must to have an interest in hockey. Hockey is the one sport Canada can safely say they are the best at. People from Canada know a different level of cold than places like the USA. In the article A Samaritan with Jumper Cables, Black says how “this aint a country; this is winter.” Also in that article, he tells some stories about how polite and kind people from Canada are and how if the car spun off the road or ran out of gas, Canadians would be there to help right away. Arthur Black’s main classification of Canada is polite, and that is most likely the rest of the world’s opinion also.

Canadian identity wasn’t always stereotypically related to polar bears, maple syrup and beavers. Various movements in the 20th century began the development of Canadian identity. Aspects of Canadian society such as technology, peacekeeping and immigration gave Canada a distinct identity. Technology distinguished Canada as a developed nation amongst others with advanced transportation, communication and electricity. Peacekeeping is also an essential part in Canada's identity as it displays effort and desire for world peace, which is something many individuals embrace. Lastly, diversity in Canada is recognized worldwide and plays a major role in Canadian identity. Through technology, peacekeeping and immigration during the 20th century, Canadian

In the article “Advancing the Canadian Ideal” by Hugh Segal, he argues how Canadian history mirrors it’s Canadian ideal, but in order to defend this our challenge is to adapt to our policies (Segal 170). He further describes the way we move forward as a society, is to determine what the canadian ideal is allowing us to sustain it (168). In this essay I will argue that Segal makes a good argument because through my evaluation and assessments of his premises, it supports his main idea and his main allegation. Canada is a country full of history discovered by the Europeans, and civilized by the Aboriginals (Segal 169). A country known for its fur trade, lumber and minerals, and the greatest national debate over the Trans Canada pipeline

What does being Canadian mean to you? Safety? Freedom? Maple syrup perhaps? Canada as a nation is perceived as a powerhouse of a country with a great humanitarian force. With the recent influx of refugees, a GDP of $51,958.38 per capita, and a humanitarian Prime Minster, one could definitely say and that Canada appears to be treating its citizens right, on the surface. But, underneath the surface of public perception is the dark truth that 's remained hidden for decades but never been acknowledged . That being, the staggering 1017 Aboriginal women and girls who were murdered or have gone missing between the years of 1980 and 2012, a rate that is 4.5 times higher than any other racial group of women in Canada that continues to grow daily

According to the Canadian government, an individual is deemed as a citizen of Canada if they fulfill certain requirements such as being born in the country, applying for a citizenship, or being born to at least one Canadian parent. With this citizenship, these individuals can now experience a wide variety of privileges such as having the ability to vote, to either enter or leave the country, and to enjoy all the rights and freedoms that are associated with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some of these rights include the right to public assembly and

From the years of 1945-2000, Canada changed and developed as a country. These changes had both negative and positive effects, and were quite controversial. With a global crisis at hand, Canada found itself involved in international conflicts like they’ve never experienced before. Meanwhile, Canada was also dogged with internal issues, which were both political and economic, as it changed society. Canada was faced with problems of immigration, multiculturalism, Quebec separatism, as well as regionalism. This made Canada’s society change drastically. With Canada’s changes came the development of Canada’s national identity. Canadians began to view their country differently, and Canada’s identity took ahold of a new meaning.

What is Canada? What is a Canadian? Canada, to employ Voltaire's analogy, is nothing but “a few acres of snow.”. Of course, the philosopher spoke of New France, when he made that analogy. More recently, a former Prime Minister, Joe Clark, said that the country was nothing but a “community of communities”. Both these images have helped us, in one way or another, try to interpret what could define this country. On the other hand, a Canadian could be a beer, a hockey-playing beaver or even a canoe floating in a summer day's sunset. A Canadian could also be a “sovereigntyphobe”, refusing to see the liquefaction, albeit political, of the second largest country in the world.

Canadian and American cultural views were different which was proved because one is multicultural and the other is not. Canada was known as “mosaic” which means immigrants from any ethnic group were accepted here and were allowed to practice their religion. Therefore, they have a double identity ,meaning they are their ethnic group before a Canadian citizen as in Japanese-Canadian, Asian Canadian and so on . Whereas ,American culture was known as the “melting pot “, where they accept other cultures however they encouraged their citizens to give up their original culture ( Wells ,10 and 11 ). Canadian’s usually describe themselves as “NOT AMERICAN“(Wells,35) . Many Americans view Canada as a positive nation and as a better environment to live in then the United States . A legal sectary from Gastonia ,North Carolina said “Canada’s such a terrific place, I’d move there tomorrow if I could” (Wells, 35). This proves that Americans want to come to Canada since it is a safer environment due to it’s unique culture. Canadians are recognized as more modest, less aggressive and more down to earth then their southern neighbors (Wells,35).