What is a Canadian?
A Canadian is a real thing I assure you...
It was jarring to hear our Prime Minister fail to offer up a definition of Canadian identity… Earlier this month Justin Trudeau appeared on CNN to give an interview about America’s recent hungry gaze northward while emitting loud expansionistic rumbling sounds. Trudeau wanted to forcefully convey to our southern neighbours that we are not a snack! He asserted that the Canadian identity was simply not compatible with America’s, to which CNN’s host Jake Tapper reasonably asked Trudeau what defined Canadian identity. What is a Canadian? Trudeau responded that “one of the ways we define ourselves most easily is, 'Well, we're not American.'"
It was not altogether surprising that Trudeau struggled to articulate a clear definition of Canadian identity, since he himself has actively attempted to push that notion to the background over his tenure as Prime Minister. In 2015 he told the New York Times ‘‘There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada, there are only shared values — openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other, to search for equality and justice. Those qualities are what make us the first postnational state.’’
Trudeau is not the first Prime Minister to dismiss Canadian identity… rather Justin Trudeau is not the First. Arguably Pierre Trudeau was. Trudeau Senior introduced multiculturalism as official Canadian governmental policy in 1971. Multiculturalism differs greatly from the United States’ notion of the melting pot or their motto of E pluribus unum ("Out of Many, One"), which strives for unity. Rather, multiculturalism strives for diversity. How can there be a national identity for a nation as diverse as its citizens? Ex uno, multi.
But here’s the thing: Canadian identity is a fact. It is indelible and cannot be erased or obfuscated by any Prime Minister. And it is even more profound than the definition put forth by the beer brand that bears our name.
I am feeling charitable, so I will concede that Justin Trudeau got two things right despite his diminutive perception of the very nation he leads. The first: Canadians are not Americans. But nor are we British or French or Martian. And more importantly, we are not a negative space, defined only by what we are not. It is historically inevitable that our identity would be held in contrast to America’s since we are siblings of sorts. While our big brother rebelled against his parents, we sought to stay in their good books. The American family revolted against their descendants, we never severed those ties. But that is only one aspect of we are. Canada was basically born as a blended family with multiple founding peoples. Two of those peoples are arguably history’s most bitter rivals, think of the concessions, compromises and accommodations that has led us to make.
Today, Canada is a people-pleasing, middle child of a nation, with all the syndromes commonly associated with that, and we have come by it honestly. But do not confuse our accommodating nature with lacking a sense of self. We are aware of often being overlooked, so we tend seek too much approval from others. And we know our allegiance can be taken for granted, and our disagreements are seen as the overly emotional outbursts of a sore sport, even so we are easily placated, we really are fairly low-maintenance at the core.
But Canadian identity is not defined by other nations, we have our very own origin story, and it has shaped who we are today. We are a nation forged in the resolve to overcome natural barriers, in the stubborn determination to make any set of circumstances work for the best. We are intrinsically linked to our land, which we named our Dominion. Canadians seek to wield their dominion over this incredible piece of God’s creation. We depend on its resources, from beaver pelts to uranium, from hydroelectric dams on raging rivers to lumber from impenetrable forests, from potash to diamonds, from oil sands to beef, and from wheat to that sweet sticky maple syrup, our fortunes are from the ground, we subdue and assert our dominion over this beautiful land by the sweat of our brow.
And we delight in this land! This is a nation of hunters and fishers, of hikers and skiers, of cottagers and campers, of snowmobilers and canoers, of skaters and kayakers. Every road may lead to Rome, but every road in Canada leads out of the city into our natural playground. Toronto to the Muskoka lakes, Ottawa to the Gatineau hills, Montreal to the Laurentides, Vancouver to Whistler, Calgary to Banff… these are the beaten paths of the Canadian in search of R&R whether in summer or winter. Canadians do not hibernate.
Canadians pull together, we accept compromise and we sacrifice for others… And Trudeau identified these values, that is the second thing he got right back in 2015. He identified our values of “openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other, to search for equality and justice.” I agree with those identifiers. But Trudeau’s greatest misconception about these values is that they are universal, that they are not characteristic of the Canadian. Trudeau believes that these are values that can unite the world, erasing any need for Canada all together. That mistake is unforgivable, these values are as exceptional as they are Canadian.
And these values did not evolve out of the necessity to thrive in a hostile environment or under unpredictable circumstances, although they were certainly refined by these trials. Make no mistake, these Canadian values were imparted to us from our deep heritage of faith. This nation is no less founded on Christian belief than our loud big brother. Most Americans may view Canada as Europe-light when it comes to liberalism, but this nation’s roots are anchored deep in the fertile soil of Christianity. The Dominion of Canada’s motto A mari usque ad mare, which translates to "From Sea to Sea" comes from Psalm 72, where the Psalmist cries out to the Lord, that he would grant our king dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth!
Christian values are the rock upon which this nation was built, and the subsequent decades of secularization may have erased the Biblical lines, but the Christian ethos was etched in the very fabric of the country, and they remain recognizable to this day as they were appropriated into our national consciousness. A rebellious teen may reject parental authority, but she will always recognize her genetic make up when she looks in the mirror. The Canadian sense of morality that marks our national identity has been distorted and confused over the course of history, but it has its roots in our Christian faith and bears the indelible marks of the Fear of the Lord to deliver righteousness, to care for the needy, to dispense justice and to stand up to the oppressor. And still today Canadian identity finds resonance in the Psalmist’s cry:
Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
Psalm 72:1-4
Oh may God keep this land glorious and free, and may every Canadian be willing to stand on guard for such a nation!