
How Canadian nationalism is evolving with the times - and will continue to do so
Mark Carney's new Liberal government has signalled an interest in pursuing nation-building projects that hearken back to an earlier period in Canadian history.
Economic, cultural and social policy in Canada has often served the purpose of building national unity to facilitate cohesion and collective action. But some commentators have cautioned Canadians to dampen their reinvigorated sense of pride in their nation.
Those on the right view Canadian nationalism as an obstacle to neo-liberal economic policies while the left perceives it as irredeemably flawed.
For people on the right, free trade and globalization are thought to produce the best economic outcomes, and nationalism obstructs those outcomes. But those on the progressive left argue that Canada was founded on racist policies and settler colonialism, so nationalism should be rejected because of this original sin.
Both perspectives - and the public discussion of Canada's national identity more generally - remain mired in confusion over the nature of nations. As a political philosopher, I have worked to clear up this confusion by determining what nations are and how they evolve.
In the 19th century, French scholar Ernest Renan outlined a definition of nation that has yet to be improved upon. For Renan, a nation consists of two things: the daily commitment of a people to continue to live and work together and a collective memory of a shared past together.
In contemporary times, Irish social scientist Benedict Anderson described nations as "imagined communities," since the character of the nation is determined by the limits of the collective imagination of its citizens.
These are subjective definitions of nations because they define national communities in terms of the identification of their members with the community.
There are other, more common objective definitions of a nation involving identity, including shared ethnicity, religion or culture. But these definitions have long been criticized since many national identities transcend ethnicity, religion, culture or any other identity markers.
A national community is distinct from a state. The state constitutes the formal political institutions of a society, while the nation is the community of people within that society who view each other as compatriots. This is why the phrase "the people" is often used as a synonym for the national community.
While some nations are stateless, in other cases, multiple nations co-exist within a single state.
In Canada, there is the Quebecois nation and many Indigenous nations within the Canadian nation. Although they are distinct, states and their governments will often build national identities around themselves to enable cohesion and collective action. Canada's national identity was systematically shaped by successive governments - from Confederation onward - to build the society that Canadians live in today.
The character of a particular nation is not fixed.
The beliefs, practices and culture of the people who choose to live and work together can be shaped into anything they collectively decide on. A nation can adopt new values, redefine its membership or have one of its definitive characteristics fade from prominence.
Accordingly, there is no reason to think that moral failings of a national community's past must compromise it forever. A nation can, and sometimes does, recognize its past failures and become something better.
A distinction is sometimes drawn between "patriotism" and "nationalism," with the most famous being made by English social critic and novelist George Orwell.
For Orwell, patriotism is devotion to a particular way of life without the desire to force it on other people, while nationalism denotes an impulse to seek power for one's nation. Patriotism, then, is a benign, ethical form of partiality to one's nation.
Other thinkers have sought to explain how national identities and communities can be cultivated in an ethical way, described by Israeli philosopher Yael Tamir as "liberal nationalism."
The liberal nationalist, according to Tamir, seeks to construct a national identity that adopts the correct ethical values. They hope to harness the energy of nationalism to build a nation committed to liberty, inclusivity and progress.
In 1867, George-Etienne Cartier described the Canadian identity that he and the other Fathers of Confederation sought to create as a "political nationality." He viewed Canadian identity as being defined by shared principles rather than language or ethnicity.
More than 150 years later, political theorist Michael Ignatieff made a similar distinction between ethnic and civic nationalism. In an ethnic nation, citizens identify with each other because they belong to the same ethnic, religious or cultural community. Meanwhile, in a civic nation, the people unite behind certain civic principles, like a commitment to democracy.
Cartier's concept of a political nationality was crucial to making sense of the political experiment that was Confederation. Having mostly abandoned their efforts to assimilate the French-Canadians, the British settlers in North America would now join with them to build a new national identity instead.
In his recent book, historian Raymond Blake explains how Canada's post-Second World War prime ministers, through their speeches and public statements, reshaped Canada's national identity.
Up through Louis St-Laurent, various prime ministers would refer to the "deux nations" origin of Canada as inspirational. British and French settlers had come together despite their differences to build a new society together, they pointed out.
As time went on, it became clear this definition of Canada's national identity wasn't nearly inclusive enough, making no mention of Indigenous Peoples.
The multicultural character of Canadian society was increasingly acknowledged by the government and Canadians at large until it was central to Canada's identity. Canada's national narrative has been reframed in recent years to recognize Indigenous Peoples as one of the three founding pillars of Canadian society. This evolution exemplifies exactly the change citizens should expect in a national community.
This transformation in Canadian national identity shows that national communities can change over time - including, perhaps, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Canada.
In the end, Canadians decide what sort of nation they want to inhabit. Canada's political nationality has proven more resilient than even some of its founders might have anticipated, but not for lack of effort. There will always remain the work of building a better nation - and it's work worth doing.

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4 minutes ago
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But the public broadcaster's news coverage of the 'MAGA musician' has instead made Sean Feucht a much bigger celebrity in Canada Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox American musician Sean Feucht had been scheduled to perform in Moncton, N.B., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 CBC went on a religious war against a Christian singer this past week in an effort to cancel his concerts. Instead, CBC raised the profile of Sean Feucht in Canada and showed just how politicized their news coverage has become. It started several days ago as Canada's public broadcaster went wall to wall with coverage of Feucht's show in Halifax. They described him repeatedly as a 'MAGA musician' and then made it clear to their readers and viewers that Feucht holds views that no Canadian should welcome. 'Sean Feucht is a religious singer from the U.S. who has expressed anti-diversity, anti-2SLGBTQ+ and anti-women's rights views on his platforms,' read one story about his original venue in Halifax being cancelled. Other media outlets joined in the pile on, simply describing Feucht as MAGA and therefore unacceptable. We don't need to tell you more than that, we've already told you that he likes the bad Orange man in the White House – BAN HIM! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A protestor chants slogans against pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht during his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE The original venues for all six concerts cancelled on him – some reportedly keeping the fees he had already paid. Feucht may not be a household name in Canada, but he has played and toured here many times and he quickly found new venues. The media hype about the dangers of allowing a Christian rocker to perform here kept up and when he played Montreal on Friday night, radical protesters showed up to try and forcibly shut down the show. Montreal police arrest a protester who refused to stop eating on the stairs of Ministerios Restauración during pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht's performance in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE CBC quoted a spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante saying they believe in freedom of expression but not for this guy. 'Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not accepted in Montreal and, as in other Canadian cities, the show will not be tolerated,' Catherine Cadotte told CBC . Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mayor Valérie Plante at a press conference on the terrace at City Hall in Montreal on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE The mayor's office tried to shut down the show even after it moved from a municipal venue to a church – and the city is now threatening to fine that church. They claimed Feucht didn't have a permit to play and it wouldn't be allowed to go forward, a claim CBC dutifully put to the singer as he spoke with media ahead of the show. 'It's because you don't have a permit,' a CBC-Radio Canada journalist stated to Feucht on the issue of why some wanted his show shut down. 'I don't think you need a permit to worship in a church,' Feucht responded. Feucht, the American, has a better understanding of how our country operates than a CBC journalist, that is truly sad. If we lived in a country fully run by CBC and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, then we would have to sign away freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom expression – three fundamental freedoms protected by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht speaks before his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE As you can see, there is a selective approach to who gets those rights and freedoms protected. There is a lot of chatter about what kind of musical acts are acceptable these days. Concerts for British punk rap duo Bob Vylan were cancelled after they shouted 'death, death to the IVF' at the Glastonbury music festival. Irish rap group Kneecap are slated to perform four sold-out shows in Toronto and Vancouver later this year but there are calls for them to be banned from Canada for their open support of banned terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When CBC did a story on protests against Kneecap, they spoke with the Centre for Free Expression about how problematic it is to ban musical acts. That's something they only did in Feucht's case after days of broadcast and online print stories whipping up the Canadian public about the MAGA invasion. I'd never heard of Sean Feucht before this past week and CBC 's decision to join a Holy War to shut him down. They may have gotten the venues to deny him entry, but they also made him a much bigger celebrity in Canada than he would have been otherwise. CBC also showed that while they claim to stand up for Canadian values, they don't mean the ones in the Charter, they mean the left-wing political values they push every single day. blilley@ Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Sunshine Girls Columnists


Winnipeg Free Press
4 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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