a day ago
Deachman: To be Canadian is to 'come together and make the best of it'
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So what are the defining features of Canadianism? The top three in the most recent Abacus study were our politeness and kindness, cited by 17 per cent of participants; respect for diversity and inclusion (15 per cent); and unity and community support (10 per cent). None of these shows overwhelming consensus, however.
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Ottawa-based Oksana Kishchuk, who conducted the surveys, says, 'There's a sense that there is a Canadian identity, but folks have a really hard time articulating what it is. I think the Canadian identity is that it isn't the same for everyone, but we can still rally around it.'
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In March, Kishchuk asked Canadians what makes a strong Canada. The top three answers were shared values (37 per cent), a strong economy (36 per cent) and a strong democracy (34 per cent).
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Beyond our reputation for being kind and welcoming, though, Kishchuk believes our 'shared values' actually vary greatly, depending on age, where people grew up or whether they were born here.
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Confusing? Absolutely. Helpful? Only as a starting point. It was time, I felt, to take my search for a national identity on the road (locally), and ask some Ottawans what they thought.
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Luis Leigh, a Peruvian expat who's lived in Canada since 1971, told me our landscape is what's quintessentially Canadian. It made him take up painting, which is what he was doing when we met at Petrie Island. 'We have a beautiful country, with a landscape that's second to none.'
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Others I spoke with similarly cited our affinity with the outdoors — or our love/hate relationship with the weather. 'We're always going to complain about it,' said Keira Conlin, 22, 'no matter what it is, but we are always going to rally. We're going to look forward to that first snowfall, to getting out on the ice. To make the best of it and come together as a community in all of those elements.'
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Both Conlin, who was at work at Wesley Clover Parks when we met, and Shayne Baylis, who had just played a game of pickup hockey at Sensplex West, cited sports as nation-building: In Baylis's case, hockey; in Conlin's, Olympic and other international competition. It's perhaps telling that, as the NHL playoffs winnow the field of contenders each year, many Canadians switch their allegiances to whichever Canadian teams remain in the hunt.
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Leigh, meanwhile, recalled a Portuguese neighbour who proudly displayed a Canadian flag every Canada Day. 'I knew exactly why he was doing it. As an immigrant, you feel Canada is a country that's open and welcoming.
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'And it's happened to me so many times that I'm traveling in the world somewhere and somebody just asks, 'Are you Canadian?' I couldn't tell you how they know, but there is something that tells you someone's Canadian. The way they dress, the way they talk. We tend to be much more gentle and polite, and respectful of other people. Those are things that that are common to Canadians.'
