Steve and I travel within North America quite a bit, most often to the U.S. This summer we spent our vacation travelling a part of our home country that we had never visited before – Eastern Canada. We had a curious thought when in St. John’s, Newfoundland. We were 4,800 kilometres (2,719 miles) from where we live in Winnipeg, but felt more at home than many closer places we’d travelled outside of the country. Why was this when there are many factors that seemingly work against a sense of cohesion in Canada?
Canada’s Big!
Geographically speaking, Canada is the second largest country in the world next to Russia. Unlike, for example, countries in Europe, road trips to other regions in Canada generally take days, if not weeks to, undertake. The distance between Canada’s west coast and east coast is comparable to the distance between Lisbon, Portugal and Islamabad, Pakistan.
Waterton, Alberta
These distances sadly mean that most Canadians reach the end of their lives without having visited a fraction of this country. There’s not a lot of interprovincial co-mingling amongst Canadians.
You would think this vast geography would play against a sense of national cohesion.
Canada’s Small
I’m not contradicting myself, I’m talking population now. Canada sits at 39 on the world population index with a total of 35 million people. Most of us live in the south, along the border, next to the United States.
Other than mega cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, our cities are not very crowded. Whenever I come back to Winnipeg from a big centre such as New York City or Paris, the streets look post-apocalyptic in comparison. Where are all the people?
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Our neighbour, the United States sits at number four on the world population index with a population of 321 million. This has a significant impact on Canadians, particularly when it comes to media.
Other than the province of Québec, which has a very strong French Canadian star system, English Canada has only a handful of well-known celebrities who make their living in Canada. Most of our talent makes its way to the U.S. (e.g. Ryan Gosling, Jim Carry, Rachel McAdams, Ellen Page, Seth Rogan … it goes on and on). It’s just really hard for a country our size to compete. Consequently, we know a lot about our southerly neighbours and consume quite a bit of their culture.
Québec City, Québec
You would think that our size and situation next to world-dominant USA would mean that either side of the border things are pretty much the same.
The ethos of multiculturalism
Canada has the most foreign-born citizens than any other country in the G8. It’s a nation of newcomers with immigrants representing about 20 per cent of the population. The Canadian constitution contains a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects multiculturalism. Everyone has a right to practice their religion and retain their cultural identity without persecution. The vast majority of Canadians are very accepting of newcomers.
Interactive collage at Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia
It’s easy to forget that other countries are not as diverse. While dining in a traditional restaurant in Greece, the waiter (who learned we were Canadian) proudly explained all of the food he brought to our table. After the meal, he asked how we liked Greek food. We said we loved it and eat it often at home, which surprised him. We had a similar experience in Vietnam. A huge bonus of multiculturalism is that you can enjoy the food of virtually any nationality on the planet at a local restaurant.
You would think that encouraging your citizens to retain the culture of their country of origin would mean less cohesion – less of a cultural identity.
Why do we feel at home wherever we are in Canada?
So given all of the factors above, why did we feel more at home in Newfoundland than we do in say, Minneapolis, which is only about a sixth of the distance away? Why did we feel a swell of national pride celebrating Canada Day in Québec with fellow Canadians when neither of us speaks French beyond the necessities of being able to order food and buy shoes?
Quidi Vidi Harbour – St. John’s, Newfoundland
Greater minds than ours have pondered the question of Canadian identity since its inception, and no one’s really come up with a definitive answer.
Paradoxically, some the factors that would seem to point away from Canadian identity play a big role.
Being multicultural and accepting of newcomers is a great source of pride for us. Canada welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees over the span of a few months earlier this year, with Canadian families and community groups from coast to coast to coast clambering to be private sponsors. Winnipeg hosts the largest, longest-running multicultural festival in the world called Folklorama, which features over 40 volunteer-run pavilions showcasing unique cultures through food, music, and cultural displays. It’s hugely popular.
So walking down Canadian streets and seeing faces from a variety of cultural backgrounds feels like home to me. Other than our Indigenous citizens, everyone either worked hard and sacrificed to get into Canada or has an ancestor who did.
Victoria, British Columbia
Living next to the United States with its huge influence has also helped define us. Like a rivalrous sibling, we constantly strive to set ourselves apart from those 50 states next door. What are Canadians like? Well, we’re not like Americans! We think we’re politer, more welcoming, more open-minded, and fairer. To what extent that’s really true doesn’t matter. We believe it so deeply it’s translated into our national stereotypes.
As for geography. I think in large part we overcame that challenge to national identity through publically funded institutions like the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) and the National Film Board. Canada’s had to work hard to bridge the distance between its citizens and tell our own stories. That’s not easy. We also have laws to ensure our media companies air a certain percentage of Canadian content. That’s helped.
As a Canadian, when you think of Prince Edward Island, you think of Anne of Green Gables.
As we made our way through Eastern Canada, we tuned in to the local CBC radio stations along the way, hearing familiar voices on national broadcasts as well as news and stories from regions across the county. That’s why even before I visited, I knew something about what it was like to live in St. John’s and Halifax, and even Québec City. I had grown up hearing regional accents and perspectives on the Canadian experience in all its variations.
Lake of the Woods, Ontario
Our tour of Eastern Canada this summer means we’ve now visited all ten provinces. We just have the three northern territories left to be able to say we’ve visited every region. I imagine that northern life is going to feel quite different from life down south. I wonder if we’ll feel just as at home.
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I understand the feeling at home throughout Canada. We’ve spent winters in the U.S., living a life not unlike the one we’d live back in Manitoba. There was always a sense of being back home when we returned to Canada, even when we came back to Manitoba via a route that took us to another part of Canada first. Canadians have a had time defining exactly what their identity is, but there is a unique identity and national cohesion.
Thanks for your thoughts Donna. I know it’s not a new question, but it was interesting trying to pinpoint what makes up Canadian identity for myself.
[…] We've travelled from one end of the country to the other. We explore why, despite Canada's vastness, no matter where we are it feels like home. […]