The Canadian Identity…
One thing that seems to come up when the spotlight shines is the question of how one wants to be seen. The spotlight is only a few short months from shining on Vancouver during arguably the most impressive show of athleticism in the world. The pressure of hosting the Olympics comes from a need to showcase the country’s personality and promise. But what is the image that Canada has chosen, and more importantly who has defined it?
The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) has been guided through the process by 20 individuals nominated by the Federal Government, the Province of Vancouver, the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paraolympic Committee and the local First Nations. The Chair of VANOC is Jack Poole, a prominent Vancouver businessman who is involved in everything from marinas to golf courses, malls and car dealerships. The remaining members of the board of directors are in business, finance, politics and athletics. Our elected politicians have entrusted these people to make decisions that will determine how the world views this country.
VANOC has set its values as Team, Trust, Excellence, Sustainability and Creativity. This reads like a list of most corporate values, values which one cannot help but wonder what would happen if the choice came between making a profit or having environmental sustainability – a look at Alberta’s oil and gas industry would seem to indicate a clear answer.
VANOC has chosen to showcase the multiculturalism that Canada has been famous for. Canadian musicians, dancers and artists have been slated to perform their various acts at locations around the city during the Olympics. From rappers, to Ugandan Dance troops to Jazz musicians – Canada is hoping to prove that they can offer a lot to the international artist community.
One of the VANOC values has been highlighted on the Vancouver 2010 website and that is the value of sustainability. This is in regards to social, environmental and economical sustainability. Efforts include consultation with first nations, minimizing power and energy usage, planning remediation for areas affected, being open about expenditures and to raise public interest on global sustainability issues.
The real question now is how comfortable are Canadians with these values? I believe that Canadians are being portrayed as responsible, progressive, tolerant and multicultural. I am comfortable with all of these images, with one exception. Is it time for Canada to truly define itself a culture? Why is it that when somebody asks a Canadian what nationality they are there are still responses like “Italian”, “Chinese”, “German” and “Irish”. Of course there is the odd person that says “Canadian”, but for the most part there is still a slew of other options for this simple question. Perhaps we have to ask why this question is being asked – nobody goes to France, approaches a local and says “So what nationality are you?”
Perhaps the Olympics should be used as an opportunity to truly define the Canadian identity. With the Olympic Games shining the international spotlight on our country it is time to define what it means to be a Canadian. During the next Federal election remember that our governments define us, what is it that you want to be defined as?
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October 10th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
[...] First Tweet 3 hours ago informedvote informedvote New blog post: The Canadian Identity.. view retweet [...]
October 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I definitely don’t want to be defined as a ‘conversative’…*sigh*
October 10th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
“I definitely don’t want to be defined as a ‘conservative’…*sigh*”
You, nor anyone else in this country should never have to “define” yourself as a political party.
We as Canadians are more than those we pick to govern. We are a culture of many.
What is troubling to me is that the media is making this into some kind of monster. Relax people, it’s clothing.
If you want to define the ‘true’ Canadian identity: Look out your window. Walk outside. If you’re in a big city, take a trip outside of industry and swallow in the natural beauty of this country. That is our identity. We as a people are collectively defined as a culture that is part of a natural beauty that a lot do not harness elsewhere on this planet.
Think of how it must look to others when our own media is trying so hard to find the identity of Canadians. It’s sad and makes us all look confused to others. This is not how it really is.
I saw a few deer in my back yard and a fox in the front this morning. Fancy that.
Perhaps instead of focusing on just Humans, how about our animal friends as well? We do live with them, you know.
October 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Canadians are not identical. Why should I share an “identity” with my neighbours?
I am myself and no one else. Why should I kowtow to some mandated universal culture?
October 13th, 2009 at 1:03 am
I always answer the question of where are you from with “I’m Canadian”. I then continue to answer it with, this is what a Canadian looks like.
I don’t really blame people for asking it though, it’s a default icebreaker question in Canada that you use when you can’t come up with something better to talk about. I’d rather be asked where I’m from than have to talk about the weather