In another embarrassing study conducted by the Dominion Institute, Canadians simply don’t know much about Canada or Canadian politics. A national survey has found that approximately 2 in 5 Canadians don’t know who our first prime minister was. For you 40%, it was Sir John A. Macdonald.

I’m not really surprised. Right after the recent fiasco that took place in our government, another study was released that showed a majority of Canadians don’t know we don’t directly elect our Prime Minister, who our head of state is, or how to describe our system of government.  Let me be even more specific for you: 51% of Canadians were unaware that we don’t directly elect our Prime Minister. 51%! No wonder this past federal election recorded the lowest voter turnout in election history, no one cares about Canadian politics! If you’ve ever bothered to exercise your democratic right to vote, you’d notice that nowhere on the voting ballot is the name of any of the Prime Minister’s running for the position.
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Multiculturalism is widely accepted by Canadians, and overall seen as a good thing. Many Canadians, in fact, pride themselves on living in one of the most pluralistic, diverse, and peaceful societies on earth. Trudeau, in 1971, said: “For although there are two official languages, there is no official culture.” His statement reflects the view of most Canadians today.

Since then, there has been a dramatic shift away from a “two founding nations” ideal, which emphasized Canada’s British and French roots. Many people see that Canada’s population has always been heterogenous: even before contact with Europeans, the 250,000 or 300,000 inhabitants of what is now Canada consisted of 50 distinct societies belonging to 12 linguistic groups. After the French arrived and colonized New France, those living in the Maritimes became differentiated from the rest as Acadians. Later, in the 1800s, the Métis emerged from intermarriages. Then, the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh arrived – and soon after, German and Dutch individuals. Today, Canada takes in more immigrants per capita than any other nation, and first-generation immigrants make up over half of our annual population growth.

And just as with any idea (new or old) in politics, there are multiple criticisms that have emerged of it. These come from every angle on the political compass.
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For those who didn’t know, on Sunday, November 23, 2008, every single person in the US got a free Dr. Pepper. The soft drink company promised a free can to every citizen if Gun ‘N’ Roses released their album in 2008.

What does this have to do with politics?
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