I am not sure what word is more prominent throughout Canada – - ‘eh’ or ‘double-double.’ One thing is certain, however, is that one of the most prominent questions circulating around Canada is not only “would you like to add a donut with your coffee for 49 cents” but instead, “Does Canada have an identity?” For that reason, I (as well) have decided to analyze whether Canada has an identity, or whether our identity is merely related to a good cup of steaming coffee.
United States’ identity seems to hang outside every house through the symbolism of their American flag… Comparatively, the only common identifier that indicates, “Welcome to Canada” that is frequently seen would be the many Tim Hortons situated at almost every corner and are continually popping up more and more frequently.
Now if this is the case, what does that say about Canada’s identity? To begin, it is evident that this does highlight how Canada is constantly seeking an identity, and interestingly, it is evident that Tim Hortons and their advertisers are aware of that. This can be easily recognized in their campaigns and their commercials, as, without fail, they play on a sense of Canadian national pride and identity. To clarify, students should all remember the commercial with the young student who went to Scotland for university, but wrote to Tim Hortons to have a care package sent to remind her of home. Tim Hortons specifically chose us, the students, as a target audience. They firmly believed that we, as students, like other Canadians, would relate with the notion that Tim Hortons signifies, ‘home,’ and thus, our identity. It’s bewildering if you ask me.
Conversely, I have realized that there is definitely a more specific identity and culture occurring within Canada. Being raised in New Brunswick, a lot of my hometown friends indicated (without hesitation) that Canada has an identity. This is because; many of them have been raised with the important culture emerging from French-Canadians. This is an essential aspect for sure, as they represent approximately 25 percent of Canada’s population. However, that being the case, I am once again led to question…. what about the other 75 percent? Furthermore, a point that my professor made the other day was regarding the fact that more people in Canada speak Cantonese than French. That being the case, shall we expect there to be a Cantonese-Canadian culture emerging in the future?
I strongly believe that the problem lies in the fact that we, as Canadians, try too hard to identify ourselves. (Which, evidently, is the reasoning many people, like myself, prominently question whether there is an identity). After a lot of debate, I eventually drew a conclusion that Canadians, as a whole, are more likely to define themselves as what they are not, rather than what they are. Now I am trying to speculate… why must we define ourselves so negatively?
The most prominent notion of what we are not is that we are…“not American.” In reality, this is the one fixation that many Canadians will indicate that integrates us together as a nation. Take for example, the popular Molson Canadian ads – the reasoning they became such a success is because it was this exact sense of identity that many Canadians were searching for. It gave Canadians something to relate to and provided the ability for Canadians to distinguish themselves.
But to say we are “not American” what else does that say aside from clarifying that we are aware of what curling is and that we say ‘about’ and not ‘a-boot?’ As an identity, the States have been defined as a melting pot; in which people of all nationalities and cultures are fused to form a unified nation where everyone complies with the same rules and regulations. In contrast, Canada is viewed as being a mosaic, or as someone in my class defined it, as a salad bowl, (different strokes for different folks). Regardless the representation, it symbolizes the fact that Canada supports differences as each individual is invited to join but still keep their own identity, customs and traditions.
I’ve now debated whether Canada is affected by the diverse amount of cultures that join our nation. Have we become a multicultural society where we have lost our own distinct identity or is the fact that we are a multicultural society our identity in itself? When introduced to this debate, my professor, Dr. Anthony Yue, discussed the reality of the hardships that occur due to the difficulties of finding a true dominant culture due to the emergence of many subcultures, but he also further stated that “Canada has become a diverse postmodern nation where nations do not even matter.”
Overall, perhaps Canada’s identity is our love for Tim Hortons, our national sport of hockey, the Glacier beer, our ski hills, Canada’s natural beauty, our multicultural society, our yummy maple syrup, or even the fact that we are “not American.”
The only thing I am now left pondering is the fact that if that last notion, that we are, “not American” is what we believe, and if we relate it one last time to the first notion, Tim Hortons, what does that indicate? I ask this because I feel many Canadians forget one important that… that Tim Hortons is currently owned by Americans! Anyone have any idea what that is indicating about our nation?
Overall, I think we have to fix the ‘holes’ in our society… not the ‘donuts.’
02. Mar, 2010 
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