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These Teachers Notes contain:
SYNOPSIS
Teacher's Notes
CANADIAN
IDENTITY
Grades 9-11
This program raises questions about identity and what
it means to be Canadian - what do we share as a
people and what makes us unique? Are there any
values we can call Canadian? The video examines five
major issues affecting Canadian identity: regionalism;
French/English relations; multiculturalism; Native
issues, and the influence of the United States.
In the end, our national identity is about finding not just
what divides us, but what it is we share.
The video may be watched in segments, with
discussion after each section.
Mins
• Introduction .................................................. 0’00
PART B ............................... THREE VIEWPOINTS
OF IDENTITY
PART C .............................. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
PART A: SUMMARY OF VIDEO
INTRODUCTION
Minute Counter: 0-1’00
Canada Day - a day to think about what it means to
be Canadian. The question “Who Are We” is often
asked - you could even say its typically Canadian
to be concerned about identity.
• What does Identity mean?............................ 1’00
• What is a National Identity? ....................... 2’00
• What Does it mean to be “Canadian”? ........ 2’40
Duration: 26 minutes
PART A .................................. SUMMARY OF VIDEO
• What Values do Canadians share? ............... 4’40
• Major Issues Affecting Identity:
1. Regionalism .......................................... 7’00
2 French/English Relations ................... 10’10
3. Multiculturalism ................................ 13’50
4. Native Issues ....................................... 17’00
5. Influence of the USA ............................ 21’00
• Conclusion ................................................... 24’00
WHAT DOES IDENTITY MEAN?
Minute Counter: 1’00 - 2’00
We all need to know who we are. The question,
“Who Am I” means, how am I the same as other
people? How am I different?
We often define ourselves by the groups we belong
to: for example - school, family, peers, ethnic or
religious groups, even organised groups like clubs
and sports teams, and our region. Our identity
changes with the context and comes with all these
things.
WHAT DOES NATIONAL IDENTITY MEAN?
Minute Counter: 2’00 - 2’40
As a nation we can ask ourselves - what do we
share as a people? And - what makes us unique
and sets us apart from other nations? Does merely
living within the geographical borders which define
Canada create a nation and a national identity?
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CANADIAN?
Minute Counter: 2’40 - 4’40
George: "I was born in Canada and I’m very proud
of it."
Ann: “The country’s open, we’re free, we’re allowed
to express our views.”
Ronald: “For me being Canadian is having big
opportunities.”
Julie: “You have freedom. You don’t have to worry
when you go out in the street about getting killed.”
Sarjeet: “Youth, nature, the environment, the work
ethic, diversity.”
We all have different ideas on what it means to be
Canadian. Our sports, our flag, the RCMP, our
heroes and our national anthem are powerful
symbols and can give us a sense of unity and
common purpose.
MAJOR ISSUES AFFECTING CANADIAN
IDENTITY
WHAT VALUES DO CANADIANS SHARE?
Minute Counter: 4’40 - 7’00
John: “What’s it mean to be Canadian?
Independent, strong, free.”
Sarjeet: “Hard work is a key Canadian value.”
Judge Angela Khan: “People respect each other
and are tolerant.”
Mark: “ We treat this land and respect it as mother
earth.”
Our Charter of Rights sets out some of our
Canadian values - freedom, democratic rights,
equality, fairness, language and culture rights.
Even though there’s always a gap between our
ideals and the reality, our national identity is also
about what we WANT our country to be.
1. REGIONALISM
Minute Counter : 7’00 - 10’10
The way we think of ourselves as Canadians depends
on where we live. Each region has a characteristic
identity shaped by its geography, what people can do
for a living, its history and the cultural groups which
developed it. Canada’s vast size makes it difficult for
people to relate to others in different regions - people
identify more with their region than the nation.
Canada also has an uneven population distribution
and economical development: industry and
commerce are centred in Ontario and Quebec. The
outlying provinces who provide resources often feel left
out of decision-making, much of which happens in the
corporate centres of Toronto and Montreal. Federal
elections are often decided by the votes from Ontario
and Quebec before the other provinces have finished
voting.
Regional identities and differences can be divisive
factors in Canadian identity.
2. FRENCH/ENGLISH RELATIONS
Minute Counter: 10’10 - 13’50
In most countries, a common language contributes to
national identity. Canada’s two languages make it
difficult to define a common identity. French and
English Canada have different views of our history - for
example, Louis Riel was historically viewed as a
traitor in English Canada, but to the Metis and French
Canada, he is regarded as a martyr.
In French-Canada, it is not Canada Day, but St Jean
Baptiste Day which celebrates national pride.
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Jean-Pierre: “Two cultures in the one country is not
possible.”
Janni: “It is important to keep the French culture
alive.”
J. J. Crashbang: “One misconception people have
when they think French-Canada, they think
Quebec, and don’t think for example of FrenchCanadians living in Manitoba for ten generations.”
The question is - how can we have a national
identity with such separate societies?
3. MULTICULTURALISM
Minute Counter: 13’50 - 17’00
With the exception of the First Nations, Canada is
a nation of immigrants. For some people,
multiculturalism is in conflict with a national
identity. For example, when the RCMP allowed
Sikh officers to wear turbans as part of their
uniform, critics argued this would destroy one of
Canada’s most cherished symbols. For other
people, multiculturalism is part of our identity - and
a source of pride because it promotes values of
tolerance, understanding, freedom and
compassion.
The question is - do we all have to conform to
some idea of what is “Canadian” to have a national
identity?
Pat Chou (New Canadian citizen): “Being a
Canadian citizen doesn’t mean you have to change
your culture or background. Being Canadian is
being yourself and being free.”
Eduardo Aragon: “Who are we anyway? If you ask
a Canadian from a Chinese background who was
born here, he or she will say “A Canadian is
someone who looks like me”. So who is a
Canadian?”
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4. NATIVE ISSUES
5. INFLUENCE OF THE UNITED STATES
Minute Counter: 17’00 - 21’00
Native people hold a special place in Canadian
society as the original inhabitants of this land.
Their culture is unique and contributes much to our
society. Since the arrival of Europeans, Native
people have had to struggle to keep their culture
alive. Many feel alienated from the rest of Canada.
Rick Harry, sculptor: “At high school I went
through a stage like that - I didn’t feel very good
about myself. I wanted to be white. I cried. I felt
like I was dirty. But when an elder came in and
told me, he looked around the classroom and said
I can't see any of you wearing anything native. So
now I wear this bear necklace to symbolise what I
must remember - to be who I am. I need my
mind, my body, my spirituality all intact so I can be
a whole human being.”
Gail Stands with a Gun: “For us it's been a lot of
injustices. It's really hard for me to say I’m
Canadian. We do have a different status - the
status of First Nations, of knowing who we are.”
Noella Little Moustache: “Identity is very important
to me, because there’s been a lot of changes for
First Nations people in Canada. Being a member
of the Peigan band, part of the Blackfoot Nation of
Alberta, I feel my whole identity - its part of me, it's
who I am."
Ethel Blondin, MP for Western Arctic: “Why
should you have to prove who you are? You are
who you are, you believe what you believe. What
makes it more acceptable to be of European
extraction and to have all these laws and this
government system attached to you when you land
on the shores of this country? Does that make
you better? .... We should have married the two
ways together and we could have a better country.”
Minute Counter: 21’00 - 24’00
Historically, the presence of the USA has been a
powerful catalyst for Canadian identity. Fear of US
domination was one of the main reasons for
Confederation. With America’s rise in military,
industrial and technological strength, Canada’s
challenge has been to distinguish itself from America.
• Nearly 75% of Canadians live within 150 kilometres
of the border.
• Vast majority of Canada’s visitors come from the
US.
• Canadians prefer watching American television.
• Only one-third of our English TV programming is
made in Canada.
• Only 3% of films screened in Canadian cinemas
are made in Canada.
• Most of our popular music, books and magazines
come from America.
• Influence of American culture blends Canadian
values with American.
• Free trade agreement raises question of how much
protection Canada should have for its own local
industries.
Some people define their identity in terms of how they
are different from Americans - eg, welfare and health
systems, lower crime rates, and the existence of
French-Canada.
Different viewpoints: some say American culture is
overwhelming ours - others say there’s no real
difference between them - others say its inevitable
that the cultures will interact.
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CONCLUSION
Minute counter: 24’00 - 26’00
Each of the five issues tells us something different
about Canada.
No matter what our viewpoint, they have shaped
Canada and the way we address them is part of
our identity.
We are still a young nation and have been
influenced by other nations and cultures. The
challenge for the future is to find not just what
divides us but what it is we share.
Mark Nolan: (Native name, Two Bears Standing):
“The world is too small for us to argue. We’ve got
to find resolutions no matter what colour we are or
what our ideology is. We have to get the idea that
we’re not a nation of many, but many in a nation,
as Canadians.”
Joe: “Canada is the best country in the world. We
have the freedom, the rights.”
Sally: “We’re proud to be Canadians, that’s for
sure!”
Ken: “To be identified as a Canadian is a special
feeling - like you’re part of something. You belong
somewhere.”
Eduardo: “Who are we anyway? What is a true
Canadian? Those are the questions to reflect
upon, and I don’t have all the answers. Each
answer has to come from within, from all of us,
because we’re all here, and it's up to us to keep
the boat afloat.”
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PART B: THREE VIEWPOINTS ON
CANADIAN IDENTITY
Canadians are people who have been subdued by our
environment. We have learned to survive rather than
conquer. The theme of survival is recurrent in our
literature and the impact of the physical environment
is visible in our art. In spite of the continual struggle
between Canadians and the land, we share an
optimism that comes from our youth and from the
potential of a largely undeveloped land.
We are a varied and proud people. That is our
identity.
VIEWPOINT I
Yes, there is a Canadian Identity
As surely as there is a Canada, there is a
Canadian identity. Our identity is shaped by our
unique history and landscape.
Those who deny the existence of a Canadian
identity argue that there are only hyphenated
Canadians. They argue that each of us has a
loyalty or attachment to a culture other than that
of Canada. They are correct.
It is our diversity and our acceptance of diversity in
Canadian life that distinguishes us from other
people. If an identity is a quality which
distinguishes one from another, then Canada truly
has an identity.
When Canadians travel abroad they often display
the maple leaf to avoid being confused with
Americans. We are deeply aware of the historical
differences between Canadians and our
neighbours.
We are a peaceful people. Our institutions are
steeped in the British tradition of evolutionary
change based upon the order provided by
parliamentary democracy.
Despite the regional and cultural differences that
divide Canadians from one another, we are a
people united in our determination not to be
American. Every day we strive to protect our
quality of life and our distinctive character.
Canadians are a people shaped by their northern
environment. Author Margaret Atwood reminds us
that Canada's rugged terrain has imparted a
unique quality to the Canadian mind. We are
survivors.
VIEWPOINT II
No, there is no Canadian identity
For a Canadian identity to exist there must exist a
common national experience. The whole Canadian
history and the shape of the land on which we live
conspire to prevent a common Canadian identity from
emerging.
The land divides us, prevents us from sharing a
common life, and impedes the communication of our
experiences to each other.
We are not Canadians but Easterners, Westerners
and Northerners; Albertans, Quebecers and Nova
Scotians. No political or cultural institution has
managed to overcome this basic truth.
Groups such as the English, Italians, Germans and
Japanese have unique histories, values and traditions
on which their identities are based.
Perhaps only the native people of Canada possess
the Canadian identity, despite our efforts to eradicate
it. The rest of us are immigrants who have brought
foreign values and customs from which we have never
detached ourselves. There can be no Canadian
identity until Canadians abandon these alien roots and
immerse themselves in the new land.
Any hope that a Canadian identity would take shape
had been overruled by the American presence. The
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sharing of a common language, our physical
proximity, and our inability to counter the sheer
force of American numbers has left us victim to a
cultural invasion that has left only Quebec's culture
intact. There is no turning back. Even if there was
once a uniqueness to Canadian life, it has
dissolved amid the images of Happy Days and
Dallas.
Identities do not exist merely because people
inhabit one nation. The identities of the peoples of
Europe and Asia gradually emerged over centuries
of human interaction. Canada, an infant among
nations, has not had time to shape its character.
Unique national identities were a product of an age
in which nations grew in isolation from each other
because language and physical barriers prevailed
over man's curiosity.
Technology has created a common language and
experience that has eroded old identities and
prevented new national identities from evolving.
VIEWPOINT III
Nationalism and identity
The existence of a strong national identity often
expresses itself in the form of nationalism.
Nationalism is the devotion of a people to their
nation and it has been a most powerful force in
shaping the history of the modern world.
In their quest for identity, Canadians must consider
whether or not they wish to increase nationalism.
Throughout history, nationalism has inspired
numerous positive national achievements.
Nationalism has prompted individuals and groups
to overcome obstacles and to defeat foreign
enemies.
Love of country has inspired musical compositions
and works of art. Nationalism has encouraged
individuals to place the welfare of their fellow
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countrymen above their own.
History also has many examples of the dangers of
excessive national pride. Virtually every war for the
last three centuries has been rooted in one
national group placing its interests above those of
another.
In its most extreme form, nationalism drives a
people to focus on those characteristics that
distinguish rather than provide common ground
between men. The result may be racism and
discrimination against cultural minorities and
foreign nationals. People may give authority to a
single person or institution which they perceive as
embodying a nation's spirit or destiny.
As a result of its relative youth among nations and
of the multi-cultural composition of Canadian
society, Canadians, in comparison with other
nationalities, are not nationalistic.
Should Canadians desire to more firmly establish a
single national identity, they must be prepared to
accept the dangers which accompany the benefits
of devotion to one's nation state.
PART C: STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Activities to help student acquire a basic
understanding of the issues
1. Define each of the following terms in your own
words:
Identity
Regionalism
Culture
Assimilation
Multiculturalism
Ethnicity
Pluralism
Nationalism
Socialization
2. List symbols Canadians commonly share with
one another.
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3. Select a group that you are familiar with and list the
attributes (characteristics) that are considered
normal for members of the group.
For example, a characteristic considered normal for
members of the student group in a high school is
that a person be between the ages of 13 and 18
years.
4. Take a half-hour walk in your community. Record
all the impressions that reveal Canada to be a
multi-cultural society.
5. Make a list of all the symbols that represent
Canada to you. Compare your list with a list
prepared by your classmates.
Activities to help student apply their knowledge of the
issues to the solution of problems
1. Some people say that a nation's identity is
reflected in the work of its artists. Obtain examples
of the work of the Group of Seven. What evidence
do you find that Canada's identity is or is not
reflected in the work of these artists?
2. Examine a newspaper, television program, or social
studies textbook. Which groups are most
frequently represented? Which groups are least
often represented? Which, if any, groups are
represented in a negative way?
3. Select a specific cultural group and a particular
medium of mass communication. Systematically
record all instances that the group is mentioned.
What language is used to describe the members of
the group? Are the descriptive words most often
positive, negative, or are they unclassifiable?
4. What conditions do you believe must be present in
a community to allow its members to interact
peacefully when there are cultural differences
among community members?
5. Select a cultural minority in Canada (there are 75)
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and investigate this experience in Canadian
society. What factors have enabled the group to
maintain traditional values and lifestyles?
Which traditions have failed to survive in
Canada? What pressures have been placed on
the group by other groups in Canadian society?
6. Look again at the section in the video on Native
Issues. Why might Native people feel alienated
from the rest of Canada? What is their special
place in our society? Research some of the
contributions made by First Nations people to
Canada.
Activities to help students to analyse the factors
affecting the nature and development of the issues
1. List the behavioural characteristics considered
usual for the friendship group to which you
belong. Explain what happens when a person in
the group doesn't behave in the usual way.
2. List the symbols important to the members of
the cultural group with which you identify,
explain their significance, and compare your list
with the list of a classmate.
3. Write a one-page report about the contributions
of one or more of the following agencies to the
growth and preservation of Canadian culture:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Radio andTelevision Commission
National Film Board of Canada
Canada Council
4. Choose a region of Canada. Compare the
culture, traditions, economy, topography, and
history with those of your own region. Analyse
how the differences among these categories
contributed to the growth of unique regional
identities.
5. Canada can be said to have two histories: one
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English Canadian and one French Canadian.
For one or more of the following events in
Canadian history, record the French Canadian
and English Canadian viewpoints: Conquest of
Quebec, Rebellion of 1837, Confederation, Riel
Rebellion, Conscription Crises, FLQ Crisis.
6. Compare the words to 'O Canada', 'God Save
the Queen', and 'The Maple Leaf Forever'. To
which cultural groups would the words appeal?
To which groups would the words not appeal?
7. In 1980, 'O Canada' was officially proclaimed as
Canada's national anthem. Read the words
carefully. Do you find ideas with which you
strongly identify? If you don't identify strongly
with the ideas expressed, write an anthem with
which you can identify. Write an anthem with
which all Canadians can identify equally.
These statements also provide a focus for a debate or
class discussion.
2. Should each person have the right to choose whether
he wishes to watch American or Canadian television
of films? In other words, should there be an
unrestricted flow of American culture into Canada?
3. Discuss viewpoints I, II, and III. How do they differ?
On what points do they agree?
CONSULTANT AND CO-WRITER TEACHER'S
NOTES:
Dr Charles Ungerleider
Associate Professor Sociology of Education
Department of Social and Educational Studies
University of British Columbia
Activities to help students evaluate the implications
of the issues
1. Write an editorial or letter to the editor in which
you argue for or against one or more of the
following:
• There is a Canadian identity.
• American culture is a threat to Canadian
identity.
• Regionalism is a characteristic of Canadian
life and should be preserved.
• Immigrants should be encouraged to abandon
their traditions and beliefs in adapting to
Canadian society.
• Canadians should be more devoted to their
country.
• Nationalism has largely been a negative force
in human history.
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Copyright
CLASSROOM VIDEO (1991)
and Orders:
107 1500 Hartley Avenue
Coquitlam, BC V3K 7A1
Phone: (604) 523 6677 Fax: (604) 523 6688
email: [email protected]
UK:
Phone: (01454) 324 222 Fax: (01454) 325 222
Australia:
Ph: (02) 9913 8700 Fax: (02) 9913 8077
USA:
Phone:1-800-665 4121 Fax: 1-800-665 2909
CO-WRITER TEACHERS NOTES:
Ernest Krieger
Head Social StudiesTeacher
Sentinel Secondary School
WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY:
Cathy Miller