S20 Unit 1 Issue 1+4: Nationalism & Canada

Nation

• An abstract concept that exist in the feelings and minds of other ppl

• A grp of ppl who share a sense of belonging, have sth in common

  • Language

  • Ethnicity

  • Culture

  • Commonality

• An internal connection to others

• A shared experience and a desire to belong

Country

A distinct physical territory with a government and have official borders that are recognized by others

Nation state (aka country)

An internationally recognized state that has independence over their own affairs, a government, and defined territory

International

• Relationships btw countries or nation state

• May cooperate with another for economic, political, or social reasons

Nationalism

• A sense of loyalty and devotion to one’s nation and a desire for that nation to act independently.

• The notion that one’s nation and its interest are the most important

Patriotism

• Love for a country and an interest in its well-being.

• A sense of loyalty that may be expressed in many ways

Self determination

The power of ppl within a nation state or nation to make their own decisions abt what is in their interest

Sovereignty

The political authority of a state to govern itself — aka a country that is able to make its own decisions

Stateless nation

• A group of ppl who identify as a nation but do or may not have their own nation-state

• Are often ethnic minority groups who live within a larger political entity

• Kurdistan is the largest stateless nation

Types of nationalism

• Ethnic

• Civic/ political

• Linguistic/ language

• Cultural

• Religion

• Geographic

• Relationship to land

• Spiritual

Ethnic nationalism

• Share many ties such as ancestry, physical characteristics, family ties, language, values, and traditions

• Usually share a common history, same ethnic background

• Most nation-states are composed of ppl of various ethnicities

• May be a positive to bring ppl together / or a negative force that causes feelings of superiority

• Ex: Albanians are tied together by a common ancestry, but also create tensions btw those who are not “ethnic Albanians”

Political/ civic nationalism

• many believe a grp of ppl are only a nation if they have their own GOV

• The citizenship of nation creates a tangible sense of belonging, it can be done through documentation (birth certificate, passports) or by shared collective rights and responsibilities

• Ex: Canada is a civic nation that binds citizens through shared freedoms outlined in the CCRF

Ethnic vs civic nationalism

Ethnic

• pre-existing characteristics or traditions lead to a shared sense of nation → ppl may then create a nation state with others who share their sense of nation

Civic

• ppl agree to live by shared laws → mutual respect for laws helps ppl to live together peacefully

Linguistic/ language nationalism

• A language is spoken by a number of ppl → create a sense of belonging

• Language helps create a shared worldwide and allows us to pass history’s culture, traditions onto future generations

• Ex: in Quebec, language laws have been passed to ensure the survival of French → making French the official language + signs, TV, radio and music to promote French (a reminder to the CRTC)

Cultural nationalism

• Many based on the way of life a grp of ppl share

• Through shared values, beliefs, traditions, stories, history, food, clothing, arts, TV and film

• Ex: Many First Nation communities have a nation based on their culture → the culture of the Haida in BC is diff from the Cree of the plains

Religion nationalism

• Common beliefs abt life, death and how to treat one another bind ppl together

• Ex: many Italians practice Roman-Catholic faith which guides their way of life

Geographic nationalism

• Geography can act as a physical barrier to isolate ppl

• Geography (weather, climate, landscapes) may lead ppl to develop their own way of life

• Ex: Tibet was largely isolated from the world → their cultures grew in mountains (a high plateau) for thousands of yrs

Spiritual nationalism

• ppl may have a sense of spirituality that helps unite them

• Can be associated with religious beliefs, but don’t have to be an organization like religion

• Can be as simple as ethical and mortal values or the meanings of life

• Ex: In Bhutan (the happiest country), there’s a form of nationalism influenced by Buddhist principles

• Bhutan’s approach prioritizes the well-being of its ppl and the environment → reflect a Buddhist perspective on compassion and interconnectedness

Roles of myths in Nationalism

1. create unity

2. create a feeling of shared history

3. provide an ideal to strive towards

4. justify the pursuit of national interest

War of 1812

• rejection of American Manifest Destiny

• Belief that the British Canadians defeated the Americans invaders

• many Americans think they won as well

Statue of Westminster 1931

• CA officially gains control over its foreign policy

• CA still had to participate in WWI bc of Britain, but had choice in WWII

• certain limitations remains → CA didn’t have legal standing to change its constitution until the Constitution Act 1982

Visions of CA

• the development of CA as a nation is complex

• the story of CA is often told from British colonialists, while left out the contributions of Indigenous, Asian, African, French and other minorities grps

• early 1800s CA aka BNA was controlled by Britain

• 1841 British GOV merged Upper CA (anglophone) and Lower CA (francophone)

• Upper CA (Ontario) became CA West

• Lower CA (Quebec) became CA East

Responsible GOV

• LaFontaine (Canada East) and Baldwin (Canada West) wanted responsible GOV

• One legislative assembly – equal representatives from Canada West and Canada East

• responsible or accountable to the people who elect it → 1848 success!

• Issues

  • English was spoken in assembly

  • Canada West had a larger population

Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine

• A British politician

• Became the first premier of the United Province of CA

• Worked with Baldwin to unite Upper and Lower CA

• Wanted Francophone culture to survive

• Bicultural initiative → anglophone-francophone partnership

• Helped develop and constitute the concept of responsible GOV

Robert Baldwin

• A British politician

• Worked with LaFontaine to develop responsible GOV in the United Province of CA from 1842-1843

• Bicultural initiative → anglophone-francophone partnership

• Seen as first step towards independence from Britain

Fathers of Confederation

• 36 British men who met at several conferences that led to the confederation of CA

• The Charlottetown Confederation and the Quebec Confederation - 1864

• Sir John A Macdonald was the first PM (often seen as the Father of Confederation)

Factors led to Confederation

• External forces include US’s desire for sovereignty from Britain (War of 1812, the American Civil War, growing American imperialism)

• Desire to unify the provinces → avoid being absorbed by US

• Goal: unify into an independent country share by Fathers of Confederation and many citizens of colonies

• John A. Macdonald & George Etienne Cartier wanted an independent CA to preserve British heritage and promote French culture

Confederation (BNA ACT, 1867)

• “The Dominion of CA” (dominion= sovereignty)

• PM John A. Macdonald

• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec

British North America ACT - BNA ACT

BNA Act created Canada: (created a GOV but no control over foreign affairs until the constitution)

• Two levels of representative and responsible GOV

• Federal → national affairs

• Four Provinces would manage their own affairs

• Ensure Quebec could affirm and promote their language and culture

John A. Macdonald

• dream of a country sea to sea

  • 1871 BC joins, 1905 AB joins

  • Promise of the Canadian Pacific Railway

• Negotiations with First Nations for land → became government property

• A controversial figure

  • For: unify CA, push for early vision of CA

  • Against: oppression, abuse towards Indigenous (created residential schools & oppressive laws aimed at Indigenous ppl)

Populating the West

• Wilfrid Laurier, 1896 – believes the US will try and take the prairies

• Clifford Sifton’s goal was to populate the West - increase in British and American immigrants

• Communities of Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Finns, Norwegians

Clifford Sifton

• A Canadian politician

• His policies and work encouraged & facilitated a mass migration of Europeans to western CA in the early 1900s + excluded immigrants from non-European nations

• This focus on European immigrants → many argue that CA as a nation has strong connections to European culture and worldview

Ukrainian Immigration

• Ukrainians first came to Canada in the 19th century

• As CA GOV promoted the immigration of farmers

• They arrived in CA → continued to face hardships & persecution → could not make a living off of the land & get discriminated due to their language and customs

• During the WWI, many were imprisoned as enemy aliens due to their origins in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Immigration and the new CA

Chinese Immigration Act

• 1885 – Chinese Head Tax of $50

• 1923- banned immigration from China

• No rights

Black immigration

• 1783- came with Loyalists and settled in the Halifax area

• Headed to AB and settled in Amber Valley but the City of Edmonton signed a petition in 1910 to halt immigration

Immigration

• 1962 – finally changes to immigration act to open doors to all people

• 1971 – “multiculturalism within a bilingual framework”

Treaties and Agreements with First Nations

• Canada wanted to expand its territory west and north

• British law, established in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 → dictated that Canada must sign treaties with the First Nations peoples before they could settle or live there

The Royal Proclamation of 1763

• established the basis for governing the North American territories (surrendered by France to Britain in the Treaty of Paris, 1763, following the 7 Years War)

• introduced policies to assimilate the French population to British rule → failed and were replaced by the Quebec Act of 1774.

• set the constitutional structure for the negotiation of treaties with the Indigenous inhabitants → prevent conflicts btw settlers and Indigenous ppl

Loyalties

• Play a role in nationalism.

• Each nation require its members some sort of dedication

• No loyalty → likely won’t contribute to that nation

Nationalist loyalty

• is a dedication or commitment to one’s nation

• ex: to CA / a religion / ethnic grp

non-nationalist loyalty

• is a dedication or commitment to some other part of your identity or way of life that is not connected to the nation

• ex: to family / friends/ school

Contending loyalties

a phrase that describes occurrences when a person’s different loyalties come into conflict with each other

Contending loyalties examples

• non-nationalist loyalties vs. nationalist loyalties (your own religion vs. Canada)

• nationalist loyalties vs. nationalist loyalties (person who identifies as both Quebecois and Canadian → Quebec sovereignty vs. Canada nationalism)

• regional loyalties vs nationalist loyalties (AB’s economic interest vs. equalization payments/ carbon tax)

Regional Loyalties

• A region is a geographical area that can be defined in different ways:

  • a part of province or city (southern Alberta, northern Edmonton)

  • an area of the country (the Maritimes)

  • or several provinces together (the prairies)

• Ex: Albertans’ tension between their national and regional loyalties

Western Alienation

• the feeling that the western region of Canada is often left out by the rest of Canada

• Ex: Some Albertans feel loyalty to the West, and to Alberta and the promotion of economic interests that deal with oil and gas

Equalization Payments

• The federal GOV receives and collects money from taxes

• It distributes this money to provinces who are in need (less prosperous provinces = receive more money)

• AB economy has seen growth in the last 20 years → AB tax dollars are shared amongst the other provinces

• AB can feel contending loyalty when Canadian GOV makes decisions that do not support their economic interest

  • Ex: equalization payments

  • Ex: carbon tax

Ways to reconcile Contending Loyalties

• Contending loyalties can affect the nationalism that people express within a nation (ex: nationalism in AB vs in Nunavut)

• Ppl within a nation can try to diminish the contention in several ways:

  • Ignore contending loyalties

  • Choose one loyalty over the other

  • Work to make change and have the loyalties come into agreement

• too many contending loyalties within a nation → difficult to maintain the loyalty of its ppl and the well-being of the nation

Reconcile Contending Loyalties in Canada

Ways that Canada has addressed contending nationalist loyalties include:

• Multiculturalism as an official policy

• Bilingualism

• Reasonable accommodation

Multiculturalism and Pierre Trudeau

• 1971 PM Pierre Trudeau introduced multiculturalism as an official government policy

• aimed to promote cultural freedom for all citizens in Canada

• was made in recognition of the contributions made by various cultural and ethnic communities to Canadian society

• came as a result of recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism

Bilingualism and Biculturalism

• 1963–1969, the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in Canada recommended changes to federal and provincial language policies

• This commission was a way to reconcile some of the challenges that French Canadians faced

• The commission wanted to address:

  • Language and cultural protection

  • More political opportunities for Francophone communities

  • More economic opportunities for Francophone communities

Official Bilingualism

• Official Languages Act make CA officially bilingual

• CA aimed to promote this official bilingualism

• But this became harder as immigrants came & only chose to speak English

Reasonable Accommodation

the process of changing laws or policies in a nation to incorporate cultural inclusion and diversity

Reasonable Accommodation in Canada

• Ex: the inclusion of religious headwear in various occupations or government positions in Canada.

• This has been addressed in many areas of Canadian society such as:

  • Law enforcement

  • Sporting institutions

  • Immigration and transportation services

Case Study: RCMP - Heading Coverings

• Dhillon is a Sikh RCMP police officer in Canada.

• He has been permitted to wear his turban and maintain his beard for religious purpose while working instead of the regular dress-code

Case Study: Quebec banned religious symbols in some public institutions

The Quebec government passed a bill that banned workers in education and law enforcement sectors from wearing any clothing such as scarves, jewelry, headwears and accessories that represents or connects to a religion

Quebec - Hijab on soccer field

• A Muslim Girl from the Nepean Selects team from Ottawa was ejected from the tournament for wearing a hijab.

• The league spokesman justifies that it is for safety reason

• The other teams also left the field in support for the girl

Case Study: Hutterite Photo Identification

• AB implemented mandatory photo-identification for driver licenses.

• Although there was a photo exemption for religious reasons, it was eliminated.

• Members of the Hutterian Brethren of Wilson Colony have a religious opposition to being photographed and they applied for a declaratory relief.

• The matters then proceeded to trial, with both sides offering their alternatives but neither agreed with each other, so it was appealed by the AB GOV.