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News: Is Canada the world's first 'postnational' country?
Member Since: 1/21/2008
Posts: 3,607
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Is Canada the world's first 'postnational' country?
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As 2017 begins, Canada may be the last immigrant nation left standing. Our government believes in the value of immigration, as does the majority of the population. We took in an estimated 300,000 newcomers in 2016, including 48,000 refugees, and we want them to become citizens; around 85% of permanent residents eventually do. Recently there have been concerns about bringing in single Arab men, but otherwise Canada welcomes people from all faiths and corners. The greater Toronto area is now the most diverse city on the planet, with half its residents born outside the country; Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal aren’t far behind. Annual immigration accounts for roughly 1% of the country’s current population of 36 million.
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Of course, 2016 was also the year – really the second running – when many western countries turned angrily against immigration, blaming it for a variety of ills in what journalist Doug Saunders calls the “global reflex appeal to fear”. Alongside the rise of nativism has emerged a new nationalism that can scarcely be bothered to deny its roots in racial identities and exclusionary narratives.
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But as well as practical considerations for remaining an immigrant country, Canadians, by and large, are also philosophically predisposed to an openness that others find bewildering, even reckless. The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, articulated this when he told the New York Times Magazine that Canada could be the “first postnational state”. He added: “There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada.”
The remark, made in October 2015, failed to cause a ripple – but when I mentioned it to Michael Bach, Germany’s minister for European affairs, who was touring Canada to learn more about integration, he was astounded. No European politician could say such a thing, he said. The thought was too radical.
For a European, of course, the nation-state model remains sacrosanct, never mind how ill-suited it may be to an era of dissolving borders and widespread exodus. The modern state – loosely defined by a more or less coherent racial and religious group, ruled by internal laws and guarded by a national army – took shape in Europe. Telling an Italian or French citizen they lack a “core identity” may not be the best vote-winning strategy.
To Canadians, in contrast, the remark was unexceptional. After all, one of the country’s greatest authors, Mavis Gallant, once defined a Canadian as “someone with a logical reason to think he may be one” – not exactly a ringing assertion of a national character type. Trudeau could, in fact, have been voicing a chronic anxiety among Canadians: the absence of a shared identity.
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Full article on The Guardian.
Canada is constantly made fun of for having no "culture" or "identity", but I for one have always wondered why that's supposed to be a bad thing. This piece put my thoughts into words better than I ever could.
Never change, Canada. Never change.
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Member Since: 6/29/2012
Posts: 13,597
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Member Since: 8/13/2012
Posts: 32,832
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yes, mother canada is life
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 14,345
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Canada stays winning
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Member Since: 8/13/2012
Posts: 32,832
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just going from vancouver to seattle... they're supposed to be the most progressive cities of their countries, Seattle looked like a backward mess of rude people, huge roads with toll lanes that penalize the poor, ugly downtown, homeless...
coming back to Canada was like being reborn from hell to heaven just how nice everyone is, how safe it is compared to the USA, less crowded, cheaper, more unspoiled
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 1,187
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i wanna live in canada, someday...
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Member Since: 3/1/2012
Posts: 5,765
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Member Since: 1/16/2011
Posts: 24,638
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the acclaim
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 10,242
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Don't worry, their next PM will ruin everything.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/3/2012
Posts: 29,405
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Despite seeming similar on the surface, the cultural and demographical differences between the US and Canada are staggering.
The fact that Punjabi is the most spoken language in Canada other than English & French. Queen!
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/3/2012
Posts: 29,405
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Quote:
Originally posted by hooky
Don't worry, their next PM will ruin everything.
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That won't be for a while. Justin Trudeau's government is at 66% popularity rating. In addition to being obscenely popular among Canadians, he has also elevated Canada's profile on the world stage. Barring a major upset, he could be prime minister for upwards of a decade.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 9,012
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Idk why you guys love immigration so much lol
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 40,803
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Queen
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Member Since: 8/31/2013
Posts: 17,456
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yes we are very multicultured but i think we've let a bit too many in cause our homeless rates are just booming and booming. i think we should just be careful, but otherwise it's great to have such diversity.
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Member Since: 1/1/2013
Posts: 17,232
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Woo, best country in the world
Can't wait to move back there next year
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 42,704
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Quote:
Originally posted by Save-Me-Oprah
Despite seeming similar on the surface, the cultural and demographical differences between the US and Canada are staggering.
The fact that Punjabi is the most spoken language in Canada other than English & French. Queen!
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You can even select Punjabi as a language option in most ATM banks there right?
What a GREAT country
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Member Since: 9/1/2013
Posts: 1,048
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Wow that's actually sort of amazing!!! I didn't know that
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/3/2012
Posts: 29,405
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Quote:
Originally posted by ♚ PRiNCE HiGH ♚
You can even select Punjabi as a language option in most ATM banks there right?
What a GREAT country
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In areas that have a high Punjabi population. Most ABMs also have Chinese and Korean.
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Member Since: 8/10/2012
Posts: 1,700
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Good thing I'm moving to Serbia before worse gets to worst
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Member Since: 4/20/2012
Posts: 3,792
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Quote:
Originally posted by Girlicious
yes we are very multicultured but i think we've let a bit too many in cause our homeless rates are just booming and booming. i think we should just be careful, but otherwise it's great to have such diversity.
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Homeless numbers in Canada are nothing compared to what's going on in major US cities. However, the immigrants aren't the issue. They tend to find a place to live and stay there. It's longtime US citizens that are falling into homelessness.
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