Home to the maple syrup, igloos, beavers, and Mounties. It is the farther up America: it is Canada. While those are popular aspects of Canada, it does not define or properly portray the country. When one ponders about what Canadian identity is, the stereotypical ideas come to mind, but besides from that there never has been an official identity for Canadians. Canadian identity is based on the facts that Canadians value and incorporate that which is different from them. It is composed of diversity, values, and the relationships with other countries.
Firstly, Canada has a rich history, one that includes many other ethnic groups and cultures, creating a diverse country. This country is renowned for its integration of other groups, like the Indigenous.
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In the beginning, Canada started out as a dominion of Britain, a child of the holy motherland, but eventually, Canada gained independence. Now able to declare war without the consent of Britain but choosing to keep the peace and be a mediator. The United Nations replaced the Leagues of Nations, which failed mainly due to an important missing member, the United States. It went from the mission of preventing wars and then changed to having its own peacekeepers from all the members. Canada’s very own former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson proposed the notion of peacekeeping, with the intention of sending men to maintain peace. The US plays a great factor in the way Canada operates. A saying of the late Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, is one that still rings true: “Like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast … one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” The meaning of this was that everything that the US does will affect Canada. Affect, though, does not mean that it is the same. People define Canada by saying what Canada is not in comparison to US. For example, some say “We aren’t Americans: we don’t allow the usage of guns, we don’t pay for healthcare and we don’t fight wars.” This is not identity, it is using another’s identity to define oneself. Canada should be something that can be described without the US, a country independent from its