What does it mean to be Canadian Is it worth it for the Chinese to come here and build Canadian Pacific Railway - Essay Example

What does it mean to be Canadian? Is it worth it for the Chinese to come here and build Canadian Pacific Railway? Canada inhabits a very diverse community of people which is why Canadians are varied in heritage and traditions. Due to its culturally rich society, Canada is home to a broad set of values and attitudes which define a Canadian. Each year, Canada receives a large number of immigrants each year who arrive for better job prospects, lifestyle, and opportunities. An increasing number of foreigners are acquiring citizenships. Although the people come from a diversified background, they identify themselves as being Canadians and having attributes which makes them proud to be associated with Canada. To a great extent, a key role is played by the television, media, and literature in promoting feelings of nationalism and unity within Canadians despite their varied backgrounds. In particular, emotions have been creatively used to have an overwhelming impact on its audiences in order to stimulate feelings of patriotism and loyalty towards Canada (Burke, 104-107). Canadians take pride in belonging to a country which has a fascinating social, cultural, and historical background and they have a positive attitude towards the country (Cohen, n.pag.). Its inhabitants may be different in appearance however all Canadians share similar values and encourage the expression of personal beliefs and thoughts on their identity as a Canadian. Marusya Bociurkiw in Feeling Canadian: Television, Nationalism and Affect examined the part played by television in the construction and dissemination of feelings of nationalism among its inhabitants. Canada has often been described as being similar to the USA however American and Canadian sentiments as to what it means to be a Canadian differs greatly. It is also important to account for the considerable diversity present in the Canadian society. Burke analyzes how Bociurkiw has considered sensory and emotional aspects of television content and how a sense of national belonging is created through the television programs (104-107). Television provides a great way of connecting the public with the society through affective perceptions. A documentary film by Robert Cohen named Being Canadian is in the making which addresses the crucial question of what it means to be a Canadian (Cohen, n.pag.). The documentary is based on several interviews with Canadians while on a journey across Canada. This journey provided Cohen with a deep insight regarding the perception of people about being a Canadian. The responses make up the documentary and explain how positive people are about being a Canadian and the pride they take in belonging to this land. However, after generations of immigrants in Canada, it seems that the cultural value and the sense of Canadian identity is reducing among its dwellers. The creators of the documentary explore the Canadian territories and the invaluable assets which Canada is proud of. Along the way, several Canadians have been interviewed to describe the qualities, attributes, and values involved in being a Canadian and what it means to them. Diakiw in his essay considers the role of school in forming a feeling of Canadian identity as children try to assimilate the cultural values under Canadian settings (2). Although many immigrants have developed a sense of affiliation with the culture and identify themselves as Canadians, many are facing identity crisis as a result of mixed values and the multi-cultural nature of the country. Schools act as important educational centers for the dissemination of political and cultural views and because of a diversified community there is not single perspective of political or cultural view being communicated. Since schools are central curators of national outlook, it is necessary that schools are regulated in what they want to promote (Diakiw, 5). The Canadian government has promoted a multi-cultural policy and has developed easy procedures encouraging immigrants to migrate to Canada. Colburn and Sorison have described Canada as “the benevolent kingdom” which welcomes everybody rather than focusing on any single dominating race, culture, or ethnicity (11).While many immigrants identify many aspects of relating to the country, it is also true that some have kept up their native identity and values. Values play an important role in the inculcation of nationalistic feelings and since many immigrants hold native values they often do not develop feelings of Canadian identity and hence do not relate themselves with Canada. But the feeling is not consistent and many immigrants, in fact most of them identify themselves as being Canadian and this is the unifying factor for all the citizens (Diakiw, 6). Canada itself does not define an official cultural for the country which provides a ground for all its inhabitants to feel at home. This attitude allows Canadians to enjoy the freedom of associating themselves with the country and develops a sense of belong within them. So, although immigration has raised the dilemma pertaining to the Canadian identity, most Canadians identify themselves as patriot Canadians and having strong ties with the country. Several generations of immigrants have incorporated Canadian values and have the role of educational institutions, television, media, etc have been significant in stimulating feelings of nationalism. Thus, being a Canadian means freedom, honor, and dignity. It is not just an identity but a set of values, traditions, and culture. Various Chinese immigrants from China arrived in Canada as laborers between 1880 and 1881 (“Railway Construction”, n.pag.). The Canadian Pacific Railway was being constructed in British Columbia in the late nineteenth century which required railway workers. S a result, numerous companies including Chinese and non-Chinese companies that started recruiting workers to be sent to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Thousands of Chinese workers from Hong Kong and other areas of China were recruited and sent to Canada where they arrived unaccompanied. Many Chinese workers however died during the construction due to the harsh weather conditions. Many authors have tried to explain the genealogy of Chinese immigrants in Canada as early as 1880s (“Railway Construction”, n.pag.). A photograph archived in the Council of Chinese Canadian in Ontario shows a log camp along the railroad where Chinese workers lived. The photograph indicates the severe weather conditions in British Columbia in a cold, mountainous region where the workers had to work and live in. Also, as the work along the track continued the workers had to move their camps along the line of the track. The Chinese workers coming to Canada as railroad workers arrived in such a large number that a Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented which banned the immigration of Chinese people (“Chinese-Canadian History”, n.pag.). However, Canada now has a lenient immigration policy which encourages people to move to Canada and provides them with a citizenship. Most inhabitants of Canada today come from different countries but still identify themselves as Canadians and not as their native origin. This impacts the values and ideas held by these people as they are cultured to assimilate the Canadian character. Now, they form part of Canada and represent one of the multi-cultural ethnicities within Canada. As Chinese workers, among many other races, immigrated they brought with them, diversity and creativity. They gave rise to an Asian heritage which Canada was to appreciate a few years later. Canada today is thought as having no official culture or language. Thus, immigrants have been significant in shaping the cultural and societal virtues held by the community. It was worth immigrating because the immigration proved to bring productive workers and helped diversify the Canadian community. Also, it helped contour the Canadian character although Diakiw has pointed out that immigrants have hurdled the adjustment into the Canadian setting. Works Cited Burke, Andrew. "Feeling Canadian: Television, Nationalism and Affect." Screen 54.1 (2013): 104-107. "Chinese-Canadian History." Radio Canada International, 2013. Web. 27 Nov 2013. . Diakiw, Jerry. Canadian Culture and National Identity. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2011. "Railway Construction." Vancouver Public Library, 2012. Web. 27 Nov 2013. . Colburn, Kerry and Rob Sorensen. So, you want to be Canadian?. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004. Print. Wai-man, Lee. Portraits of a Challenge: an Illustrated History of the Chinese Canadians. Toronto: Council of Chinese Canadian in Ontario. Web. 27 Nov 2013. . Read More