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Here’s some food for thought as you get ready to hoist the cold libation of your choice tomorrow to perhaps toast Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, and mark Canada’s 143rd birthday.
The Historica-Dominion Institute, in partnership with the Munk School of Global Affairs and with the support of the Aurea Foundation, last week released the results of its online survey, Canada and the World in 2010, which was conducted for it by pollster Ipsos Reid and had more than 18,000 respondents in 24 countries.
The survey found, among many other things, in addressing one of Canadians' most firmly held perceptions of themselves: namely our openness to immigration and their embrace of multiculturalism that the rest of the world finds Canada tolerant and welcoming:
a majority (53 per cent) of people, including 77 per cent of respondents from China and 68 per cent of respondents from India, say they'd live in Canada if they had an opportunity to move. Almost one-third (30 per cent) of Americans would choose Canada;
eight in ten (79 per cent) of respondents think that Canadians enjoy one of the best qualities of life anywhere in the world. Nine in ten (89 per cent) Canadians believe this – making them the country most likely to agree;
most respondents (72 per cent) believe that Canada is welcoming to immigrants, including 86 per cent in China and 84 per cent in India, while almost all (94 per cent) Canadians think so;
eight in ten (79 per cent) of respondents would describe Canada as being tolerant of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds – equal to the proportion of Canadians (81 per cent) who say the same thing.
On the other hand the survey also shows that Canadians sometimes overestimate their own influence in world affairs:
two in three Canadians (67 per cent) agree that Canada has an influence on the world stage, while only 55 per cent of global respondents agree. Those polled in Brazil and India were most likely (both 74 per cent) to agree that Canada had influence in world affairs, while only one third of Japanese and Swedes agreed, making them least likely of the 24 countries polled to believe that Canada is influential on the world stage;
Canadians (68 per cent) are only slightly more likely than global citizens overall (62 per cent) to say that Canada is a world economic power. The Russians (79 per cent) (Brazilians (78 per cent) and Chinese (78 per cent) are most likely to agree, while the Swedes (33 per cent), Japanese (40 per cent), Germans (41 per cent) and the British (43 per cent) are much less likely.
Canadians are much more likely (81 per cent) than global citizens overall (67 per cent) to say that Canada is a leader in working for peace and human rights around the world;
while 60 per cent of global citizens believe that Canada does pretty much what the United States wants them to do when it comes to foreign affairs, even more Canadians (71 per cent) actually believe this.
The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization that was launched last September through the amalgamation of two existing organizations: The Historica Foundation of Canada and the Dominion Institute. The Historica Foundation of Canada was launched in October 1999, while the Dominion Institute was formed in 1997 by a group of young professionals, concerned about the erosion of a common memory and civic identity in Canada.
For Americans, Independence Day on July 4 for Northern Yankees marks the defeat of the British Redcoats in the War of Independence in 1783, although some Southerners still mourn it as the date in 1863 when Vicksburg, Mississippi fell to Union troops in the War Between the States or Civil War. In France, July 14 is Bastille Day, or Le quatorze juillet, known as Fête Nationale in official parlance.
Canada being Canada and Canadians being Canadians, we quintessentially mark July 1 with what might appear to outsiders to be a rather odd mix of reticence, pride and ambivalence.
Sometimes we forget just how remarkable an achievement Canada was in 1867. In the spring of 1864, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were contemplating the possibility of Maritime Union. But nothing concrete happened until the Province of Canada, springing from the legislative union of Canada East and Canada West, heard of the proposed conference. and members of the combined legislature requested permission to attend the meeting of the colonies, in order to raise the larger subject of British North American union. Delegates from away arrived by steamer and shared the spotlight with the first circus to visit the island in more than 20 years. No kidding. The historic Charlottetown Conference took place from Sept. 1 to 9, 1864.
As a Canadian, it is remains an uncommon privilege to sit in the public gallery in the balcony of historic Province House in Charlottetown, designed and built by local architect Isaac Smith and completed in 1847, to accommodate the legislative assembly of Prince Edward Island. To this day, the assembly has only 27 seats for the members from the ridings of Souris-Elmira through to Tignish-Palmer Road.
The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day. There is no record of organized ceremonies after the first anniversary, except for the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917, at which time the new Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, under construction, was dedicated as a memorial to the Fathers of Confederation and to the valour of Canadians fighting in the First World War in Europe.
The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation.
Since 1958, the federal government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada's national day on July 1.
Well done, Sir John A.
