What is Canadian nationalism if we don’t support those in Canada?
It’s no surprise that Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs since the start of his presidency have been received negatively at best from most Canadians. Provocations to integrate with the American economy has stoked a new sense of Canadian nationalism. The back-and-forth attitude by Trump’s administration is motivating new efforts to develop a strong, independent Canadian economy. Evidently, this anxiety is apparent in Justin Trudeau’s outspoken defense of Canadian workers throughout February. There is a growing focus on Canadian prosperity – but who exactly decides who gets to reap the benefits of such prosperity?
Canadians continue to claim pride for their country, yet new waves of anti-immigration sentiment combined with outcries from Indigenous peoples about injustice, raise questions about who exactly is called upon as part of the ‘the true north strong and free.’
Discussions about immigration in Canada have been continuous throughout much of Canadian history. Generally, Canadians were seen stereotypically as overwhelmingly positive on immigration. In recent years, however, a shift towards anti-immigration policy has become increasingly popular. The swing towards anti-immigration attitudes in Canada alongside American rhetoric, volatile in its own right, has negatively impacted the security of those seeking to immigrate and stay in Canada.
Budgetary issues, management problems, and concerns over employment are only some of the worries that plague both the federal government and new immigrants alike. Announcements in January by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada indicate a trend of turning resources away from welcoming and assisting new immigrants into Canada.
Further, those who do immigrate to Canada are facing the same issues as the rest of Canadians, alongside a general sense of unwantedness. An increasing number of Canadians believe, as per the Environics Institute, that “almost six in ten (58 per cent) Canadians now believe the country accepts too many immigrants” and that “an increasing proportion of Canadians agree that many people claiming to be refugees are not real refugees.” Additionally, the study claims Canadians increasingly believe that immigration increases the level of crime in Canada.
The continuing sentiment of hostility towards immigration only provokes concern and worsens the conditions for all involved. How Canadians feel about immigration bleeds into every sector – the linkage between our healthcare crisis and the refusal to accept future international healthcare students makes that apparent.
Refusing to bring in international students only begets further problems. Recent immigrants in Canada already face a mis-match between the work they are qualified for and the work they are actually doing, often due to the devaluing of non-Canadian related work experience they have. If they are refused opportunities to develop the skills and education necessary for the work they decide to pursue, immigrants will be relegated to low-paying unskilled labour or predatory employment situations.
Canadians are unwilling to view immigrants as part of the same culture. These values are evident across the country. If Canadians refuse to employ immigrants in work they are qualified for; to aid immigrants in finding stable housing; to view immigrants as also part of Canada’s culture and institutions, then clearly immigrants are excluded from these calls for Canadian nationalism.
Such treatment is only mirrored by the ways the Canadian federal government approaches Indigenous issues — the ongoing, historic gap in labour force participation between non-Indigenous workers and Indigenous workers continues to widen, despite positive signs elsewhere in economic participation.
A report by Statistics Canada paints a grim picture for those that do work. Indigenous peoples were less likely to be in managerial positions, lower paid, and three times more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment at work. Just as work by immigrants was often mismatched, Indigenous people’s labour has been systematically devalued and dismissed within Canada.
Other equally important aspects of daily life for Indigenous peoples are also neglected by the federal government. Basic environmental protections and quality of life guarantees such as the Clean Water Act still haven’t passed — with arguments that these protections don’t need to be implemented in the first place. Inaction and delay results only in the suffering of people whom Canada is indebted to and prolongs the historical trend of dismissing Indigenous concerns as a problem external to most Canadians.
When the federal government and other Canadians relegate the concerns of marginalized groups to the periphery, it is a detriment to the safety of those groups within Canada. The tragic over-policing of Indigenous peoples continues to be dangerous, as federal case investigations are delayed and are handled slower in contrast to other, more pressing matters as decided by the federal government.
Canadian nationalism presents a simplified sense of unity in the face of consistent failure by Canadians to aid immigrants and Indigenous peoples throughout several aspects of their lives. Further, it glosses over the ways Canadians project their prejudices onto these marginalized groups in favour of a narrative that distinguishes Canada as a multicultural, accepting culture.
Until steps are taken to develop the ways not only Indigenous and immigrant peoples are supported, but all marginalized groups in Canada, the call for Canadian nationalism will only ring hollow.
