(This column originally appeared in the Toronto Sun)
Who would have thought Canadian values could be so controversial?
Plenty of ink has been spilt in the past few weeks over the suddenly taboo topic of promoting Canadian values.
The consensus from Canada’s elites has been to condemn the very idea of listing our values, let alone asking newcomers to respect and adhere to them.
But a far more controversial idea about Canadian values and identity was recently proposed by our very own prime minister. And the media barely batted an eyelash.
Late last year, Justin Trudeau told the New York Times that Canada is becoming a new kind of country, not defined by our history or European national origins, but by a “pan-cultural heritage”.
“There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada,” Trudeau said, concluding that he sees Canada as “the first post-national state.”
Even the New York Times called the suggestion “radical.”
Despite Trudeau’s bizarre musings, Canada has a proud history and strong traditions.
Canada has never been a homogeneous society — defined by a single race or ethnicity — but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a distinct culture and identity.
Our identity is rooted in our history, and it’s impossible to divorce the two.
Canada’s democratic values and traditions date back over 800 years, to the signing of the Magna Carta by our political ancestors.
That document helped enshrine our natural rights and freedoms, and limited the government’s ability to impose its powers.
Canada, perhaps more than any other Western country, is a living manifestation of that great document.
We live in the greatest country in the world. My biased opinion aside, the Reputation Institute ranked Canada as the most admired country in the world.
Our peaceful, free, fair and just society is the envy of the world. That is why so many people around the world want to come to Canada. They want to adopt our values.
But Trudeau takes this all for granted.
He doesn’t think…READ MORE
