Hello my name is Maxwell McEachern 
That is me, on the left. I have a bit of a tradition. Every time I am able to hike to the peak of a mountain or hill, I take a photo of myself with the Canadian flag. I guess I saw others doing the same thing on summits like Everest and K2 and decided, what the hell.
I am proud to be Canadian and always have been. Growing up watching Canada compete on the world stage in international hockey events or the olympics might have grown that pride in me. Where I was born seemed to be a strong identifier or gave me a sense of identity.
Even though I will still hold up the Canadian flag, adorn a patch my backpack, or cry into my team Canada jersey as the junior team loses with 40 seconds left, I have taken a step back. Stepping away from a blind sense of national pride to really wonder what Canada really is.
In the photo above, I am with clients of mine as we end our canoe trip down the Horton River. The Horton River lies within the arctic circle in the Northwest Territories and it is a place I have been lucky enough to travel to the past four summers. Northern Canada seems like a completely different place than it’s southern counterpart and It has led me to confront the idea that Canada is a perfect place. I have been able to meet and work with Indigenous people who have shed some light on what their idea of “Canada” is. The northern part of Canada faces misconceptions just as much if not more than southern indigenous people
Many Canadians are unaware of the issues and racism faced by indigenous people and there are a lot of misconceptions about taxes, sexual violence, reserves and residential school.
As we move forward as citizens of this country we must really try to understand and create awareness for indigenous voices and issues. I look forward to the next few months working and reading through the blog posts while cultivating good discussion.
MM
Sources
Barker, Joanne. “Gender, Sovereignty, Rights: Native Women’s Activism against Social Inequality and Violence in Canada.” American Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 2, 2008, pp. 259–266. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40068533.
McIntyre, Sheila. “The Supreme Court of Canada’s Betrayal of Residential School Survivors: Ignorance Is No Excuse.” Sexual Assault in Canada: Law, Legal Practice and Women’s Activism, edited by Elizabeth A Sheehy, University of Ottawa Press, OTTAWA, 2012, pp. 151–172. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jcb92.11.
Nair, Roshini “‘Call a spade a spade’: fighting racism depends on honest conversation, expert says.” CBC News. February 9th 2017. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/call-a-spade-a-spade-fighting-racism-depends-on-honest-conversation-expert-says-1.3971977
Hey Maxwell
I am so jealous (in a good way of course) that you’ve had so many opportunities to experience Northern Canada. It’s something that’s been on my “must-do” list for a long time now, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to venture up in that direction. I also hope that throughout this course you continue to tie your experiences and observations from the Northwest Territories into your future blog posts. I think it would be very interesting to connect the literature we will be studying and the questions we will be answering with a Northern perspective that most people in Vancouver don’t normally have the opportunity to experience.
You also mention something in your post that has become a “hot-topic” in Canada (per se) since 2008, when Prime Minister Harper made his apology on behalf of Canada for the residential schools. Establishing understanding and awareness for indigenous issues in Canada is one of the main goals of reconciliation, and while there are many strategies being suggested to help this idea along, I was wondering what strategies you think should be implemented to facilitate better listening and understanding of Indigenous voices?
– Cassie
Thank you Cassie for your question.
It is a great one, and a tough one.
Years ago when I was much younger, I worked construction with an Indigenous man from Nova Scotia. He had a great sense of humour and was always making fun of me for my lack of strength and other shortcomings. He also joked a lot about the abuse he received in residential school. I was only about 16 years old and was never really taught anything about these “schools”. I laughed it off then, but it has left an impact on me in hindsight. I can tell now that he was struggling. He tried to cover up his scars with humour.
One day he never showed up for work and it was not until two weeks later that we learned he went back to Nova Scotia.
The scars that were inflicted in residential school are deep and cannot be healed. They will also have a lasting affect as the trauma is passed down generations.
The truth and reconciliation commission is doing an okay job right now as listening does help heal wounds. However, it is difficult to find a cure all solution because everyones experience was very different.
Thank you,
MM
Hi Maxwell,
Thank you for your insightful blog! I have to admit that it put a smile on my face when I read your second and third paragraphs, where you discuss some strong Canadian identity determiners. I myself will never forget bawling my eyes out when the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Bruins in 2011, or to the sense of pride I felt in elementary school when Vancouver held the Winter Olympics in 2010. Even simply travelling to other provinces and seeing Tim Hortons makes me feel so incredibly proud and united!
With that being said, I definitely understand the sentiment (and more importantly, the need) to step back. Although we indulge in our country’s culture, we do need to realize that not every Canadian or even person on this land that we call home, feels the same way.
I have one particular question for you. Was there a specific moment or event that inspired you to take a step back, as you mentioned in your blog? I would love to hear your experience!
HI Maxwell
Thanks for the post. I echo Cassie’s longing to experience one of your Northern Journeys. The farthest North I have been is the Haida Gwaii and already I could feel a very major difference in geography and culture.
You got me thinking if the farther we move North and away from big cities/US influence, the closer we might come to an authentic “Canadian” experience. Obviously, authenticity is a heavily loaded word but what I mean is that maybe moving northwards strips away some of the superficial and enters the essence.
This also relates to the anecdote about having a a Canadian flag proudly sewn on to your backpack. I also did that. At the time it was more an expression of distancing myself from Americans than any defined Canadian identity. Once again, do we have to move ourselves away from big brother to breathe and find our own voice?
Hi Maxwell,
I was drawn to your post as I noticed we have many things in common. I too was born and raised in Canada and am very proud of my national Identity. I am a very avid canoe tripper (though I have not yet ventured further north than Thunder Bay) and understand the connection this form of traveling can create between you and your country. I have cheered (and cried) for Canada watching the olympics, and get chills every time a watch a replay of the golden goal.
I was very taken with your comment regarding “stepping away from a blind sense of national pride to really wonder what Canada really is.” I have struggled with this as I feel as if my national pride is almost celebrating massacres and extreme racism. I wonder how you separate the history with your sense of pride, and If the two can be/should be separated in general; especially since you have traveled to and visited reserves and witness what the country we love has done.
Excited for your response
Sandra.