Having spent the first four years of my childhood in the United States, albeit in Alaska, I came to Canada an outsider. Yet as I would find over the course of my childhood, and even more so upon moving to Vancouver at the age of 18, a diverse group of outsiders are largely what makeup this country, let alone founded it a little less than one hundred and fifty years ago.
Though I sound like a broken record, Canada is defined by its diversity and differences. What else could be expected of a country of its size? The trips back and forth between Vancouver and Calgary over the course of my four and a half years at UBC were a constant reminder of this, and even more so upon returning to Calgary for good just several weeks ago. Whether it is the cultural makeup of the city, the industries that empower it, the way people talk and dress, or the weather (I’ll give Vancouver the upper hand on this one), a lot can change in a time zone. Now mind you we have five and a half time zones throughout Canada, so imagine the scope of difference we deal with. We even have a nation, within a nation, according to our Prime Minister.
Despite our differences, it is our vehicles of expression that unite us as a country. If you grew up in Canada, you at one point or another likely laced up the skates, and stepped on to a frozen surface of some kind. And if you grew up anywhere east of Vancouver, this likely occurred outdoors. There’s a good chance a stick and round piece of rubber were involved as well. Hockey is just one of many vehicles of expression that can be found just about anywhere in Canada. Whether it be sport, music, or finishing a sentence with “eh”, these cultural symbols persist despite our differences and unite us as a whole.
ENGL 470 examines our literary roots as a nation. As I have previously identified, it is our differences that often define us, and the literature of this class will help us explore the foundation of this symbolic trait, such as the differences between European and Indigenous peoples in the early days of Canadian history, as well as the discrepancy in power amongst the voices of various groups throughout the country. The literature will helps us identify the lens through which we see Canada at the present day, and what in our history as a nation has enabled this perception.
Works Cited
Emmer. “What Is It About Pond Hockey?” Gongshow Hockey RSS. Gongshow Hockey, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.
“Quebecers Form a Nation within Canada: PM.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 22 Nov. 2006. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.
“TOM COCHRANE & RED RIDER – Big League.” YouTube. YouTube, 15 Nov. 2006. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.
Outdoor skating has to be one of my all-time favourite activities! I guess I qualify as truly Canadian, then?
Keely,
I suppose that cements the truly Canadian status! But indeed one of my favourites as well, certainly makes winter a little more tolerable.
Hi Alex, I love the title to your blog – nice thinking. A very nice introduction indeed – thanks! I grew up in Montreal and Toronto where we skated on the frozen sidewalks to get to school in the winter — but, back then girls were not welcome to play with that stick and puck! If you did, you were surely a lesbian– as that story went. It is interesting that the Prime Minister and so many others for so long can discuss the nationhood of Quebec without even a nod to the First Nations of that territory: http://www.apnql-afnql.com/en/accueil/index.php
Thanks for the link, and I am looking forward to working with you this semester and learning about the world from your perspective.
Well hopefully 3 consecutive olympic Gold Medals and the great ambassadors (Wickenheiser/Cassie Campbell) for the sport of women’s hockey have served to erase that stereotype! But that’s a great point about the First Nations peoples of Quebec… It’s a great irony of our country, how accepting we claim to be of different cultures yet routinely overlook that of the First Nations people
Hello Alex,
I really enjoyed your blog entry and introduction. I am currently living in Calgary too. Were you born in Alaska?
I think it is amazing how many different cultures come together to define Canada. It was not what I expected when I first came to Canada 7 years ago.. What do you think that different cultures can bring to the Canadian Culture? Do you think the changes are welcome today?
I look forward to reading more of your take on the readings during the course.
Jenny
Great to have a fellow Calgarian in the class, we can whine about the weather together. I was in fact born in Alaska, and have dual citizenship as a result. Very proud and lucky to have lived in both countries, and it sounds like you have enjoyed your experiences in both as well.
With regards to your second question, I think that because such a diversity of cultures is so widely accepted throughout most of Canada, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people, businesses, and societies to adopt unwelcoming attitudes towards them, and is to their detriment to do so. However, the attitudes of acceptance do vary throughout Canada, depending on the varying cultural exposure of different places, and those places less exposed are typically more unwelcoming of change.
Hi Alex,
I also feel like I have been accepted into the “diverse group of outsiders” that makes up much of Canada. It’s one of the many great things about this country. For the most part, I feel like my experiences in Canada have been positive, and people have been accepting. Yet perhaps this is not true of all groups in Canada. There are still instances of intolerance and racism. Why do you think that a nation built by a “diverse group of outsiders” could still contain such instances? Why are some groups targeted but not others?
Cheers,
Greta
Greta,
I feel as though some places throughout Canada are far more exposed to multi-cultural aspects than others, and that this often leads to differing tolerance throughout the country. Meanwhile, in my experience I have found this also exists with regards to differing groups, as racism towards some groups is often more accepted and serves to only perpetuate the problem. I find, ironically, this is often the result of more exposure to certain groups, at times they may be perceived as a threat to the cultural norm in less tolerant areas.
Hey Alex,
I really liked reading your blog. What part of Alaska are you originally from? I took the cover photo in my blog in Tenakee Springs, Alaska. My boyfriend’s family and I take a fishing boat from Hoonah every summer and fish around the waters there. We stop at all the little ports around the way and I’ve grown to love Alaska in all its natural beauty. My personal favourite is Elfin cove, have you been? But anyways this course is supposed to be about Canada so I’ll draw focus back to this country. I am also from Calgary! And I completely agree that there is a large difference between Vancouver culture and Calgary culture and it’s only an hour plane ride apart. One being that there aren’t nearly as many outdoor rinks in Vancouver, shame.
I really agree with this statement that you made: “Despite our differences, it is our vehicles of expression that unite us as a country.” The term “vehicles of expression” works really nicely with this course because I’ve always thought of literature and novels as our greatest form of expression. We may have many differences province to province and various ethnic backgrounds but one thing that we have in common with our fellow Canadian citizens is the ability to express ourselves through writing and reading. That’s what we’re doing with this blogs isn’t it? They are just another vehicle, albeit a fast one, of expression. I look forward to reading your blog in the future.
Sam,
I practically went through outdoor rink withdrawal after moving to Vancouver… Splitting my childhood between Anchorage (further north than Tenakee, it’s the biggest city in Alaska) and Calgary got me hooked at a young age. But Alaska is an amazingly unique place, nothing quite compares to it. Thanks for the shout-out in your most recent blog post! I enjoyed reading it.