A True Canadian Citizen
Canada covers a huge piece of land, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and from the United States border all the way up to the North Pole. The ten provinces and three territories represent a wide variety of landscapes. From soaring mountains to dimpled plains, lush forests to breezy grasslands, rushing waterfalls to rippling lakes, its topical geography is an important part of our country's identity. Canada's people come from many different backgrounds, and make the country a multicultural rapture, attracting many tourists and immigrants each year. But what makes a person worthy of living in such a beautiful and diverse community? They must be a
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Knowing Canada's Charter of Rights, having knowledge of Canada's history and knowing about the Canadian government are three basic requirements for a Canadian to be an informed citizen, which is an undoubtedly crucial part of being a Canadian citizen.
It is not just enough for a citizen to be informed about the country. They should be an active citizen as well, which means participating in all aspects of Canadian life. To be a productive Canadian, they need to have a job and pay income taxes to the government. Everyone in Canada should contribute to the country through their taxes, because the money that we pay to the government goes to the country's important social programs, such as health care and education. Another key part of being an active citizen is taking part in the democratic process. In order for a democracy to work, it is imperative that all people take part not only in voting, but also in investigating the party and policies of the party that they intend to vote for. If everyone does not vote, then it is not a democracy, because what the majority of the country wants cannot be known. Although voting is important, it is not the only way that citizens can change something within the democratic system. Another way to make a difference and to be an active citizen is to join an interest group. An interest group is a group of citizens who share a
Every country and culture across the world has a certain label they use for their people or followers, in order to differentiate themselves from other countries and cultures. In India people have the label Indians, the label British is utilized in the Unite Kingdom, and in Canada people are labelled Canadians; however, these different labels are often tied to stereotypes and assumptions. Many of the assumptions made are often induced by profound stories about a country or cultures that can either be true or false. Around the world, the label “Canadians” is mainly associated with certain things that Canada is widely known for, such as: multiculturalism, hockey, bilingualism and free healthcare. Additionally, these certain things are what people from different countries use to verify an individual’s own identity.
Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.
Every community in Canada, whether it is large or small, is a gold mine of diversity, tradition, culture and much history. It’s the familiarity, knowledge of their heritage, and sense of belonging at school, work, home, or their place of worship, that strengthens their identity or who they are as Canadians. If someone identified as Canadian, it means they are a part of Canada’s society. To be Canadian means freedom. Canadians have the freedom to think for themselves, speak what they believe, and live their life with no limits. Because of this freedom, they have certain character traits and qualities. Simply, Canadians contain a certain Canadian attitude, the recognition of Canadian multiculturalism and prominently, Canadian pride.
According to the Canadian government, an individual is deemed as a citizen of Canada if they fulfill certain requirements such as being born in the country, applying for a citizenship, or being born to at least one Canadian parent. With this citizenship, these individuals can now experience a wide variety of privileges such as having the ability to vote, to either enter or leave the country, and to enjoy all the rights and freedoms that are associated with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some of these rights include the right to public assembly and
As a Canadian citizen, you must respect others beliefs/backgrounds, and treats others equally. To become a Canadian citizen, you need to demonstrate acceptance, equality, and inclusiveness. Firstly, a Canadian citizen must demonstrate equality to others. Canada has been known for its equality rights to female and men. Although, female aren’t treated equally as men are considering that their pay isn’t equivalent to men.
Now that you are up to date with currents events I will briefly touch on some strong point of the Canadian democratic system. Citizens in Canada indirectly hold power in a free electoral system and are given better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than other systems of government. The freedom of speech, freedom of political expression, and the freedom of the media allow citizens to vote in favour of their own interest. Democracy in Canada is rooted on the grounds of equal rights; this gives people equality before the law, human rights, free and fair elections and so on. In comparison to the Third World, power is in the hands of the “Big Men”, the police and army are the ones who hold control not the people and where corruption is a norm, Canada may look like a utopia. Another strong point in the Canadian political system is everyone no matter race or sex has the right to vote as long as you are a Canadian citizen over the age of eighteen. Until the 60s/70s parties would make up electoral boundaries this was done to increase the number of votes in that location this is called gerrymander, this was unfair because certain parties had an advantage over others. However, now under the Electoral Boundaries Commissions this problem does not occur and no party has the upper hand over another. Interestingly the
Canadians, like citizens of numerous countries around the world, take pride in living in a democratic nation. While Canada is unequivocally a democracy, there are certain aspects of the system that call into question its true democratic nature. The first past the post electoral system Canada currently has in place is undemocratic and unjust, as it undermines millions of citizens’ rights to vote. This has influenced a great deal of subsequent apathy and indifference toward politics in the masses, and democracy no longer seems to be a benchmark of Canadian society.
Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American
By taking an active in our civic affairs, we affirm these rights and strengthen Canada's democracy, ensuring that a
The world as humans know it is seldom at peace, and numerous parties worldwide attempt to settle these conflicts in attempts to achieve global unity. In the past, there have been multiple outbreaks of war, some examples being the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghanistan War. Canada plays a crucial role in aiding war-struck nations, in efforts to mediate conflicts and terminate war, ultimately achieving peace and concord.
The common question of “What does it mean to be Canadian” is something that this country's greatest leaders, thinkers and writers have wrestled with since our inception. To me being a Canadian means being free. Having the ability to express my opinion and the how i feel without being judged and to stand up for what i believe in and be treated equally. The pleasure of visiting and socializing with your neighbours no matter their race or their beliefs, and to sleep in peace at night knowing that your home will be there in the morning. Being Canadian to me means to be in a community that we are all so diverse but yet connected and able to socialize without fear. Being a citizen one of the most sane, civilized and respected nations in this world
What is Canada? What is a Canadian? Canada, to employ Voltaire's analogy, is nothing but “a few acres of snow.”. Of course, the philosopher spoke of New France, when he made that analogy. More recently, a former Prime Minister, Joe Clark, said that the country was nothing but a “community of communities”. Both these images have helped us, in one way or another, try to interpret what could define this country. On the other hand, a Canadian could be a beer, a hockey-playing beaver or even a canoe floating in a summer day's sunset. A Canadian could also be a “sovereigntyphobe”, refusing to see the liquefaction, albeit political, of the second largest country in the world.
In a country abundant with natural resources, a bright and competent population, and a kind, revered reputation, the shared thoughts of a well educated and astute leader and one’s cabinet sharing the same characteristics is critical. Our country is based on an multicultural population with differing views and ways of life, considering the the priceless value of the the Canada’s assets, it is imperative that it is handled in the best way possible, and, as time goes on, the ones involved in the control of our country will become more apt, leading to better control of our issues over time. European, Asian, African: all with varying religions, perspectives, ways of being, and all have important roles in our diverse, hard-working country. Ergo, the sharing of thoughts of views when thinking for Canada is imperative. For example, when France put in place a ban on all face/head coverings,
So many different important facts have contributed to our Canadian identity. But, in my Paragraph I’m going to show some of the most important things that happened like the SS.St Louis, the Underground railray, Harriet Tubman, and Chinese immigrants.First,I think that the SS. St Louis contributes to our Canadian identity because it taught Canada to be welcoming and including. Before when Canada didn’t let people from the SS.ST louis come into Canada, they realized that they were wrong, so know in our day we are more welcome and let immigrants move to Canada. If I was an immigrant and I needed somewhere to live I would be so thankful that Canada is welcoming know and it’s because of that. Now in our day Canada is letting in Syrian refugees
Beginning at the time of the Confederation, Canada has worked towards defining its own identity. Slowly, but surely, Canada has built the foundations for its path to prominence. From a colony of Great Britain, to the country it is today, Canada has achieved much on the long road to a unique Canadian identity. Whether it be through external or internal affairs, Canada’s people have endeavoured to instill the feeling of nationalism deep inside the hearts of both the present and future generations.