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8/1/1989 - A Sort-of Nation by Stephen B. Maly

A Sort Nation Knox Crescent Ottawa Ontario KIG August Mr Peter Bird Martin Institute Current World Affairs Wheelock House West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 Dear Peter Canada against nature spirit Entropy holds everything together sooner later falls apart world about decentralization breakup encrusted empires elites alliances destruction established states Add frame reference emerging paradigm cosmos called Chaos Canada seems unlikely country century least unified whole The principles understandings which Canada established nineteenth century inherited Enlightenment thinkers eighteenth century Spinoza purpose nature uniform children common Mother The dominant worldview during early Confederation nature itself demanded standardization uniformity universality immutability Now explains Jane Jacobs compact ideosyncratic assessment separatist issue nature being hostile toward uniformity insistent diversity This Canada pickle At underlying cultural values Canada ideal formity universality still operating force As heritage deeply uneasy about separateness English French Canada supposition represents social political failure That dinned novelists politicians especially historians English speaking Canada Stephen Maly Institute Fellow studying ethnic cultural naions within Canada Since InstituteofCurrentWorldAffairs theCrane RogersFoundation hasprovidedlong termfellowships enable outstandingyoun gadultstoliveoutsidetheUnitedState sandwriteaboutinternationalareasandissues Endowed bythelateCharlesR Crane theInstituteisalsosupportedbycontributionsfromlike mindedindividualsand foundations We supposed inadequate somehow guilty maintaining solitudes Our mission given understand dissolve differences The attempt Canada together rhetorical homage founding nations policy bilingualism viewed instances cultural whereas Quebec impulses toward independence keeping contemporary perspectives ecological virtues political inevitability division smaller sustainable manageable units The clash worldview yield predictable outcome As author Peter Brimelow Canada 1980s state frozen crisis which internal contradictions suspended It pattern benumbed turbulence makes Canada appear chaotic ultramodern sense The science chaos offers world opportunities distortion misinterpretation other forms abuse scientists I heard principles chaos invoked poets astrologers financial analysts heads centers Colin Low living legend Canada renowned documentary industry simple answer public screehing recently complicated question about explain qualitative aspects American television He merely uttered chaos audience seemed immediately grasp allusion The expropriation fangled physics politicians their speechwriters cannot behind Perhaps I ahead Chaos theory itself least superficially radical political analysis radical understood fundamental revolutionary A radical comprehending contemporary Canadian politics easier keeping rudimentary postulate chaos theory outcome process interactive development highly dependent initial conditions While scientific world heightened sensitivity Origins helping explain extraordinary awesome differences between present patterns nature clouds waves their antecedent forces politics sensitivity likely reveal current patterns public policy behavior continue defiance wishes expectations policymakers themselves More concretely absence basic unity Canada today result original condition country creation namely political merging hostile groups after conquered militarily other Britain victory final incomplete majority French relinquish their culture Short genocide unthinkable expulsion The British already deported Acadians could hardly themselves Quebeckers there effective forcing cultural uniformity Nothing happened really alter embryonic formula The shotgun union Canadas French English II writes Jacobs llproved neither happy fruitful Each partner hoping reform other something closer heart desire And future proper impolitic speak Canadas In previous newsletter I reference Peter Brimelow contention Canada nation Since I seized several interrelated questions about substance nationhood discovered number interesting observations about Canada peculiar national unity As doubtless surmise course I still trying possible where Canada scheme world politis whether country still process achieving unique greatness prescribed destiny whether devolving inexorably something independent state authoritative voice foreign affairs overriding authentic allegiance hearts people The national question seems basic understanding Canada comprehending dramatic events taking place world stage which often involve struggle political rights economic freedom minority groups Contrary conventional wisdom among theoreticians practitioners power politics weakest conquered peoples resistant assimilation Now resilience suppressed nations ethnic minorities destabilizing factor inter national affairs current uprisings Near East Soviet Union amply demonstrate Leaders diplomats looking solutions internal problems bedevil their foreign relations As determination human rights remain focus international attention Canada under increasing scrutiny abroad What nation I salvaged several definitions files warrant consideration The Reinhold Niebuhr American Protestant theologian involved himself foreign policy issues 1950s viewed nations territorial societies cohesive power which supplied sentiment nationality authority state Canada definitely territorial society attachment manifested Canadian literature English French Canadian famous Group Seven painters specialized landscapes Canada official motto usque shining perennial preoccupation Canadi governments territorial issues arctic sovereignty northern development offshore fishing rights Who outdated raise question national identity Canada supplanted Where Here satisfyingly indigenous based phrase coined literary scholar Northrop Frye What clearly missing Canada however cohesive power shared sentiment central authority English French Canadians quite different feelings about Canadian history Most people groups indeed deeply about Canada object their respective devotions It recent immigrants happy escaped poverty repression worse mostly Third World homelands common altogether positive affection freedom relative prosperity Canada offers voices heard Parliamen highest leveis finance industry media As authority state known Canada least centralized governments world The provinces their resources their taxes responsibility education health enforcement cases sustain separate political parties More often loggerheads federal government Many Canadians Ottawa protection leadership money regard operations central authority disdain By Niebuhr yardstick Canada quite measure nation Let another romantic definition Sorbonne scholar scribe Ernest Renan What constitutes nation wrote speaking tongue belonging ethnic group having accomplished great things common accomplish future This almost poetry equates essence nationhood whose escapes general mixture memory desire This nation envisioned Pierre Trudeau briefly romantic period 1960s French Canadian forbear Sir Wilfred Laurier served Canada Prime Minister In absence popular visionary leadership however lyrical approach nationality rings hollow denies emotions language ethnicity ignores political there accessible great historical achievements reverenced common Canadians shared image future greatness Canadians doing great things together The First World War often cited anglophone historians crucible nationhood Canada conscription precipitated political crisis Quebec French Canadians different trenches their English counterparts willingly flocked battle service tothe British Empire Pierre Chauvreau first premier Quebec seems catholic perspective prescient English French climb double flight stairs towards destinies reserved continent without knowing other without meeting other without seeing other except landing politics In social literary terms foreign other English French Europe Chauvreau wrote hundred years It appears largely today Outside small circles university intellectuals francophone enclaves spread thinly across Canada Quebec society still alien The writers artists performers culture heros heroines Quebec unknown outside province It would collective effort omething genuinely futuristic joining great spaceward might thing bridge culture But expansion Canada Space Agency hobbled unwillingness number scientists professionals relocate Ottawa headquarters St Hubert which nearer Montreal Quebec Canada lacks sufficiently attractive compelling collective mission transcend deeply rooted divisions It quite nation This vague esoteric generalization certainly strikes I reminded prosaic settings Canada amorphous topics nationhood sometimes truly stuff daily A chance encounter schoolteacher parking example something She What brings Canada Me Oh independent research nationalism multiculturalism thing She That interesting You afford anymore printing everything languages trying satisfy everybody desire separate separate It costs There simply enough Canadians Me Yes costly She My husband works government He paper wasted takes things translated finally printed pause I bilingual Me Well working She By I written essay whether Canada If nation selance Canada What accurate academic phrase describe country The Rene Levesque journalist Who became charismatic leader separatist Parti Quebecois premier Quebec referred Canada hybrid bicultural monstrosity No yrical romanticism there although underlying emotion evident Focusing cohesive power Fortune editor Herbert Meyer wrote about Canada The provinces different independent other Ottawa hardly exaggeration describe Canada country rather country being Think Canada collection notes think music The following paradox written British American economist Kenneth Boulding keeps popping other people commentaries about Canadian identity At first sounded deeply insightful profound later reflection passage seems nonsensical See think Canada cultural unity linguistic unity economic unity geographic unity All unity The statement troubling enough provoke attempt deconstruct component parts being looking assertion separately light detail conclusion might regain solidity Canada cultural dualism coexistence without coalescence English French known Multiculturalism familiar What seldom talked about outside graduate seminars least culture about My guess based others learned theses culture connotes system values Canada follow Boulding phrase lacks uniform system values English Canadians cling moral tenets political traditions inherited British subtle supremely important distinctions between variant English values Americans keeps Canadian culture apart Canada loose federation wildly diverse regions margins civilized world writes journalist Peter C Newman But there quiver common intent holds together conviction remain Can adian matter tempting become Americans You We fought Life Liberty Pursuit Happiness evolved constitutional based Peace Order Good Government Canada stuck parliamentary system while Americahs forged republic State owned enterprise anathema individual property rights sacrosanct country democratic socialism remains legitimate political possibi Canada French Canadians concerns about Americanization muted security blanket separate language It mistake I learned underestimate importance language mobile repository values hence guarantor culture It enough rudimentary grasp French words turns phrase difficult translate efficiently effectively English versa But still difficult comprehe without background linguistics language divide citizenry basis values My neighbor speaks about years frustration experienced member Parliament because other staff French speaking Quebec Everyone reasonably proficient languages could understand other thought The motivations mechanics francophone mystery friend reports remain mystery I believed learning foreign language tapping different I notion became difficult concept French skills began wither Now secular nonetheless powerful mysterious frame reference In essay entitled Canada Challenge Coexistence Victor Goldbloom asserts Language become sensitive component average Canadians sense dentity emits strongest often unreasoning emotion touched teligion which characteristic faded reactivity recent years Survival assurance continuity living living posterity linguistic terms Canadians wherever their language group locally regionally nationally minority Language Canada cultural unity I reasoning Boulding right The argument holds course linguistic unity We could simply fifteen percent Canadians neither French English mother tongue large Italian Greek Portuguese Chinese communities cities Ukrainians Germans others prairies cling language their ancestral homelands anchor cultural values Canada economic unity Professor Boulding Dozens Canadian economists torians political scientists would agree So would dozens Canadian experts We leave Canada geographic unity Yes The country about million square kilometers sparsely populated people thousand hectares subdivided inhospitable landforms Canadian Shield Arctic tundra multiple vectors Rocky Mountains anything scores geographers agree country distinct regions Without national unity finger justify accordance definitions Canada still country defined borders refined constitution peaceful social order standard living independent foreign policy somewhat sterling international reputation terms politics So needs unity Perhaps Boulding getting unity intangibles quiet invisible unity unrealized still conceivable expectations Jane Fonda might sensed When I Canada I world should Cheers REFERENCES Jane Jacobs The Question Separatism Quebec Struggle Sovereignty New York Random House Peter C Newman Sometimes Great Nation Toronto McClelland Stewart Ltd The ParalIel Other Parallels Contemporary Canadian Perspectires edited David Staines Amherst University Massachusetts Press Received Hanover