Canada: the nationalitease

It's Canada Day. A day to celebrate nationality, recognize nationhood, or display your nationalism. Whatever you choose to do, it's like a theme day for Canada.

For years now, I've been trying through writing academic papers and taking trips into the woods and conscientious cultural consumption to get a real sense of what Canada really is. Here's what I know so far:

• Canada is a geographic region
• Canada is a political body
• Canada is the subject of much debate (although, not so much abroad)

And that about sums it up. It would be awesome if there were a more tangible thing to point to and say "that's Canada" or an idea or moment in history that exemplifies what this country is about or is trying to do; but there just isn't. Things here are so varied and contentious and messy that as soon as someone identifies something for its Canadianess we can see exactly how it doesn't apply to everyone who calls themselves Canadian.

Ethnicity, obviously, is a bone of contention in Canada. History, too, since we are so many peoples with different versions of it. Rituals - from spiritual to sport - are barely worth talking about since those of us have and recognize them don't share them with most other people: even hockey. We've got no common ground, except for the literal ground which, if we're honest about it, is stolen anyhow.

And yet, there's this persistence to try and find Canadian Identity. To suss it out and label it and nail it to the wall so we can say "look at how majestic it was." At any given time there are several government funded projects engaged in the business of recording and analysing our national identity according to arbitrary rules that have not a lot to do with the realities of Canadian history, policy, or place.

Between issues of regionalism, language, ancestry, and economics there's no way to conceive of a traditional, unifying Canadian identity. What I like about national identity in Canada is that we don't take it for granted. Sure it keeps us from making claims about this or that as truly Canadian, but at least it can make us think about how we decide such things. What I don't like about national identity in Canada is that we're so lazy that instead of doing the hard work of thinking about why we need it, we turn it into a brand by consensus.

So, for Canada Day, please think about what Canada means to you. And then, think about what Canada means for other Canadians. And then, think about what Canada means for the world. And if you do it right, they should all be very different things, and that's okay.