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A Lesson From Across the Atlantic
Canadians don't want to be the 'melting pot' that the US boasts
A poutaine is a chip, cheese and gravy mash much loved by the Québecois. And Samuel de Champlain was the founder of a township at a place called Kebec - aboriginal for "where the river narrows" - an outpost on the Saint Lawrence River which the French called Quebec. When the natives urged explorer Jacques Cartier to visit their village - the Huron-Iroquois word for village is "kanata" - he thought they were describing the whole region. So - well, of course - he called it Canada.
And last week, quite by chance, I was in "Kanata" for both Canada Day and the birthday of Quebec, where - how I remember the dreary recitation of all this at my prep school - General Wolfe defeated the French on a plateau called the Plains of Abraham, thus ending French claims to North America and heralding the weird concoction which we now call Canada.
But back to the poutaine. The Canadian embassy in Washington sent out invitations to its annual bash, each one illustrated with a cartoon of an elegantly dressed de Champlain holding in his hand - you guessed it - a poutaine. The Québecois were not amused. The cartoon was an insult to French-Canadians.
The ambassador should be forced to resign, announced one pompous francophone outfit in Quebec City, which was, for 11 years, Canada's colonial capital. Indeed, it announced, the Canadian foreign minister should resign - unlikely, since his predecessor had already done the same after consorting with an ex-biker girl whose husband had been murdered and whose Carla-Bruni figure was even more revealingly dressed than that of Madame La Présidente. George W himself had commented favourably on the statuesque companion of Canada's ex-ministre des affaires étrangères - a warning sign if ever there was one.
Either way, the scandale de la poutaine was enough to provoke the mirth of Canada's anglophones. Didn't the Québecois always take themselves too seriously? Was this really the people who wanted "Québec libre"? The pot was stirred further when visiting French prime minister François Fillon referred to the province of Quebec as a pays.
A "country", the anglophones roared? Fillon practised some truly Gaullist deceit. In French, he cryptically explained, a pays can be a region as well as a country. Ye Gods! Only a day earlier, I was watching two of the Canadian air force's clapped-out fighter aircraft roaring over Ottawa as tens of thousands of citizens - most of whom were chatting away in languages I could not understand - waited for Canada's version of the Red Arrows aerobatic team. True to the country's supposedly un-bellicose reputation, they are called the Snowbirds.
Well, as my old chum Rick Salutin wrote in my second least favourite Canadian newspaper last week, "Canadians are always pushing the panic button over unity but it never works because, the moment you mention it, Canadians realize how diverse they are and start worrying. I hate that Canadian-values thing." Me too. The fact is that when I queued at immigration in Montreal for my visa, I was as mystified by the words of the Canadians around me as I was on Canada Day. This is because I do not speak Ukrainian, Mandarin or Urdu. Nor Afrikaans. Nor Hindi. Nor Tagalog. And that's part of Canada.
Because Canadians don't want to be the "melting pot" that the US boasts - where you're an American first and a Nigerian or a Burmese or a Latvian second. They believe - or the "multiculturalists" believe - that Canadians should be encouraged to keep their own languages and traditions and religions intact. You can be a Syrian-Canadian Muslim and speak your own language and read your own Arabic language newspaper or watch Arabic movies but still enjoy and support the freedoms of Canada under the maple leaf flag.
I like this idea - or rather, I think I do. If it works. It's too soon to say and no one can admit it won't work because, if they do, someone's going to start figuring out which ethnic, religious or national group is going to be among the first invitees to climb aboard the wooden boat back to their country of origin. And that would be the end of Canada. In some ways, this allows Canadians to define themselves in the negative. They are not Americans. Canada is not aggressive. It pours money into NGOs and refugee camps and education for newly arrived immigrants.
People seem proud of themselves and their adopted history. Not long ago, I was walking past the Canadian war memorial in Toronto with a young woman from Afghanistan. That's a bloody big memorial for a titchy little disaster like Dieppe, quoth Fisk. "Yes, but we lost a lot more at Vimy Ridge," the woman replied. Note the "we". The dead of Passchendaele were now "her"' dead - even though her great-grandfather would have been fighting the Brits on the Khyber Pass a year after the end of the 1914-18 war.
I hate to use a clunker - and henceforth the order of the golden cliché is to be awarded to all journos who refer to "elephant in the room" scenarios - but the elephant in Canada is indeed called Afghanistan. Its army was sent in to do good works after the Taliban meltdown of 2001 and now finds itself suckered - partly courtesy of the country's former prime minister, Paul Martin - into a major combat role against a Muslim insurgency. Fatalities are now 87 and climbing, but the Canadian military is not exactly winning the war against a massive Taliban resurrection.
Canada's retiring chief of defence staff, General Rick Hillier - now, of course, off chasing a lucrative directorship - was in the habit of calling the Taliban "murderers" and "scumbags". It looks good in the papers, but when a commander starts rubbishing his enemies - Montgomery, remember, kept Rommel's picture on the wall of his caravan - you know his soldiers are in deep trouble. They are fighting Muslims in a Muslim country and they should get out. Quickly.
But Canadians seem happy people, the most polite I've ever met on earth. There's an apocryphal story that before Lebanon's civil war, an Australian economist was invited to Lebanon to explain its financial workings to the Beirut Chamber of Trade. He eventually addressed Lebanese businessmen in words which echo my own thoughts about Canada. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're doing - but keep it up!"
--Robert Fisk
©independent.co.uk
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33 Comments so far
Show AllI dont think Multi Culturalism does work. In Richmond BC chinese immigrants have taken over and it is so strong that they dont bother learning english. Similar with parts of Surrey and Pakistani-Sikh populations. It is difficult going to a restaurant or dealing with customer service at a pharmacy when the person helping you doesnt speak your language.
It happens all the time. And English Canada doesnt have an identity.Except we are boring. We still have violence, we are just more boring about it.
I live in Vancouver and work at UBC. Many students are second and third generation immigrants, and they most certainly have "bothered" to learn to speak English. Their parents, many of whom work extremely long hours in low-level jobs, perhaps didn't have the luxury of taking the English cram classes they send their kids to so they can be pharmacists instead of customer service reps.
An example: There used to be a corner store at 6th and Arbutus that was owned by a Chinese guy who spoke only rudimentary English, despite having lived in Canada for several decades and working in a primarily English neighbourhood. He was a delightful man who, if you were patient enough to listen, told the most remarkable stories about his life in China, coming to Canada, and his struggles to improve his English. One day I stopped in and he told me he was selling the store. The youngest of his seven children had just graduated from university, and now, at last, he could retire. That man's toil and dedication gave Canada seven highly-educated professionals fully fluent in English, and yet you would never have seen past the difficulties his poor English might inflict on you. Who's not "bothering" here?
Boring?
BORING?
You say we are boring?
Yesterday was up early, watched some guys lay gravel and spread it and tamp it for a driveway in our neighbourhood, walked to the store for some milk and a lottery ticket, Had fresh lettuce from back garden in ham sandwich for lunch, (beans, peas, carrots and beets are coming pretty good too), with wife we took some household rubbish to the local land fill, then took a load to the recycling where we met several other locals and chatted, went for salad and pizza, chatted with more people there, came home and spent evening in back yard reading, chatted with a neighbour over our fence-came up with solutions for quite a bit of the world,read more in lawn chair, should cut some of the grass,lots of birds this year, crab apples a little sparse this year,planning to set some hedge roses in front yard, e-mail from grand kids,listened to some music from Gounod's Faust, washed up the dishes,...and so to bed...
...you call that boring?
johnwyclif July 12th, 2008 1:12 pm wrote:
"Boring?
"BORING?
"You say we are boring?"
Hardly. There just so much stuff white people like: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
Incidentally, Christian Lander is Canadian.
I'm not white...
...I'm flesh coloured...
"Canadians seem happy people, the most polite I've ever met on earth."
Yes, and Amazingly they still let Americans visit!
...me too!
obviously it's time we invaded canada and took it back --
look...columbus discovered america...canada is part of what columbus discovered...we are the closest link to columbus not to mention a whole host of other explorers...they have to give it back
...or at least allow u.n. weapons inspectors
Mr.Fisk -nice article, thanks
For future reference - putain is whore; poutine is, well, poutine. A little hybridization brightens up everyone's day. ;-))
dubs_dingleberries - I thought we'd settled that back in 1812-14, when Canada kicked the cream cheese out of the US. Remember Benny Arnold? He was working for us. And then there was Laura Secord...Cajuns used to be Canadians, eh? But you knew that, eh? Consider them a Fifth Column - we've got your back.
Just fun.
Check out Robert Fisk's monumental 3-part series:
Beirut to Bosnia- Muslims and the West, produced for, and promptly buried by the Discovery Channel
http://liberationvideo.blogspot.com/2008/05/beirut-to-bosnia-muslims-and-west-part1.html
New developments out of Canada (had to toss the link)
" A net-neutrality activist group has uncovered plans for the demise of the free Internet by 2010 in Canada. By 2012, the group says, the trend will be global.
snip
"We had inside sources from bigger companies who gave us the information on how exclusivity deals are being made at this moment between ISPs and big content providers (like TV production studios and major video game publishers) to decide which web sites will be in the 'standard package' offered to their customers, leaving all the rest of the Internet unreachable unless you pay extra subscription fees per every 'non-standard' site you visit,"
snip
The plans would in effect be economic censorship, with only the top 100 to 200 sites making the cut in the initial subscription package. Such plans would likely favor major news outlets and suppress smaller news outlets, as the major news outlets would be free (with subscription), and alternative news outlets, like AFP, would incur a fee for every visit.
snip
"By 2012 ISPs all over the globe will reduce Internet access to a TV-like subscription model, only offering access to a small standard amount of commercial sites and require extra fees for every other site you visit. These 'other' sites would then lose all their exposure and eventually shut down, resulting in what could be seen as the end of the Internet," Leysen said. "
Obama will be all for this.
Those sites who want to be part of the basic subscription site will be mainstream, or controlled dissident sites. Too critical of the government, or allow comments that cross the rubicon, and get threatened with being kicked off the basic subscrition plan.
These are the same Dems that voted for the FISA bill, they will be loving it. You won't, but you will not have any choice.
http://www.americanfr**press.n*t/html/canada_n*t_c*nsorship.html
* = e
Well I think Canooks are damn great, I spent 1 year their whilst in the British Army and never wanted to leave.
Boring? I thought you guys were hilarious, great fun to hang out with and always polite.
johnwyclif, that is damn funny!!!
Canada has hockey! And Canadian bacon! And Montreal, the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Jazz Festival where sections of the city are closed to traffic during the festival. And Vancouver and their Folk Festival.
And their national anthem, "O' Canada" talks about guarding Canada (defense) where as "The Star Spangled Banner" started out as a drinking song and talks about fighting, which of course is now interpreted as offensive. Historically incorrect (War of 1812-defensive war).
Hockey is a much better game than baseball or football. After players have been mashing each other for the Stanley Cup, they line up and shake hands. And who says they're not tough? Gordie Howe, when he was in his late 40s saw his son getting mashed by an opponent. Howe took 2 fingers and put them under the guy's nose and lifted him off his kid.
The animals on their coins rock, the dollar and 2 dollar coins rock. The nickels with chopped edges rock.
And they have Canada and Canadians!
Neil Young and loads of wonderful, cool Canadians.
Do they need a Canadian flag on everything? No! They are secure in their Canadianess.
Do they have places like Texas (special dispensation for Austin) and Florida. NO. From George Carlin." The good thing about the death penalty in Texas is fewer Texans." " Everything in Florida is in the 80's. The temperature, people's ages and IQs."
Canada is just fine.
As long as it isn't an appendage of the US.
I liked the article, but then again I generally do like Mr. Fisk's writing.
The description of 'poutaine' as a popular Québecois dish nearly caused me to choke to death on my orange juice though. I will probably never be able to order poutine again without chuckling to myself.
Even Basketball, that quintessential college game. Naismith. Canadian. Oh yes. There's all the Canadian comedians from Second City/SNL. All those hosers. The Great White North. Moose milk.
McGill University played a significant role in the creation of American Football, too.
And of course, all those damn traitors from the Revolutionary War . . . in Canada we call them Loyalists. Come to think of it, this country has a loooong history of welcoming political refugees ;-)
Mind you, we Canadians should probably stop patting ourselves on the back. At least until we get Harper out of office.
It's actually a "poutine"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine
I think Fisk confused it with "poutain," which doesn't have as pleasant a meaning in French.
Hello Robert,
It is interesting to read about Canada, but i think what the world is waiting for is your step-by-step practical plan for peace in the Middle East. Don't be shy. If anyone must have something ready to go based on more than emotion, it is you.
Best Regards.
multiculturalism is the future. I hate the whole melting pot theme in the states.
wakingup July 13th, 2008 1:25 am -- 'step-by-step practical plan for peace in the Middle East'
Step 1: End the unbalanced U.S. support for one side in the conflict.
Step 2: A "no nukes" policy that applies equitably to the entire region.
Step 3: Multinational enforcement of resolutions already passed by the U.N.
Well, it's a plan. Its practicallity might be open to question considering U.S. and Israel political realities, including the latter's "Samson option".
Just a quick thanks to realdim and johnwyclif for good-hearted, thoughtful comments. I appreciate it when respondents take the time to compose a careful, well-thought-out reply before hitting the send button. Your contributions offer rewarding reading and a civil exchange of views. (And I'm not even Canadian.)
Multiculturalism is a sickness of the Clintons.
His body seems to be deteriating from his efforts
to destroy our culture.
I am going to paraphrase something a N. Z. Prime Minister said about Australia and New Zealand migration disparity.
G W B complains to the Canadian P M that. "There are more Canadians migrating and living in the U S A than Americans going to Canada."
Canadian P M ..."Yeah! Well that should raise the average I Q of both countries."
tomedgar@halenet.com.au
I am very disillusioned. I ordered a pizza in Canada with Canadian Bacon. It came with regular bacon on it. A coworker had to work in England for a while. The English had no idea what an English muffin was.
On top of the whole French fries not being French thing and I think people in those other countries are very confused.
Canadians should beware of multi-culturalism, as we British are beginning to find out. It's a phrase that corresponds to no reality. Taking "culture" in its broad (anthropologist's)sense, society and culture are virtually one and the same thing. So what kind of entity is a multi-society society?
This said, multi-cultural societies have existed in the past. The Roman Empire is one example, the Ottoman Empire another, and British India a third. But note that these societies only work when there is a heavy hand at the top of the pyramid keeping all the minorities in a state of equal subjection, or at least quiescence. The sad fact is, democracy and multi-culturalism make uneasy bedfellows. Unless and until we recognise this all talk of making Canada (or Britain) a multi-cultural society is mere waffle - sounds good, means little or nothing.
The old joke about Canada is, "Canadians are people who didn't want to be French, who didn't want to be British and who don't want to be Americans, so they've banded together to not be any of these."
(My apologies for the split infinitive).
For Americans living in "blue states" along the Canadian border, Canadians aren't foreigners, they're our neighbors to the north.
Now Texas, that's a foreign country. Given what President Bush has down for the U.S. these last seven years, I'd happily give Texas back to Mexico and take any Canadian province in trade.
That would upgrade both the United States and Mexico. I concede it would be a loss to Canada.
I think it would help a lot if we got rid of hyphens, or, if they have to be used, should always be written as "Canadian-Chinese" or "Canadian-Irish" instead of the other way around.
Seems to me a lot of the racial problems in the States stem from the fact that almost everyone is hyphenated. Backwards.
BTW, I live near a university with students from all over the world and I love it. Smiles don't need translations.
kelmer: know EXACTLY what you mean about Richmond... was my hometown once upon a time. I used to joke that I was one of 5 people that was actually born there. lol
The problems of letting so many immigrants of a single ethnic group reside in one area are huge. They basically take over. The whole character of the city has changed, and not for the better I may add. You're also very correct about many of them not bothering to learn the language and customs of their new country. They're happy to carry on being "Chinese" not "Canadian". Along with it, comes racism, both ways. I've been refused service in a shop because of my race... I've had young Chinese men yell stuff at me while I was walking down the street... not sure what they said but it wasn't "Have a Nice Day".
Many of the storefront signs are now in mandarin only, which of course made me think that they didn't want my business. My wife worked for a company in Richmond and it was fairly common for someone to call up, and upon receiving an english speaker, ask for someone who spoke mandarin. When my wife told them that nobody there spoke mandarin, they were shocked and said "You're in Richmond and nobody speaks mandarin"? They of course would hang up right after.
Finally, after much soul-searching, I found it necessary to leave my beloved home town behind and move on. It went from a european/japanese majority, with a few others scattered in, to over half chinese in a span of 15 years.
Now I know I'm gonna be called a racist for saying this, all of us here at CD know, or at least suspect, that there are 'resource wars' coming in the future, with India and China being the main 'competition'... now we have all these immigrants who identify themselves, not as Canadian, but as Chinese living here in Canada... what's going to happen once these resource wars start? Where will these people stand in regards to their 'adopted country'?
elmysterio:
Ever thought of learning mandarin, eh?