Canadian identity

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Canadian identity refers to the unique culture, characteristics and condition of being Canadian, as well as the many symbols and expressions that set Canada and Canadians apart from other peoples and cultures of the world. Primary influences on the Canadian identity trace back to the arrival, beginning in the early seventeenth century, of French settlers in Acadia and the St. Lawrence River Valley, and of English, Scottish and Irish settlers in Newfoundland and the Maritimes, the British conquest of New France in 1763, the migration of United Empire Loyalists to Upper Canada and New Brunswick, and the ensuing dominance of French and British culture in the gradual development of both an imperial and national identity.

Throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, First Nations played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada, from their role in assisting exploration of the continent, the fur trade and inter-European power struggles to the creation of the Métis people. Carrying through the 20th century and to the present day, Canadian aboriginal art and culture continues to exert a marked influence on Canadian identity.

Today, Canada is a multicultural society and constitutional protection for policies that promote multiculturalism in lieu of a monolithic national myth based on any single ethnicity or language.^[1] Journalist and author Richard Gwyn has suggested that "tolerance" has replaced "loyalty" as the touchstone of Canadian identity.^[2] Canadians identify with the country's institutions of health care, military peacekeeping, the national park system, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.^[3][4] In 2013, more than 90 per cent of polled Canadians believed that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the national flag were the top symbols of Canadian identity. Next highest were the national anthem, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and ice hockey.^[5]

The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by two fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relationship between English Canadians and French Canadians, stemming from the Francophone imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, and the gradual political process towards complete independence from the "mother country". With the gradual loosening of political ties between Canada and the British Empire in the 20th century, immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean have reshaped Canadian identity, a process that continues with the ongoing settlement of large numbers of immigrants from diverse backgrounds, adding to the theme of multiculturalism to the debate.^[6][7][8]