Yesterday marked my first Canada Day as a resident Permanent Resident (we flew out on Canada Day last year, so I don’t count that one). We didn’t do anything overly patriotic yesterday, other than hanging our Canadian flag off the balcony railing, but I found myself periodically reflecting on Canada, my foster country.
For my own understanding, I’m trying to contrast Canada Day and the 4th of July in the States. Both countries use the day as a celebration of what it is to be a citizen and the values of the respective countries. Both have fireworks and parades and patriotically-dressed people waving paper flags. The differences are easier to spot than the similarities, which is strange since I’m fighting to articulate what those differences actually are.
Canadians are more reserved about Canada Day than Americans are about the 4th of July, which is not to say they care less. My hypothesis is that it’s the difference between patriotism and nationalism: Canadians love their country, but they will also be the first to criticize it specifically because they love it so much. From what I’ve seen, Canadians actually get upset when the government does something they disagree with, instead of simply writing it off as business as usual on the part of their elected leaders.
This is a good sign: apathy comes from a feeling of disconnectedness, of powerlessness. Canadians get upset about political mistakes because Canadians believe, individually, that they have the power to change it. That belief seems to be gone in the US; I don’t think many Americans still believe their voice matters. Unfortunately, there is ample evidence this is actually the case.
There are lots of things that I think Canada may benefit from emulating within the United States, but apathy and resignation are not among them.