Summative Statement

After a whole year of blogging about Canada, I have come to a conclusion to the question:

What does it mean to be Canadian?

Well, there is not an actual definition of “Canadian”,as each person has their own way defining this term. After reading my blog Mr. Martian, what do you think being Canadian means? My thoughts on being Canadian may be very different from you.

I think that not only do you need a Canadian passport or citizenship, you need to live as a Canadian. No, I do not mean living in igloos. What I mean is to be part of Canada’s history. When you come to be a Canadian, as an immigrant or by birth, you become a portion of Canada’s history. Each person along with their culture contributes to Canada because with these culture make Canada a multicultural country. As Canadians we need to appreciate the multiculturalism by not discriminating. I am a Chinese Canadian and through this year, not only did I learn about Canada’s history I also learned about my ancestor’s in Canada and all the different cultures in Canada too.

Learning about Canada’s history is very important to being Canadian. I have to admit that when my teacher told us we were going to learn about the first nations, I was irked. Maybe it was from my past experiences and stereotypes of them that lead to a bad image of the First Nations. Though now that I learned of them, I have a less stereotypical view of them. I believe that all Canadians should be informed of them after this experience to prevent misconceptions. First Nations were the first people of Canada and we need to acknowledge this. But soon the French and English came to claim Canada after. The appearances of the French and English formed tensions. But it also made Canada the bilingual country along with the other cultures we see today. The separatist movement in Quebec has not succeed yet but if it were to, I think Canada would be not be Canada anymore.

A Canadian is some one who believes in democracy and participates in politics. We should be proud that we are able to have so many rights. If we do not engage with society, our rights will be taken away. All Canadians are united in the fact that we have pride for our country. There are good and also bad things about Canada,but as Canadians we should accept all of Canada. We should try to strive for a better country through each individual Canadian. Everything from government, First Nations, English, French, multiculturalism and current events are all interconnected to what being Canadian is.

Welcome Martian, This is Canada!

Hello Martian,

I recognize that you have recently arrived in Canada, and this must have confused you a lot. Do not worry; Canada is a great place to live in! I am not absolute on how much you learned about Canada by talking to other students. However, there are many stereotypes that you may have heard of for example: We eat maple syrup everyday. I tell you this is not true. If you want to know more facts about Canada, please follow my blog. Still, I am sincerely sorry I could not answer your question of what it means to be Canadian when you asked me that day. I am sure that at the end of the year, I will be able to tell you what my definition of being Canadian is.

To learn more about Canada, I will be taking you through a journey to my blog, talking about significant issues in Canadian history. Also, the structure and workings of the Canadian government. Through the year, I will update about the current world events that impact and have a great influence to Canada. With this further research and reflection, what being Canadian means to me will come to light and you will be able to deduce your own definition of being Canadian too. I cannot wait to meet you at the end of the year with my new knowledge of Canada. Hope you will be able to enjoy our multicultural and beautiful country.