Opinion | Columnists
Being Canadian
Having lived in Canada as an Arab for 17 years, I feel like I am compelled to voice my concern out of my love for the most beautiful place on Earth.
- By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:37 June 30, 2008
Having lived in Canada as an Arab for 17 years, I feel like I am compelled to voice my concern out of my love for the most beautiful place on Earth.
One day, Canadians woke up and said we want to be tolerant, we want to welcome every one here and let them live their life in peace, order and good governance. We do not want to discriminate against anyone.
In pursuit of such noble values we stumbled on a giant. That giant blurred the lines between Canadian and un-Canadian, right and wrong, good and bad, wise and unwise.
We created instead, a deeper divide. Clusters of nations in communities were born sporadically. They built their own schools, own banks, own communities and no one had the audacity to pause and reflect.
Silently, we stereotyped the Indian neighbourhoods, the Chineses, the Italian and so on. Then we were jolted by the reality that to be a Canadian requires a preface: Indo-Canadian, Native-Canadian, Arab-Canadian, even Canadian-Canadian. I presume the later refers to the Caucasians who have more Canadian blood - what ever that means.
It was too late to turn back. The problem with redressing these values is that if the Caucasian Canadians stand to say we have gone too far, they will be dubbed as racists and intolerant bigots who are backward-thinking conservative-voting rednecks.
This has left Canadians in a limbo. What does it mean to be Canadian? Can the Chinese man who has lived in Vancouver's China Town for 20 years with enough English to pass the citizenship exam be as much of a Canadian as a white hockey player who has memorised the anthem and knows how to build an igloo?
The truth is that it can be. I have met many Canadians, Canadian-Canadians, who know more about our southern neighbours than they do about Canada.
The national identity debate in Canada is really non-existent, lest we become exclusive. Our fear of intolerance has hurt us more than helped us.
Being Canadian has been reduced to holding a Canadian passport, which is sadly an insurance that the Canadian government will come to your aid no matter where you are, if you pay your taxes or how long you've been out of the country for.
Being Canadian means more than standing up for freedom and opportunity and patting ourselves on the back that such diversity can exist in relative peace.
Although these things are noble and aught to be praised, we aught to ask our selves what does it mean to be a Canadian, and accept the fact that some may fall short of the mark.
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