What does it mean to be a Canadian?

I've been thinking about it a lot lately, especially after the recent surge in online criticism directed at the country. Even though much of the critique is likely a coordinated effort by disgruntled governments to hurt Canada's image. However, it's convincing citizens that the grass is greener elsewhere when it's not - that's dangerous.

Last September marked 10 years since I moved to Canada. My family received permanent residency status when I was 1 year old. But I never had the opportunity to immerse myself in Canadian society until I returned for my Master's. As I look back at the past 10 years, three traits stand out, which, in my experience, define a Canadian.

  • Being a Canadian means having strong faith in each other's morality and goodwill, like the owners of City Cafe Bakery in Kitchener. The bakery operates on an honour system. There are no fixed prices. Instead, each item has a suggested price. There are no cash registers either, just a cash jar. Patrons are trusted to not only pay for the items but also pay a fair amount. The expectation that fellow citizens will behave honourably in the absence of surveillance and draconian laws - that's Canadian.
  • Being a Canadian means going the extra mile to help each other. Like the paratransit bus driver who took money from her pocket and gave it to the passenger she had just dropped off at a food bank. It was early morning. The passenger was first in line at the food bank. While I was somewhat lamenting the fact that my high taxes were not only providing food but also free transportation to certain folks in the society, that bus driver, with relatively meagre means, was finding ways to be even more helpful. Canadians aren't complainers; they're fixers.
  • Being a Canadian means having a profound empathy for others that borders selflessness. Like the bicyclist who, after crashing due to a pedestrian's mistake, started apologizing profusely for his initial outburst of anger. The pedestrian entered the bike lane abruptly. He was clearly at fault. So it felt surreal witnessing both parties trying to outdo each other in the number of sorries spoken per minute. Another example that comes to mind is when our tire blew out en route from Waterloo to Toronto. We parked at the side of the highway and waited for CAA. Five cars stopped by in the 30 minutes it took for the CAA vehicle to arrive, asking if we needed help.

Canada isn't in the best shape at the moment. The current government needs to go. However, the worst we can do is point at the foundations of the Canadian identity and blame our afflictions on them. Economic cycles are temporary; identities are not.