Citizenship guide rewrite spotlights Liberal appointees, omits historic figures

CALGARY — Ottawa’s latest attempt to rewrite how Canadians are taught their own history is drawing scrutiny after a draft citizenship guide elevated Liberal appointees and activist figures while omitting widely recognized national icons.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department produced a draft guide that reflects what cabinet described as a “restructuring” of how both newcomers and citizens understand Canada’s past.The unpublished document, Being Canadian: A Guide To Citizenship, was withheld for two years under the Access To Information Act and offers little detail on who shaped its contents. While the department claimed it consulted historians, academics, and parliamentarians, it did not name any of them and has declined to answer questions.Instead, the guide prominently features a list of “noteworthy Canadians” that includes several Liberal Senate appointees, such as Therese Casgrain, Baltej Singh Dhillon, Sandra Lovelace Nicholas and Murray Sinclair.Notably absent is James Gladstone, a Conservative appointee who became the first indigenous senator in 1958.The guide also praises former governor generals Adrienne Clarkson and Michaelle Jean, highlighting their backgrounds as immigrants and trailblazers. However, it omits figures such as Georges Vanier, a decorated war hero awarded the Military Cross..IN-DEPTH: Lena Metlege Diab: Who is Canada's immigration minister?.Among prime ministers, the document references Lester Pearson, John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau and Kim Campbell, while excluding Brian Mulroney.The guide further honours Edmonton activist Boyd Whiskeyjack, citing his role in founding a local “Indigi-Queer” organization and work with the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society. It describes two-spirit identity as rooted in an indigenous understanding of gender.At the same time, the draft makes no mention of historically significant Canadians such as Smokey Smith, Roy Thomsonor Gerhard Herzberg. It also omits figures designated as national historic persons, including Alexander Graham Bell and Glenn Gould.Even in sections recognizing pioneering women, the guide highlights Olympian Clara Hughes but leaves out Bette Stephenson, the first woman to lead the Canadian Medical Association and serve as a provincial finance minister.Other figures included are former Victoria councillor Sharmarke Dubow, Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak, former Winnipeg police chief Devon Clunis and Gord Downie.The rewrite is intended to replace the 2012 guide Discover Canada, which emphasized milestones such as the War of 1812, praised John A. Macdonald as a “gifted politician,” and highlighted innovations like the snowmobile and Bell’s telephone.Former immigration minister Marco Mendicino told senators in 2021 that a broader reworking of Canada’s historical narrative was necessary. He said the government had consulted various groups, including indigenous communities and advocates, to better reflect different perspectives in the citizenship guide.The result, however, raises new questions about whether the federal government’s version of Canadian history is being selectively rewritten — and who ultimately decides which figures are remembered and which are left out.

Citizenship guide rewrite spotlights Liberal appointees, omits historic figures

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