Liam Ferguson is a graduate student in Political Philosophy at Saint Mary's University, Halifax. Recent statements by Canadian politicians show that the Canadian political class wishes for Canadians to apologize for their history and minimize the qualities of their culture. Contrary to those statements, Canadians have little to apologize for and much to be proud of. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau famously remarked that Canada is a “post-national state without an identity.” Current Prime Minister Mark Carney recently remarked while in Ireland for the G7 summit that Canada is “a mosaic of cultures, not a melting pot.” In 2025, BC New Democratic MLA Rohini Arora said that Canadians should consider themselves to be “colonizers.” When Trudeau says that Canada does not have an identity, it minimizes the historical exceptionalism and qualities Canada has. As the current Prime Minister is attending an international event peddling Canada as a middle power, he is making the case that all cultures are compatible with Canadian culture. The comments from the New Democratic MLA in BC attempt to ensure that Canadians think their culture is so inferior to other cultures that Canadians should only consider themselves to be colonizers. These comments highlight a trend in Western culture where politicians apologize for the societies they represent. In Dr. Gad Saad’s recent book, Suicidal Empathy, Dr. Saad makes the case that the West has swapped out its traditional moral virtues for things such as an obsession with compassion. This idea can be found in the various statements described above, where politicians have become so obsessed with minimizing Canadian history and culture that they do a grave injustice to it. Canada has many achievements in its past which are worth being proud of. For example, the immense contributions Canada made in both World Wars I and II, along with the written Bill of Rights and the common law system, are all things that make Canada historically exceptional. Simply because history is not morally perfect does not mean that Canadians should apologize for their culture. In fact, if Canada were as deeply terrible as MLA Arora says, or as equal to other cultures as Trudeau and Carney say, the imperfections that critics like to point out would have never been corrected. Slavery was abolished before the Confederation. Treaties were signed with indigenous peoples that could have been avoided if the relevant powers had wished. Rights were upheld when the government could have easily become tyrannical. Acknowledging injustice does not mean minimizing exceptionalism. These items are examples of why Canadian culture is not inferior or evil, but also why it is not merely equal to other cultures. The examples provided are unique to a select few societies in world history, so to say that Canada is less than or equal in its moral goodness to other cultures is an error. It is a certainty to say that most other cultures would and do not have the things mentioned in their societies. Not all values are Canadian values, so not all values will lead to cultures and societies that have the history and values that Canada does. .Contrary to Trudeau’s beliefs, Canada does have a distinct culture. In fact, the culture is so distinct and admirable that people from around the world risk their lives for the mere chance to live in Canada. Many of the things associated with Western culture are the things which make Canada exceptional. The rule of law, individual liberties, and freedom of expression are all things which are unique to a select few cultures, including Canada. The same cannot be said for cultures where there is no rule of law or individual liberties; people flee in one direction and do so consistently. The language used by Carney also equates Canadian culture with all other cultures by implying that all cultures are compatible with Canadian culture, which is simply not the case. Many countries do not have the rule of law, whereby politicians use public resources for their own ends. Not all cultures value individual freedom, which allows for things such as freedom of expression and religion. These things make Canada uniquely good, not just another culture, of which anyone can likely assimilate to. .The comment from Arora is incorrect at best and malicious at worst. Canadians have every right to consider themselves Canadian, and British Columbians have every right to call themselves British Columbians. The conquering of North America is not uniquely immoral simply because Canadian society has been successful. If Arora desires to have a worldview based upon Foucauldian and Derridean power and zero-sum thinking, that is her prerogative. It is, however, incorrect. Canadian society has reversed many historical injustices, one of which is the still-practiced trade of slavery. The difference is that although Canada has complicated items in its past, it has vast amounts of things to be proud of, things which make it uniquely moral and exceptional. The same cannot be said for most of history and for most societies in the world. Canadians have no reason to accept the thinking of their politicians. History is full of immorality and injustice. Canada is full of morality and justice. It is an exception to the norm, which makes it exceptional. When there is much to be proud of, both historically and culturally, do not listen to those who seek to minimize either.Liam Ferguson is a graduate student in Political Philosophy at Saint Mary's University, Halifax.
