Canadians, whether they want to admit it or not, are in the midst of a major identity crisis. Significant social and political events, both in Canada and around the world, are challenging many of our long-held beliefs, customs, sense of identity, and social cohesion, and for some reason, collectively, we’re reluctant to admit we have a problem.Everywhere you look in this country, fundamental facets of what we have based much of our Canadian identity on are showing signs of strain, or outright deterioration.Our much-vaunted healthcare system is failing to meet our needs despite the eye-watering amount of money we spend on it. For example, in 2023 our national bill on health spending was $344 billion or roughly 12.1% of our GDP. Yet in the same fiscal year (2023-24) 15,474 Canadians died waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans..ROBSON: Canada is losing the battle against hate crimes disguised as vandalism.Likewise, our justice system has gone from firm but fair to an ostensible felony free-for-all. Hardly a day goes by without Canadians learning about a criminal who received a reduced sentence in order to prevent their deportation, or were given special treatment based on their race or identity.Even our enviable reputation for being a country of peaceful protest has been seriously undermined by anti-Western democracy bad actors whose disregard for our laws is compounded by our governments’ unwillingness to enforce them. The ongoing pro-Palestine, anti-Israel demonstrations offer plenty of evidence for this.And whenever we are faced by some new disturbing facet of our reality, our politicians, and many in the general public, have simply resorted to proclaiming, “this isn’t who we are.” .It’s a phrase that came up in a recent discussion I was fortunate to have with Dr. Garth Davies, Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. I had originally reached out to Dr. Davies to get his insight on a concerning trend that I and others have observed, which is that violence and intimidation are gathering increasing acceptance as a viable means to achieve a political end in our culture. But when we talked about public reaction to extremism and extremist events that occur and which we disagree with, he brought it up in an insightful way. “We need to stop saying, this isn’t who we are,” he observed, “and start asking, is this who we want to be.” .MORGAN: Israel isn't going away.It really resounded with me, and as a result, the focus of our talk changed from the risks of extremism to one centred around communication and dealing with reality. Which isn’t something many people are talking about.Because while extremism in all its forms is an ever-present risk, the greater immediate threat to Canada is that many Canadians simply refuse to acknowledge the reality that Canada is in fact broken. And worse still, we lack the skill and ability to have that debate without devolving into raving baboons beating our chests and throwing poop at each other.As Dr. Davies put it during our chat, “nobody is interacting with anybody… it’s feeding tribalism.” .And he’s right. Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention has seen this phenomenon playing out in the House of Commons, on social media, and in our academic institutions.Consider that both the Liberals and Conservatives believe that we need major bail reform, but both have different views on how that revision should occur. Instead of working together to table something which addresses the immediate concerns of Canadians in a timely fashion, they bicker and jockey for political points while innocent Canadians are victimized. Is this who we want to be?.HORTON: Would the Combatting Hate Act make Canada safer or might it sow further division and confusion?.On social media, if you can express an opinion on a platform or page that runs counter to the prevailing dogma, you’re more likely to be labeled a racist, communist, or fascist than face a well-constructed counter opinion. This behavior is reinforced by social media algorithms, which will promote contentious positions above moderate ones, leading to more rabid and siloed online communities.Is this who we want to be?Perhaps more than both previous examples combined, Canada’s universities and colleges have become ground zero for our balkanization. Every contentious debate currently taking place in our society, from DEI hiring practices, transgenderism, antisemitism, or extremist ideologies, is playing out in our post-secondary education system, and students are actively hiding their real beliefs..Is this who we want to be?“You're allowed to have an opinion, but you have to be able to defend that opinion, and you have to be willing to acknowledge that almost all of our opinions are messy,” Dr. Davies explained to me. “It's only by recognizing reality that we can start to try to make progress on what are all inherently really complicated arguments.”That said, in a world of burgeoning AI, misinformation, and bias, recognizing what is reality and what isn’t is easier said than done – but it’s doable..ALBERS: When a cultural divide becomes a cultural chasm.Probably one of the best things we can do is to be sceptical about what we’re told by our media, politicians, and educators. That’s not to say don’t trust them, but don’t be afraid to ask them to explain themselves in more depth than a catchphrase and election slogans. Challenge flaws in their logic, demand to see the data, and if they won’t participate or show it, go looking for it elsewhere.Possibly better than being sceptical is to get out into your communities and talk with other people. This isn’t hard, it just takes a bit of willpower to stop staring at your phone screen. Strike up a conversation with someone at the bank, or the person pumping your gas, or helping you with your groceries. Ask them what they think about x, y, and z, and then think about what they told you. The more we interact with each other, the more in touch we become with reality.Lastly, recognize that to experience and participate in reality, we will undoubtedly be made to feel uncomfortable, especially when we listen to points of view we disagree with. We will need to accept that our own positions are not infallible and be able to admit as much when confronted by a compelling argument or facts. Most of all, we need to rediscover our ability to compromise. If that is who we want to be, then we have a lot of work cut out for us. But it’s a worthwhile endeavour if we’re going to overcome our neuroses and rediscover our national identity.
