Canadian Nationalism: From Blind Devotion to White Supremacy
By Olivia Blizzard
Opinions Editor
As Trump continuously bombards Canada with scary ideas of our nation merging with the US while simultaneously imposing insanely high tariffs that will only increase struggle amongst the impoverished class, it becomes dangerously easy to get caught behind the idea of nationalism. This ideology is extremely harmful, however: ultimate allegiance and devotion to your nation and its residents can lead to disgust and hatred toward people of other origins, causing the rampant spread of xenophobia and most certainly, racism.
While having pride in your nation is important, it is still crucial that we respect other cultures and embrace our differences. This is why it is so problematic when people support past nationalist leaders who privileged white Canadians only: most notably, Sir John A Macdonald.
Macdonald may have done wonders for our economy (instilling the National Policy), but calling him an amazing leader because of his economic endeavours not only disregards the suffering he subjected upon thousands of minorities, but leads to the idolization of a leader whose beliefs fall nothing short of white supremacy. During his government, Macdonald was a huge proponent of the assimilation of indigenous people into the “Canadian” (white) culture by implementing residential schools, which took 150,000 Indigenous children away from their families. Macdonald also clearly prioritized the economy over Indigenous lives: he cleared the prairies through the detainment of native people, in order to encourage European settlement and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Therefore, recognizing the flaws of historical leaders does not mean erasing history, but rather allows us to learn from it. Blind nationalism only makes us repeat past mistakes, allowing harmful ideologies to persist under the desire of having loyalty to our country. Instead, we must examine the figures we celebrate. Only through this honest reflection can we move toward a more inclusive society that values diversity, learns from its past, and strives for a future that uplifts all Canadians, regardless of their heritage.
