Canada's Rich Cultural Legacy

Integration is one word for it. Other words include naturalization, incorporation and assimilation. What ever the choice of word, the concept is the same. It’s all about fitting into a new environment.

Canada likes to bill itself as a country that takes pride in its diverse cultures. The official line of our Government is that unlike the melting pot of the U.S., which would have immigrants adopt the American culture, Canada is a rich tapestry of diversity. Over the years millions have been spent bringing this message to the fore. But just how true is it?

Upon entering Canada in 1949 Newfoundland and Labrador was a unique and distinct society. The people were hearty and strong. The need to survive a harsh life in the middle of the North Atlantic had hewn a breed of people as hard as the very rock on which they lived. It was from this stock that the “Fighting Newfoundlander” was bred. A special kind of individual who can be envisioned driving a hard right hand into the jaw of an enemy while perhaps pulling a small child to safety with his left.

All too often these days I hear many in the province make the comment that the fighting Newfoundlander is dead. That the spirit has been sucked out of the people and we are no longer willing to take up a cause with a vengeance in times of trouble. Granted, there are still some who are willing to make a stand, but by and large, I believe there is an element of truth in those statements.

When the Lieutenant Governor recently announced his annual garden party, it attracted thousands, to sip on tea and socialize. Meanwhile, repeated calls in support of protest groups trying to protect our fishing heritage gained the support of only few dozen strong souls. What does this tell you?

It tells me that Canada has done a pretty good job of assimilation. Over the years it has quietly broken the back of the province. It has bred the fighting spirit out of the majority of the population and is working on crushing that spirit completely.

Recall that at one time, Newfoundland and Labrador was a separate country and a member of the Commonwealth in its own right. In other words, it was Canada’s peer on the world stage and an equal in every way. Our entry into Confederation wasn’t just a matter of gaining a piece of territory. An entire country was being brought into the fold and the nationalist spirit that came along with that country had to be considered and dealt with.

I’m not saying the process was fully planned by some dark conspiratorial force. In fact it more likely happened as a series of events, each of which served a more mundane purpose at the time. Never the less, the result was the same. Our independent spirit, if not dead, was put on life support.

One of the first moves made by the Canadian government after 1949 was to merge our military. This was a natural enough step, but not only did they take command of the troops, they also stole our rich military history.

Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans have been a fighting force to contend with over the years. They have been involved in many conflicts and proven themselves worthy of honour after honour in such major conflicts as the Crimean war, the war of 1812 and World War I.

This rich part of our history, including war records, medals, diaries of some of our service personnel and even photographs, were spirited off to Ottawa after Confederation. We couldn’t get them back if we fought to the death for them. Not that we would, because taking them had the effect of stealing our collective memory of what we were capable of.

How many people today know that our forces actually fought on American soil at one point and battled into Maine?

How many know about the heroic acts of our soldiers in foreign lands. Some of whom were merely boys of fourteen or fifteen when they answered the call?

How many people today know that two Newfoundlanders have won the Victoria Cross, the highest honour that can be given by the British Monarchy? Even more importantly, how many know that one of those historically priceless medals sits in the War Museum on Ottawa while the other is on loan to a museum in Nova Scotia. Neither resides here.

Destroy the past and the present will take care of itself. That seems to be the way things have been handled when it comes to dealing with Newfoundland and Labrador. First our military history was taken away, then our railway, which was so much a part of our history. Next, the fishery and the traditions that went with it.

By taking away our pride in our past, Canada has broken, or at least severely weakened our resolve. By building a culture of dependence on social programs such as EI, Welfare, Health Care and CPP, it has bought a certain kind of docility and control. A similar approach has been taken with the breeding of cattle. By selectively breeding the least aggressive, the herd can be more easily managed.

When was the last time you saw a dairy cow look anything but half comatose?

Will we ever regain our hearts and spirits in this province? Most likely not, although small flashes of it can still be glimpsed from time to time like a distant beacon.

Perhaps some unknown catalyst will spark a renewed strength one day, who knows. After all, some still remember and care. Unfortunately it may soon be too late.

With every passing generation the light becomes dimmer and the ghosts of the past fade further into the background. Stories of past glories are told less and less often to the newest generation of our children. Children who crawl into their warm beds, cover themselves in soft sheets and scratch their full bellies. Children who know little of the hunger and passion that burned so strongly in their ancestors just a few generations ago.

More likely is the simple reality that we will eventually become true Canadians in every meaning of the word.

Canada's rich tapestry of diversity my A##!