Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:45, 19 May 2007

Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions, and over time has been greatly influenced by American culture. Many forms of American media and entertainment are popular, if not dominant in Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the US and worldwide.

Canada's federal government has influenced Canadian culture with programs, laws and institutions. It has created crown corporation to promote Canadian culture, such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). It has also tried to protect Canadian culture by setting legal minimums on Canadian content in many media using bodies like the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)..

Development of Canadian Culture

Canadian culture is a product of Canada's history and geography. Most of Canada's territory was inhabited and developed later than other European colonies in the Americas, with the result that themes and symbols of pioneers, trappers, and traders were important in the early development of Canadian culture. The British conquest of Quebec in 1759 brought a large francophone population under British rule, creating a need for compromise and accommodation, while the migration of United Empire Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies brought in strong British and American influences.

Although not without conflict, Canada's early interactions with native populations were relatively peaceful, compared to the experience of native peoples in the United States. Combined with relatively late economic development in many regions, this peaceful history has allowed Canadian native peoples to have a relatively strong influence on the national culture while preserving their own identity.

Bilingualism and Multiculturalism

French Canada's early development was relatively cohesive during the 17th and 18th centuries, and this was preserved by the Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed francophone culture to survive and thrive within Canada. In 1867, the British North America Act was designed to meet the growing calls for Canadian autonomy while avoiding the overly-strong decentralization that contributed to the Civil War in the United States. The compromises made by Macdonald and Cartier set Canada on a path to bilingualism, and this in turn contributed to an acceptance of diversity that later led to both multiculturalism and tolerance of First Nations culture and customs.

Multicultural heritage is enshrined in Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In parts of Canada, especially the major cities of Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto (for example, in Toronto's Kensington Market area), multiculturalism itself is the cultural norm and diversity is the force that unites the community.

In Quebec, cultural identity is strong, and many Quebecois commentators speak of a Quebec culture as distinguished from English Canadian culture, but some also see Canada as a collection of several regional, aboriginal, and ethnic subcultures. John Ralston Saul argues that Gabrielle Roy is better known in anglophone Canada than in France, and more French-Canadians know of Margaret Laurence and Atom Egoyan than Americans.

While French Canadian culture is the most obvious example, Celtic influences have allowed survival of non-English dialects in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland; however, the influence of Ulster immigrants to Toronto has had the effect of minimizing Irish influences in Ontario's culture, and highlighting British influences instead, until the 1980s. Canada's Pacific trade has also brought a large Chinese influence into British Columbia and other areas.

Canada's cultural diversity also creates an environment much more accepting of gay and lesbian people than one finds in the United States or most other countries. For example, in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Egan v. Canada that sexual orientation should be "read in" to Section Fifteen of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of the Constitution of Canada guaranteeing equal rights to all Canadians. Following a series of decisions by provincial courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, on July 20, 2005, Bill C-38 received Royal Assent, legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada. Canada thus became the fourth country to officially sanction gay marriage nationwide, after The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. Furthermore, by 2005, sexual orientation was included as a protected status in the human rights laws of the federal government and of all provinces and territories.

Aboriginal influences

There were, and are, many distinct Aboriginal peoples across Canada, each with its own culture, beliefs, values, language, and history. Much of this legacy remains celebrated artistically, and in other ways, in Canada to this day. Part of the emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is an inukshuk, a stack of rocks in human form that is a part of Inuit culture.

Multicultural Elements

Multiculturalism, officially endorsed in Section Twenty-seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, has a large influence on Canadian culture, which is post-ethnic and trans-national in character. According to the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Canada's ethnic, racial and religious diversity is rapidly increasing. According to the 2001 census, more than 200 ethnic origins are represented in Canada. About 13.5 percent of the population is a member of a visible minority group and that proportion is expected to reach 20 percent by 2016. Immigration now accounts for more than 50 percent of Canada's population growth, with immigrants coming mainly from Asia and the Middle East. It is projected that, after 2025, Canada's population growth will be based solely on immigration.

American influences

Easy access to broadcast media has brought many American influences into Canadian culture since the mid-20th century. As a reaction, many Canadians attempt to define Canadian culture by their heritage (Canadian Heritage Moment Commercials, Beer Brewing history, peacekeeping, hockey history) and values as different from those of the United States. During the debates of the creation of Canada, joining the United States was actually an option; however, the idea was rejected. Defending and enhancing national culture is a major political priority for the Canadian government, with the CRTC and the Department of Canadian Heritage having responsibility for promoting Canadian culture. The Governor General's Awards very often highlight the contributions of Canadians to the nation's culture. At the same time, easy access to American media has allowed many Canadian performers and entertainers to succeed internationally in the areas of music, comedy, movies, and television. Confusing the issue further, many Canadian entertainers and Canadian entertainment companies are often assumed to be American performers or American based-companies. Also, Americans and Canadian alike, often, assume certain cultural phenomena started in the USA and were later copied by Canadians from Americans, when they often started elsewhere. "Canadian Idol" is a great example. The show actually started in Britain and was first called "Pop Idol". Both the Canadian and American versions are imitations of this show. In addition to ties to the USA, Canada's historical ties to British culture help raise the profile of Canadians in the area of literature and theatre.

As a whole, Canada and the United States share a very similar culture, which can be defined as "North American." Some areas in the United States are more similar in culture to adjacent areas in Canada than to other portions of the United States (and vice versa), have similar speaking styles and mannerisms, and emphasize the same sports, foods, or beverages. Many cultural elements are well-known to both Canadians and Americans that other countries would not understand or have no knowledge about, such as fast-food restaurants, television shows, music, sports, automobiles, and retail brands/stores. This can be partially attributed to the prevalence of large American companies that have set up operations in Canada but not in other countries where they would probably have a harder time succeeding due to cultural differences that are too strong or simply perceived culture shock. Because language differences are minimal between the U.S. and Canada, culture is much more easily shared between the two countries than is the case with most other pairs of countries throughout the world. For instance, border cities like Detroit/Windsor share many radio and television stations, to which people on both sides of the border listen and watch. As a corollary, many Windsorites consider themselves a part of the Detroit metropolitan area and share more ties with the area than they do with neighbouring areas to the east such as London, Hamilton, or Toronto.

Despite the close ties, Canadian culture can also sometimes seek to aggressively differentiate itself from that of the United States, or embrace anti-Americanism. This sometimes takes the form of mocking or insulting of Americans, or embracing certain stereotypes of "American-ness" in the popular media, for example the television shows An American In Canada or Talking to Americans, or the popular I am Canadian ad campaign of Molsons, inc. There is not always agreement over what characteristics make Canadians unique from Americans, however; some on the left may believe Americans have a more warmongering government, and direct criticism and satire in that direction, while those on the political right may believe Americans are too boorish or superficial. See also Canadian Nationalism.

Canadian culture often has political overtones, though not necessarily of a partisan nature. Canadian idealism makes many Canadians critical of government, social, and cultural institutions and traditions, comparing the status quo to their idealized view of what Canada could become rather than to the reality of other countries.

Art

Literature

Canadian theatre

Canada has a thriving stage theatre scene, especially in Southern Ontario and in Quebec. Theatre festivals draw many tourists in the summer months, especially the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario, and the Shaw Festival in Niagara On The Lake, Ontario. The Famous People Players are only one of many touring companies that have also developed an international reputation. Canada also boasts the world's second largest live theatre festival, the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

Film and television

The Canadian film market was dominated by the American film industry for decades, although that film industry has since inception seen a prominent role for actors, directors, producers and technicians of Canadian origin. In the 1960s Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault, Gilles Groulx, Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, Arthur Lamothe, Claude Jutra and other filmmakers from Quebec began to challenge Hollywood by making innovative and politically relevant documentary and feature films. Among the important English-speaking filmmakers from this period are Allan King, Norman Jewison and Robin Spry. Michael Snow continues to be one of the most respected experimental film makers in the world. Norman Jewison received an Irving Thalberg Academy Award in recognition for his lifetime achievement in film in 1999.

Canada has developed a vigorous film industry that has produced a variety of well-known films, actors, and auteurs. In fact, this eclipsing may sometimes be creditable for the rather bizarre and quite innovative directions of the works of such auteurs as Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter, 1997) and David Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch, A History of Violence). Also, the distinct French-Canadian society permits the work of directors such as Denys Arcand and Denis Villeneuve. However given Canada's small population and perhaps, because of the closeness of the giant American TV and film industries, distinctively Canadian productions such as those in the TIFF List of Canada's Top Ten Films of All Time are relatively thin on the ground, compared with the situations in the United Kingdom. However, Lion's Gates Films and Alliance Atlantis are two film production companies headquartered in Canada which have grown large enough to compete with larger American productions down south. In addition, because of the intricate relationship between the American and Canadian film industry, numerous films such as David Cronenberg's A History of Violence (2005) are often credited as both Canadian films by Canadian publications and as American films by American publications due to differing definitions of what constitutes a Canadian or American film by each country.

A number of Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood significantly contributed to the creation of the motion picture industry in the early days of the 20th century. Over the years, many Canadians have made enormous contributions to the American entertainment industry, although they are frequently not recognized as Canadians (see Famous Canadians).

Canada's film industry is in full expansion as a site for Hollywood productions. Since the 1980s, Canada, and Vancouver in particular, has become known as Hollywood North. The American Queer as Folk was filmed in Toronto. Canadian producers have been very successful in the field of science fiction since the mid-1990s, with such shows as The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, the new Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, and The Outer Limits, all filmed in Vancouver. As with its southern counterpart in California, USA, many Canadians are employed in the film industry, and celebrity-spotting is frequent throughout many Canadian cities. Montreal, due to its European appearance, has served in a great variety of mainstream movies, attracting the loyalty of industry people such as Bruce Willis; there are plans to build the world's biggest film studio on the outskirts of the city. The choice of location is allegedly due to cost, rather than a requirement for a 'Canadian atmosphere'. The frequent question of a Canadian, seeing a film crew on his or her local streets, is 'Which bit of the States are we pretending to be today?'.

Canadian television, especially supported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is the home of a variety of locally-produced shows. French-language television, like French Canadian film, is buffered from excessive American influence by the fact of language, and likewise supports a host of home-grown productions. The relative success of French-language domestic television and movies in Canada often exceeds that of its English-language counterpart.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's Canadian content regulations dictate that a certain percentage of a domestic broadcaster's transmission time must include content that is produced by Canadians, or covers Canadian subjects. This also applies to US cable television channels such as MTV and the Discovery Channel, which have local versions of their channels available on Canadian cable networks. Similarly, BBC Canada, while primarily showing BBC shows from the UK, also carries Canadian output.

National Film Board of Canada , is 'a public agency that produces and distributes films and other audiovisual works which reflect Canada to Canadians and the rest of the world'. The agency helped to pioneer the concept of the documentary.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is considered by many to be one of the most prevalent film festivals for Western cinema. It is the premiere film festival in North America from which the Oscars race begins.

Canada has produced many film and television stars, newscasters, directors and producers including: Faye Wray, Dan Aykroyd, Conrad Bain, Raymond Burr, John Candy, Jack Carson, Maury Chaykin, Thomas Chong, John Colicos, Hume Cronyn, James Doohan, David James Elliott, David Foley, Glenn Ford, Matt Frewer, Chief Dan George, Robert Goulet, Graham Greene, Lorne Greene, Bruce Greenwood, Phil Hartman, Arthur Hill, Walter Huston, John Ireland, Michael Ironside, Eugene Levy, Gene Lockhart, Jim Carrey, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Norm MacDonald, Mark McKinney, Howie Mandel, David Manners, Raymond Massey, Barry Morse, John Neville, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Ontkean, Matthew Perry, Gordon Pinsent, Christopher Plummer, James Doohan, David James Elliott, David Foley, Glenn Ford, Brendan Fraser, Matt Frewer, Chief Dan George, Robert Goulet, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Gross, Phil Hartman, Arthur Hill, Walter Huston, John Ireland, Michael Ironside, Eugene Levy, Gene Lockhart, Eric McCormack, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Norm MacDonald, Jessica Paré, Walter Pidgeon, Jason Priestley, John Qualen, Keanu Reeves, Saul Rubinek, Harold Russell, Michael Sarrazin, Mack Sennett, Martin Short, Jay Silverheels, Dave Thomas, Scott Thompson, John Vernon, Joseph Wiseman, Celine Lomez, Roy Dupuis, Michael J. Fox, Lorne Greene, Peter Jennings, Norman Jewison, Eugene Levy, Lorne Michaels, Rick Moranis, Mike Myers, Keanu Reeves, William Shatner, Donald Sutherland, Ryan Gosling, Kiefer Sutherland, Hayden Christensen, Jessica Tandy, Alan Thicke, Rachel McAdams and Alex Trebek.

In addition, many popular political documentaries such as Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent, The Corporation and Bowling for Columbine involved Canadian production and funding. Some of other more notable documentaries include: Nanook of the North, Final Offer (film), and Canada: A People's History.

Comedy

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is noted for political satire such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Rick Mercer Report, and Royal Canadian Air Farce.

Canada has produced many eminent national humorists. The Kids in the Hall were a popular Canadian sketch group. Also the Second City Television show originated in the Toronto Second City operation, which produced many comedians that went on to success worldwide, including John Candy, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, and others. The team of creators for SCTV, including Lorne Michaels, were later transplanted in New York City to create Saturday Night Live.

Other notable Canadian comics and comedy groups include Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Martin Short, Tom Green, Dan Aykroyd, Leslie Nielsen, CODCO (the precursors to This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Maggie Cassella, and Elvira Kurt. The Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal is the world's largest comedy festival.

Canadian humour is often described as being not as 'punchline-friendly' as its American counterpart, but not as 'off-the-wall' as its UK counterpart.

Music

Canada has developed its own brands of traditional music, including the French, Irish and Scottish-derived Cape Breton fiddle music of the Maritimes, the Franco-Celtic styles of Quebec that often include foot percussion and a scat style called turlutte, and other national styles from the Ottawa Valley to the west. Noted proponents are Buddy MacMaster and his niece Natalie of Cape Breton, and Madame Bolduc of Quebec, whose recordings in the 1930s lifted her people through depressing times.

The Canadian music industry has been helped by government regulation designed to protect and encourage the growth of distinct Canadian culture. The Canadian Content (CANCON) regulations force all radio stations in Canada to play at least 35% Canadian music. This has enabled Canadian artists to garner success on the airwaves which were once dominated by American and European acts. Now it is common to hear several Canadian songs on the radio every hour you listen.

In the realm of popular music, Canada has produced a variety of internationally successful performers, including (alphabetically): Arcade Fire, Bryan Adams, Paul Anka, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Band, Barenaked Ladies, Paul Brandt, Broken Social Scene, Michael Bublé, Terri Clark, Bruce Cockburn, Leonard Cohen, Stompin' Tom Conners, Cowboy Junkies, Céline Dion, D.O.A., Nelly Furtado, Matthew Good, Glenn Gould, Robert Goulet, Great Big Sea, The Guess Who, Hawk Nelson, Ronnie Hawkins, I Mother Earth, Diana Krall, k.d. Lang, Avril Lavigne, Félix Leclerc, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Metric, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette, Anne Murray, Nickelback, Oscar Peterson, Our Lady Peace, Rush, Hank Snow, Steppenwolf, Sum 41, David Clayton Thomas, The Tragically Hip, Trooper, Shania Twain, Gilles Vigneault, Roch Voisine, Rufus Wainwright, Matt Pond PA and Neil Young.

Symbols

Official symbols of Canada include the maple leaf, beaver, and the Canadian Horse . Many official symbols of the country such as the Flag of Canada have been changed or modified over the past few decades in order to 'Canadianize' them and de-emphasise or remove references to the United Kingdom. Symbols of the monarchy in Canada continue to be featured in, for example, the Coat of Arms of Canada and armed forces Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. The designation 'Royal' remains for institutions as varied as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, though with the 1968 unification of the three armed forces into the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy ceased to exist. However, certain Canadian Forces Land Force Command (army) units carry "Royal" titles, Canadian Forces Maritime Command vessels are still styled "HMCS" and Canadian Forces Air Command squadrons still use a Royal Air Force-derived badge surmounted by the Queen's Crown as their official crests.

See also

• Canada
• Canadian Cultural Protectionism
• Culture of Quebec

Template:Canadian topics

References

1. Blackwell, John D. (2005). "Culture High and Low". International Council for Canadian Studies World Wide Web Service. Retrieved 2006-03-15.
2. National Film Board of Canada (2005). "Mandate of the National Film Board". Retrieved 2006-03-15.
3. "Canada in the Making: Pioneers and Immigrants". The History Channel. 2005-08-25. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
4. "A Dialogue on Foreign Policy" (PDF). Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. 2003-01: 15–16. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. "Quebec". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press. 2003. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
6. "American Civil war". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Founcation. 2003. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
7. "Speakers of the Canadian House of Commons". Parliament of Canada. 2001: 8–9. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
8. "Multiculturalism in Canada". Mount Allison University. 2002-01-26. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
9. Marcia Wallace (1999). "Planning Amidst Diversity: The Challenges of Multiculturalism in Urban and Suburban Greater Toronto". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. "A Newcomer's Introduction to Canada". Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
11. B.A. Robinson (2005-11-20). "Same-Sex Marriages (SSM) in Canada". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved 2006-11-30.

External links

• Culture.CA: Canadian cultural portal online
• Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources
• Canadian Heritage
• Ontario Ministry of Culture
• CRTC Canadian Content
• Thesis: "Of puck and self: Hockey and Canadian identity"

• Canadian culture