From the outset of the course, we have learned a lot in this course about Canada’s national identity:
how it has evolved over time, in the context of diversity and the ongoing struggle for inclusion
in terms of being distinct (and being seen as distinct) from the Americans
in terms of a growing sense of confidence in being Canadian
Please read the following four short newspaper articles (below) before beginning your exercise:
“Were we not Canadians before the very appearance of the CBC in the 1930s, asks Jonathan Fortier”
“Canada became what it is by developing institutions that promote our identity, says Richard Nimijean”
“MPs want CBC’s Rabinovitch to give ‘full accounting'”
“In the era of Netflix, what do we want Canadian Content to be?”
After reading the articles, please address the following in your lecture exercise.
In the past, there were conscious efforts to nurture a distinct Canadian identity and explicitly promote Canadian culture – for example through the CBC, the NFB, and other state programs and institutions. In 2017, the federal government released a new cultural policy that supporters argue will inject much needed private capital into the creative industries, though critics argue that it benefits a private American firm at the expense of Canadian cultural creators, institutions, and companies.
In an Internet era in which many more Canadians have a strong sense of identity, does government need a strong and activist cultural policy? Do we need to continue to support institutions like the CBC? Why / why not?
Submit your lecture exercise under Class 11 exercise under the assignments tab on the front page.
Sample Solution
