EXPLORING LOYALTIES

Loyalty the act of staying true to an idea, a cause, a nation, a person, or even yourself allegiance, faithfulness, devotion, fidelity, steadfastness, attachment loyalties can affect the choices you make, and some choices can test our loyalties

Nationalist Loyalties sense of loyalty to, commitment to, and identification with a particular nation “Can You Be Loyal to Different Nations at the Same Time? (dual citizenship)” Pluralism – encouraging many groups to celebrate their collective identities “Canada is a Nation of Nations” HYM&list=PL03F32CB28BF4D712&safe=active

“When I’m in Alberta, I’m an Edmontonian or Calgarian; when I’m in Ottawa, I’m an Albertan or westerner; but when I’m in Washington or Singapore or Sydney, I’m Canadian.” …….(Preston Manning)

The dominant cultural group often gets to create and tell the nation’s myths. In the case of the French Revolution, the ideals of fraternity and equality were emphasized. And yet today, the immigrants coming to France from areas like former French colonies in Africa are experiencing racism.

Until recently in Canada, the dominant cultural group was British. At Confederation the Canadian government was based on the British model, the Union Jack was Canada’s flag until 1965, British history was taught in schools and Canadians often observe British traditions, like Boxing Day. In the late 20th century people began to challenge the founding myths of Canada. Stories of “discovering” Canada’s West were questioned as it ignored the perspectives of the inhabitants who were already here.

Non-Nationalist Loyalties loyalties that are not embedded in the idea of nation (eg family) sometimes loyalties are intertwined. Loyalty to your friends is not a nationalist loyalty, but you may have chosen a friend because you both moved to Alberta from England and share a nationalist loyalty to your mother country. Choosing one loyalty over another can lead to feelings of alienation China prohibits practice of some religious groups like Falun Gong; followers must decide which loyalty is more important to them; Aboriginal Canadians feeling disconnected from their culture to fit into urban society

Contending Loyalties loyalties that compete with one another a legal and constitutional concept that requires Canadian public institutions to adapt to the religious and cultural practices of minorities as long as these practices do not violate other rights and freedoms. “the vision of Canada as a bilingual and multicultural society has also sparked debate about how far a pluralistic society should go to accommodate and protect the rights of minorities.”

Sikh turban – RCMP uniform Hutterites in Alberta and photo id on driver’s licenses Having to wear a helmet or a seat belt Does changing a nation’s symbols reduce citizens’ nationalist loyalties?

CONTENDING NATIONALIST LOYALTIES IN CANADA

QUEBEC

QUEBEC: People in Quebec have a long history of grappling with contending nationalist loyalties. In 1980 and 1995, referendums on separating from Canada forced many Quebecois to choose between their loyalty to Quebec and their loyalty to Canada.

QUEBEC: The PQ

QUEBEC: Bill 101

YearQuebecCanada (not including Quebec) Alberta %4.3%1.4% %3.0%1.0% Percentage of Population Speaking French at Home, 1971 and 2001 By examining this table, what assumptions can be made about Bill 101? What other factors may account for the numbers shown here?

FIRST NATIONS

FIRST NATIONS:

FIRST NATIONS: Oka Crisis

The Mohawk nation had been pursuing a land claim that included a burial ground and a sacred grove of pine trees. This brought them into conflict with the town of Oka, which was developing plans to expand a golf course onto the land. As a protest against a court decision which allowed the golf course construction to proceed, some members of the Mohawk community erected a barricade blocking access to the area in question. Mohawk warrior stands atop an overturned Sûreté du Québec car as part of the barricade Mohawk warrior Ronald "Lasagne" Cross confronts 'Van Doo' perimeter sentry while surrounded by media The situation escalated as the local Mohawks were joined by natives from across Canada and the United States. The natives refused to dismantle their barricade and the Sûreté du Québec established their own blockades to restrict access to Oka The Oka Crisis eventually precipitated the development of Canada's First Nations Policing Policy l_unrest/clips/586/

FIRST NATIONS: Meech Lake

The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement is a 1993 land claims agreement between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area (then part of the Northwest Territories) and the Government of Canada. Under the terms of the agreement, jurisdiction over some territorial matters was transferred to the new government, among them wildlife management, land use planning and development, property taxation, and natural resource management. FIRST NATIONS: Nunavut

NON- NATIONALIST LOYALTIES IN CANADA

The dividing line between nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties is not always clear. Many non-nationalist loyalties fall into one of the following categories … 1.Class loyalty 2.Religious loyalty 3.Regional loyalty 4.Ideological loyalty 5.Cultural loyalty 6.Racial or ethnic loyalty These loyalties are often interconnected. Religious loyalty, for example, may also involve cultural, racial or ethnic, ideological loyalties

1. CLASS LOYALTY Loyalty to a people from a particular social sector in society.

2. RELIGIOUS LOYALTY Loyalty to a religious organization and its beliefs and values. Sardar Baltej Singh fought for the right of Sikhs to wear the turban while serving in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He won his case and became the first Sikh Mountie to wear a turban.

3. REGIONAL LOYALTY Loyalty to a region and the interests of people living there.

WESTERN ALIENATION is the concept of the Western provinces, namely British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, being alienated from mainstream political and economical affairs within the greater Canadian system, in favor of Ontario and Quebec interests.Western provincesBritish Columbia AlbertaSaskatchewanManitobaOntarioQuebec gained momentum when Prime Minister Trudeau introduced the National Energy Program (NEP) in 1980

NATIONAL ENERGY PROGRAM (NEP) the federal government intended to use Alberta's oil revenues to subsidize gasoline prices nation-wide. The program was extremely unpopular in Western Canada, where most of Canada's oil is produced heightened distrust of the federal government, especially in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Many Albertans believed that the NEP was an unjustified intrusion of the federal government into an area of provincial jurisdiction, designed to strip their province of its natural wealth. (sovereignty issue) It pitted PM Pierre Trudeau against the Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.

The NEP had 3 aims……. 1.Security of supply and ultimate independence from the world market 2.Opportunity for all Canadians to participate in the energy industry, particularly oil and gas, and to share in the benefits of its expansion 3.Fairness, with a pricing and revenue-sharing regime which recognizes the needs and rights of all Canadians Examine the cartoon….. Who is represented in it? What is it saying about the NEP? How does it illustrate what it is saying about the NEP?

4. IDEOLOGICAL LOYALTY Loyalty to shared ideas about how a society should run. For example, environmentalism – Tar Sands, Global Warming, etc

5. CULTURAL LOYALTY Loyalty to a way of life.

6. RACIAL/ETHNIC LOYALTY Loyalty to people of the same race or ethnic background.