Chapter 3: Reconciling Nationalistic Loyalties

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Chapter 3 Reconciling Nationalistic Loyalties

• How do loyalties shape peoples choices?
• One synonym for loyalty is commitment the act
  of staying true to an idea, a cause, a nation, a
  person, or even yourself. Loyalty can sometimes
  be demonstrated publicly. For example, Sir
  Churchill Winston declared his loyalty when he
  stated that Britain would never surrender to
  Hitler and fascism during World War II

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• Loyalty can also be low-key and not displayed
  publicly. An example of this would be your
  loyalty to a friend.
• Other synonyms for loyalty are allegiance,
  faithfulness, devotion, fidelity, steadfastness,
  and attachment.
• When faced with a choice, loyalty can play a role
  in the decision that one makes. It can be simple
  decisions or difficult ones. For example, helping
  a friend in their time of need may be an easy
  choice. However, if you had two friends who were
  running for school president, which would you
  choose? How would you choose?

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• Patriotism is understood as the love for ones
  country. Patriotism can be shown as a form of
  loyalty to ones country. It has inspired people
  to march in a parade or fight for their country.
• Some have been inspired to petition the Canadian
  government to give Highway 401 the name Highway
  of Heroes because it is the way fallen soldiers
  return to home from Afghanistan.

Highway of Heroes, Ontario
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• Nationalist loyalties rarely demand extreme
  sacrifice, such as that made by some Canadian
  soldiers in Afghanistan. However, they can
  influence our choices.
• For example, here in Fort McMurray, there are a
  lot of people from Newfoundland. They show their
  loyalty by displaying the Newfoundland Flag.

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• Contending loyalties are loyalties that compete
  with one another and choosing between them is
  sometimes difficult.
• While some may agree with the renaming of highway
  401 to Highway of Heroes, they may not
  necessarily agree with the war in Afghanistan.

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What choices have people made to affirm
nationalist loyalties?

• People often do visible things to show their
  loyalty. For example, you may wear COMP clothing
  to show Miner Pride, or if you are a Toronto
  Maple Leafs fan, you may wear the Toronto jersey.
• People also wear the maple leaf on their
  backpacks or clothes when traveling to other
  parts of the world to display that they are
  Canadian.

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• Some people use place names to affirm their
  nationalist identities. The Inuit of South Baffin
  Island started the South Baffin Place Names
  project to record traditional Inuktitut place
  names.
• Europeans often ignored the traditional names and
  gave the same places European names. Iqaluit, the
  capital of Nunavut, was called Frosbisher Bay by
  the Europeans.

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• Prior to the 1930s, many Inuit used just one name
  to identify themselves. Because the government
  found this to be too difficult to keep track of
  the people, they enforced a number system in
  order to keep track of the Inuit. For years, they
  were referred to as a number rather than a name.
• In 1969, the number system was abolished. The
  government then enforced that the Inuit were
  required to have a last name as well as a first
  name.
• One man fought this, and had his name permanently
  changed back to the one he was given at birth
  Kiviaq.

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• Cultural Pluralism is people from many nations
  living together in one country.
• This allows for respect of cultural differences
• Ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups live
  together in harmony.
• Canada is a prime example of this. Many people
  immigrate to Canada because of our reputation of
  cultural pluralism.
• Canada was the first country to adopt
  multiculturalism as an official government
  policy. It is called the Canadian
  Multiculturalism Act of 1988.
• This allows for immigrants to keep their
  traditions, languages and religions when they
  move to Canada.

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• Some people have difficulties expressing the
  loyalties when they have moved to a new country.
• When immigrants first arrive in Canada, they are
  concerned about fitting in and do not express
  their loyalties.
• As time passes however, they begin to feel more
  comfortable and may express their loyalties. For
  example, during the Olympics, Chinese Canadians
  may cheer for the Chinese team.

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• Canadians are divided on how much immigrants
  should try to fit into Canadian culture.
• Reasonable accommodation is a legal and
  constitutional concept that requires Canadian
  public institutions to adapt to religious and
  cultural practices of minorities as long as they
  do not violate other rights and freedoms.
• In 1988 for example, Beltej Singh Dhillon
  challenged RCMP traditions.

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• In 1988 for example, Beltej Singh Dhillon
  challenged RCMP traditions.
• The RCMP wanted him to cut his hair, shave his
  beard and wear a Stetson hat.
• Dhillon argued that wearing a turban is a
  religious duty for Sikh men and that he was
  forced between serving his religion and serving
  his country.
• In 1990, the country agreed that his request was
  reasonable and Dhillon became a RCMP officer.

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• Ever since Confederation, people have disagreed
  on the idea of reasonable accommodation.
• Some people believe that reasonable accommodation
  doesnt allow for a shared identity and
  belonging.
• Stephen Harper states that Canadas diversity,
  properly nurtured, is our greatest strength.

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• As well, the Department of Canadian Heritage
  states It is in building a peaceful, harmonious
  society that diversity plays its most dynamic
  role. It challenges Canadians to adapt and relate
  to one another despite our differences, which
  encourages understanding, flexibility and
  compromise. This makes us resilient able to
  accommodate different points of view and see
  different ways to solve problems.

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• In 2007, reasonable accommodation became an issue
  in Quebec. Some minority communities were
  concerned about the lack of accommodation.
• In 2007, Asmahan Mansour was not allowed to play
  in a soccer game because she was wearing a hijab.
  
• The referee made the call deeming it unsafe.
  Premier Jean Charest agreed with this ruling.
• Many people believed that this was an example of
  failing to accommodate to minority groups.

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How can nationalist loyalties create conflict?

• Sometimes, people can be loyal to more than one
  nation and their nationalist loyalties can exist
  without conflict.
• For example, a new Canadian citizen may feel
  strong loyalties to Canada, but also follow the
  news from their country of origin.
• However, nationalistic loyalties are not always
  compatible. Their goals may conflict.

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• For example, a Québécois may have strong
  loyalties to Quebec and to Canada. If they are
  questioned about Quebec sovereignty, they may
  have a difficult choice to make. To not separate
  or to separate?
• In 1995, a referendum was held, asking the people
  of Quebec whether or not they wanted to separate
  from Canada.
• 93.5 of the population voted in the referendum.
  50.52 voted no, that they did not want to
  separate. 49.42 voted to separate.
• In 2006, a poll of Québécois found that support
  for staying in Canada has risen.
• Those who wanted to separate from Canada are
  called sovereignists. Those who wanted to stay
  with Canada are federalists.

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• An example, while plenty of Canadians celebrate
  July 1st as Canada Day, July 1st is Memorial Day
  for those in Newfoundland. It is a day to
  remember those of the First Newfoundland Regiment
  that died July 1, 1916 in the Battle of Somme.

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• Contending loyalties can also lead to conflict
  between peoples.
• Conflict can arise when two peoples want to
  establish their nation in the same territory.
• If they cannot resolve their conflicting
  loyalties, the result may be violence.
• An example of two groups who cannot solve their
  conflicting loyalties are the Palestinians and
  the Israelis. Both want control over the same
  territory which has religious, historical,
  spiritual, cultural and geographic significance.

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How have people reconciled contending nationalist
loyalties?

• Reconciliation is the coming to terms with the
  past or mending a broken relationship. It can
  help resolve differences and bring people
  together once again.
• If two contending nations cannot be reconciled,
  it can lead to political struggles and even to
  war.
• What is an Canadian example of conflict between
  two contending nations?

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• In the past, Canadian governments tried to force
  First Nations, Metis, and Inuit to abandon their
  culture and traditions and to fit in with
  mainstream society.
• Over the past few decades, this has begun to
  change, and the Canadian governments have begun
  to recognize Aboriginal and treaty rights.
• These rights are now put into the Canadian
  constitution.
• However, there are still many groups that
  continue to control their own destiny.

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• Oka Crisis
• In 1990, a group of Mohawks on the Kanesatake
  (near Oka, Quebec)reserve set up a roadblock and
  a camp to stop the expansion of a golf course
  onto Mohawk land.
• The provincial police were called in to break up
  the protest. Shots were fired and one officer was
  killed.
• The Canadian military was called in and on Sept
  26th, the protest finally came to an end.

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• Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
• Created in 1991 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
  after the Oka Crisis.
• It was made up of 7 people. 4 Aboriginal and 3
  non-Aboriginal.
• The final report was published in 1996 and its
  main conclusion stated The main policy
  direction, pursued for more that 150 years, first
  by colonial then by Canadian governments, has
  been wrong.
• The report also urged all Canadians to view First
  Nations, Metis, and Inuit as nations with a right
  to govern themselves in partnership with Canada.

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• Canadian Governments Statement of
  Reconciliation
• In 1998, the Canadian government acknowledged
  that First Nations have lived in North America
  for thousands of years. It also admitted that
  past governments had damaged the culture and
  traditions of first nations.
• The Government of Canada today formally
  expresses to all Aboriginal people in Canada our
  profound regret for past actions of the federal
  government which have contributed to these
  difficult pages in the history of our
  relationship together.
• Reconciliation will be a continuous process that
  will not succeed if the past is repeated.
  Aboriginal people must have an equal share in the
  political, economic, cultural, and social life of
  Canada.

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• Land Claims
• The Royal Commission on Aboriginal People said
  that both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people
  must learn to share the land they both live in.
• The governments Statement of Reconciliation did
  not mention the sharing of land or settling land
  claims.
• A land claim is an Aboriginal peoples claim to
  the right to control the land where their
  traditionally lived.
• Land claims are fairly difficult to settle. There
  are a large amount of reports, surveys, studies,
  court cases and many years to settle land claim
  dispute and many Aboriginals are tired of the
  long wait.