Losing the Soul of Our Nation

If we don't soon have a national debate about our connection with responsibility for other Canadians, the consequences will be dire.

Was the security team at the recent Quebec National Assembly wrong to refuse entry to several Sikh Canadians carrying their ceremonial kirpans?

Certainly, how we should balance the demands of public security with the right to freedom of religion is an important question that justifies a national conversation among all Canadians. A nation cannot strengthen and progress without national discussion and consensus on fundamental moral issues that affect the fabric of society.

But not only did our prime minister and his government fail to enter the debate, they also failed to condemn the attempt by parochial partisan Quebec politicians to cast the debate as a purely Quebec issue, with Quebec “secularism” pitted against alien Canadian “multiculturalism.”

With its silence, our national government abdicated its fundamental role to govern for all Canadians and to speak for one Canada. But this should come as no surprise. This is the same political party that cannot bring itself to use the word “Canada” in its French advertising in Quebec, opting instead for the phrase “Notre région au pouvoir” – a cynical play for nationalist voters who have little attachment to Canada.

It is time for Canadians to raise the alarm and demand answers.

If our national life is reduced to simply managing the economy and federal-provincial relations, not rocking the boat; if the provinces and courts become the default focal point of all serious moral debate; if we come together only in celebration at sporting events, and in grief over the casualties of war and environmental catastrophes, then we are losing the soul of our nation.

If we lose our connection with and responsibility for other Canadians – regardless of residence, religion, income, or country of origin – then we will fail to realize the great promise of building a vibrant, innovative, pluralist 21st-century nation that can be an example to the world. Our international presence and coherence will fade, and the world and country we leave to our children and grandchildren will be much diminished.

If we are to increase our internal strength and global potential, we have to understand what draws us together as a nation. A national discussion must begin with the recognition that people are not knocking on Canada’s door because we are “tolerant.” Our welcome mat does not say, “Please come here, and know that as long as you do not bother anyone, no one will bother you.” Tolerance cannot be an end in itself. We owe each other more than tolerance. We must move beyond a passive “tolerance” for our increasingly diverse population to a more robust respect for our neighbours that will allow us to work together in facing the profound challenges of the day.

So we cannot shrink or hide from national debates over the whole range of rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens. Quebec should not be alone in engaging in vigorous public debate over the niqab and the kirpan. The courts in British Columbia should not be the only forums prepared to address issues such as polygamy. Such issues are matters of national debate and deserve attention from Canada as a whole.