Half of Canadians feel that we're losing a 'shared, collective identity of what it means to be Canadian.' That's the cultural mosaic for you

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Below the swell of goose-vs-eagle elbows-up patriotism that continues to gush through the nation lies an undercurrent of worry: half of Canadians feel that we’re losing a collective sense of what it means to be Canadian.

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The finding was made by a new Postmedia-Leger poll released in advance of Canada Day, which asked respondents whether they feel, in the last four to five years, that “Canada has been losing a shared, collective identity of what it means to be Canadian.” Fifty-two per cent of replies were “yes,” while only 30 per cent were “no.”

The poll also measured a tremendous amount of national pride: 83 per cent of respondents claimed to be either “very proud” or “somewhat proud” of their country, with only 15 per cent stating they were not.

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Thirty-four per cent of respondents felt their pride had grown in recent months, a sentiment felt prominently among the 55 crowd, and among Liberal voters — a confirmation of the boomeristic character of the anti-Trump “Canada is Not for Sale” crowd. Among all recent-pride feelers, 83 per cent credited U.S. President Donald Trump for their deepening emotions. (Another 21 per cent of Canadians claimed to feel less proud in recent months, which most attributed to the recent federal election).

So, despite being incredibly proud to be Canadian, a good number of us are starting to wonder what common ground we share with our countrymen that makes us distinctly Canadian.

It’s a crisis of identity that, based on pure numbers, makes sense. Canada has changed, fast.

Some numbers for comparison: in 2001, 18 per cent of the Canadian population was comprised of immigrants; in 2022, the immigrant share reached 23 per cent, the emphasis shifting to Asia and the Mideast. Trudeau-era immigration policies boosted intakes far beyond what was seen in the Harper years, and jetted off to extremes post-COVID. In 2022, the population grew by three per cent (1.1 million people) since the year before.

Canada for many years managed to keep public sentiment on the side of immigration by maintaining high bars to entry, selecting only the immigrants we needed, and favouring those who have a greater potential for assimilation.

Foreign students developed a reputation for being rich, or eager to become Canadian, or both. Immigrant adults were known for being self-supporting, often with some prestige from professional or business backgrounds. Refugees were known for being grateful and hungry to contribute back to their new home. They came from all over the world, and it was fine — they........

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