Please Advise! What Is Canadian Patriotism?

[Editor’s note: Steve Burgess is an accredited spin doctor with a PhD in Centrifugal Rhetoric from the University of SASE, situated on the lovely campus of PO Box 7650, Cayman Islands. In this space he dispenses PR advice to politicians, the rich and famous, the troubled and well-heeled, the wealthy and gullible.]

Dear Dr. Steve,

Canada Day is here again. With all the threats and bullying we've seen from Donald Trump, does the national holiday have more meaning this year?

Signed,

Patriot

Dear Pat,

Back in early April, when Trump's 51st-state rants were coming thick and fast and the surge of angry Canadian defiance was at its flood, Dr. Steve happened to be in Bangkok. Strolling into a mall (for the air conditioning — walking around Bangkok that week was like swimming in a bowl of hot soup), Dr. Steve saw, to his surprise, a Tim Hortons.

Feeling somewhat guilty at being away from home at this difficult time for the country, it occurred to Dr. Steve that this might be an opportunity to express his national identity. The fortuitous appearance of a Timmy's offered Dr. Steve the chance to join his fellow citizens, however symbolically, in an act of Canadian solidarity.

And that is when Dr. Steve discovered the limits of patriotism. Couldn't do it. In that moment Dr. Steve decided that a Canadian is as a Canadian does, and that this Canadian, at home or away, does not drink Tim Hortons coffee.

In its own way, an act of Timmy's refusal seems like a legitimate expression of Canadian pride. It's a reminder that we do not hang our identity on artificial pegs. If hockey is part of the Canadian identity, the person who refuses to give up the remote because The Last of Us is on is just as Canadian. Our patriotism is not tied to specifics. But it is no less strong for that.

And we do love to wave our Canadian flags. Attempts by the trucker's convoy to co-opt the Maple Leaf were strongly resisted — it has not acquired the ugly stink of nationalism that seems to have captured the Star-Spangled Banner. No, the Canadian flag still celebrates a diverse national culture. Wave a Maple Leaf flag at Danielle Smith and the effect will probably be similar to showing a cross to a vampire.

The spike in national feeling that greeted Trump's brain-dead bloviating probably came as a surprise, even to those who were feeling it. You don't know how much you value your way of life until some Big Mac-infused dumbass starts making threats.

The anti-Trump backlash is an exaggeration of a Canadian phenomenon that has often surfaced before — negative identification, our self-definition as not-Americans. But Trump has clarified the issues. The gap between our nations, it seems, is widening. Increasingly it appears that Trumpism is not an aberration or a fluke but a genuine expression of the American soul. Canadians — most of them — shudder at the spectacle and sew more maple leaves onto their backpacks.

What is Canadian patriotism? The concept remains nebulous. For a while it solidified around the rallying cry “Elbows up,” offered by Canadian actor Mike Myers. But that boomlet appears to have faded already. If you have ever attempted to walk around with your elbows up all day, you'll see the problem. Tying your shoelaces takes forever. And we are a practical people.

Perhaps we will never have a Canadian “Remember the Alamo.” That's OK. On a day that looks like it will be lovely picnic weather, “Remember the butter tarts” will do fine. Also, remember to watch out for bears, and wasps, and Danielle Smith. Be careful out there. Happy Canada Day.