September 1950 — Vol. 31, No. 9 —
Our Canadian
Way of Life
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This article is an attempt to condense into
a mere 3,000 words the essence of what goes to make up our
Canadian Way of Life; it would take volumes and volumes to
tell it all.
What we can see in a quick summary is good. In a world where
we are harried day and night by new devices and disturbances,
Canadians live comfortably, though not so easily as to stagnate.
Our national ambition is to live richly, rather than to be
rich.
If we have a fault, it is to take for granted the values
and benefits of our Canadian way of life. This free society,
eminent in the world because of its individual freedoms and
its great opportunities for self—advancement and the
sense of security it provides to ease men's minds, was gained
by the struggles and sacrifices of the men and women from
whom we inherit it.
One hundred and twelve years ago - a short span in human
history - Governor—General Lord Durham reported to the
British Government: "These small and unimportant communities
(Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince
Edward Island and Newfoundland) could be elevated into a society
having some objects of national importance." It is hard to
realize today how bold and optimistic that judgment was in
its time.
Today, Canada is a leader in civilization. She may not dominate
the physical world by her size, her economic strength, her
armed might or her population figures, but in the world of
ideas, of humanity and of graceful living she is second to
no country on earth.
The strength of Canada's mind and the high level of her
ideals are shown in unique ways. She is the only kingdom on
a huge continent of republics, yet her people enjoy a measure
of freedom unsurpassed - and probably not equalled - in the
Americas. She has originated and developed autonomy within
a world system of commonwealths, yet keeps the most intimate
friendship with the world's greatest independent state. Her
internal dualism, linking two widely different cultures in
a united nation, seems to qualify her in a special way for
participation in the councils of the nations.
What Kind of People Are We?
What kind of people are Canadians? The outstanding fact
is that we are all kinds of people. The French speaking Canadians
have more American generations behind them than any other
white stock north of the Rio Grande, save only the Spanish.
Their energy and volatility and family spirit were necessary
to the upbuilding of this raw land. Then came the Scotch,
the English, the Irish and the Welsh, with their efficiency,
thriftiness and their whole—souled respect for law, order
and self—control. To these, in the hundred years of Canada's
great growth, were added thousands from other lands, east,
west and south. Today, they are all Canadians.
When the first settlers came to this land, the French and
the British were already cultured peoples, with ancient roots
in literature, fine art, music, and science. They had social
structures of high quality, and had laid the foundations of
noble civilizations.
Out of these cultures was forged the common denominator
in Canadian character. Today, some of the differences have
been merged harmoniously; while some have survived in a way
that prevents standardization of the nation. It is a grand
feat in nation building when two diverse cultures march cordially
together, co—operating and making allowances, merging
ideas and preserving ideals, and welcoming people from many
other nations.
So here we are: a complex aggregation of people in a land
of striking contrasts, facing together problems of wide diversity.
The marvel of it is that we have woven the culture and institutions
of all these people into an orderly and attractive pattern.
We have learned that there are not only two sides but many
views of every case. We know that the greatest nation is not
a nationalistic nation but one that has many ties, of blood
and mind and ideals, with other nations.
Some people might say that we do not show in our daily living
that we are conscious of our keen sense of participation in
an epoch—making experiment in nation building, or of
our deep awareness of the greatness of the adventure upon
which Canada has embarked. We are, in fact, less colourful
figures to the world than our own tourist advertisements make
us out to be. We have, as Hugh MacLennan put it, such a talent
for avoiding the dramatic that we often escape even the notice
of our friends. We have a habit of appearing solemn when we
are only serious.
From Struggle to Comfort
Well, we are conservative by necessity and habit. We have
not had an easy country in which to work or live. The Arctic
wilderness presses close upon our cities. Montreal, our great
metropolis - an island of 1,442,000 people; the world's greatest
inland port, a thousand miles from the sea; a city with the
world's greatest French—speaking population, aside from
Paris - lies only 45 miles by rail from the United States
border. One hundred and twenty miles west is Ottawa, the capital
city of Canada. And beyond Ottawa the hills and tundra stretch,
scarcely touched by human hands, unbroken to the Arctic Sea.
To survive in this narrow strip between the world's most
highly—developed industrial nation and the barren land,
we have had to be a tough and adaptable people. We have little
margin for error.
Yet this country is in the centre of world affairs. Our
doors open east and west, north and south, where unpredictable
changes are taking place in great nations. We are, literally,
at the crossroads of a newly—developing world.
Upon this narrow strip of land we have built a nation in
which it is good to live. It is false to idealize the past,
because the ease and comfort of today were not born of easiness
and lassitude. It was a tough job, to make Canada what she
is today. To raise the standard of living on this continent
to levels never elsewhere attained demanded work and planning
of a high order.
Once our people hewed farm plots out of the wilderness,
built their own homes, made their own clothes and produced
their own food. Children and women laboured hard in the fields
and there was no diversion but sleep.
This year, Toronto is building a subway to carry thousands
of persons swiftly and comfortably between their homes and
downtown. Machines are digging a trench along Yonge Street.
Here is menial work, but no manual toil and no slavery; only
proud mechanics guiding the great machines. There, but for
invention and initiative, go a thousand slaves, poor skill—less
men, digging wearily with tools a thousand years old.
There are wires on our roofs, on which birds sit to sing,
but within the wires are songs from half a world away, brought
by the genius that developed radio. In hydro power we are
pre—eminent among nations. Waterfalls are harnessed to
bring us electricity, pouring into our factories power in
a cascade that berates a hundred men with every pulsation.
At the last count, a million homes out of 3,300,000 had
refrigerators, 3,127,000 had radios, 623,000 had electric
ranges, and 2 million had electric washing machines. When
we take a total view, and see our modern Canada against its
background, we are comforted. Some may still live backward
lives, but millions are living better, and all have the opportunity
to step forward.
The Test of Democracy
As part of our improved standard of living we must recognize
the increased attention given to social services. Public health
is the concern of all levels of government. Pensions for the
aged and the blind have been adopted by the provinces with
financial help from the Dominion. Unemployment insurance,
family allowances, war pensions, help in home—building,
and many other forms of assistance, are provided through government
action.
But these are merely incidental; they are not the measure
of a democracy. The test of democracy is the extent of freedom
its people have from dependence on authority. This freedom
is a sign of maturity.
It can be said with assurance that Canadians do not wish
to become so dependent on their government that they, like
people in some other countries, will forfeit political democracy.
All that they look for is adequate reward for initiative,
ability and work, with safeguards for those who cannot work.
Hon. Paul Martin, Minister of National Health and Welfare,
told a conference on social work in June: "It never can be
too often emphasized that social security is not an end in
itself; it is only part of the pattern of our whole social
system. The first essential in any society is to produce in
such quantities that all who are willing to work and who can
work will be able to enjoy a decent livelihood for themselves
and their families."
Closely allied with dependency is fear. People who live
in states where citizens are kept as dependents are afraid
that their benefits will be cut off if they offend the powers
that handle the distribution of gifts, allowances and bonuses.
Freedom
Canadians, whether native—born or immigrants, may live
and act with full security within our pattern of freedom.
We do not simply safeguard human rights; we erect an order
of law, animated by freedom of men's spirits.
This means that men must not expect that in Canada they
will be told what to do. That is the kind of thing that happened
in Germany and Russia. We believe here that freedom to think
should be followed by using your head to choose between alternative
courses of action. It is freedom of choice that develops personality,
and it is only out of personality expression that reasonable
men derive satisfaction.
Democratic governments feel it to be part of their duty
to avoid unnecessary interference with men and women who intend
to carve out careers on their own. They believe it is their
duty to interfere as little as possible with voluntary associations.
They leave men free to make an honest livelihood at what trades
they want, and do not dragoon them into labour. They encourage
men to express their opinions.
Canadians believe in independence and in the growth of personal
responsibility. They reject the suggestion that men should
be made good citizens by compulsion, by statute, or by coercion.
They believe more good will be accomplished by inducting the
Golden Rule into all phases of Canadian life than by any number
of government edicts. Regard for one's fellow man, considered
by some to be the touchstone of all other virtues, stands
out as a cardinal principle of Canadian life, both within
Canada and in her international contacts.
The Good Citizen
All of these rights, liberties and benefits are at the free
and bountiful service of good citizens. Anyone can be a good
citizen of Canada if he keeps his heart right; if he acknowledges
the dignity and worth of all socially acceptable work; if
he appreciates the necessity and justice of a fair return
for a fair day's labour; if he realizes the interdependence
of all people, and that a high standard of living depends
upon the co—operation and contribution of all people;
if he feels the need for conserving Canada's natural resources
of men and materials, and does his part toward their best
development; if he participates in municipal, provincial and
federal government and in community affairs.
That citizens should participate in governing themselves
is a vital part of democracy. You cannot set up a democracy
by building government machinery, but only by developing a
spirit.
When a person is convinced that our Canadian way of life
offers more opportunity and happiness to larger numbers of
persons than does any other scheme, he will be eager to contribute
his share to keeping it effectively working. The democracy
of which we are talking is an arrangement of life whereby
the members of a group, large or small, have opportunity to
partake in proportion to their maturity and ability. There
is no room in such a society for envious dislike of persons
who are prominent or great, but an appreciation of what all
greatness adds to the common good.
Our Government
Democratic government is a form of government in which the
people rule by discussion and compromise. Free elections,
in which the people choose their government representatives,
and the secret ballot, which gives them absolute freedom of
choice, are prized possessions of Canadians.
In Canada, all government is elected government,
responsible to the people. The cabinet, which has its finger
on all phases of national life, economic and social, internal
and external, is made up of men chosen from the elected representatives
of the people. These men, each of whom is head of a department
of government, are directly responsible to parliament.
There is no distinction between class or creed in Canadian
public affairs. Rich or poor, a Canadian citizen has a voice
in the government, may serve on a municipal council, in a
provincial legislature, in parliament, or on boards set up
by any of these governments. Minorities are heard freely and
patiently.
The existence of an opposition party in parliament is necessary
to our system. In totalitarian countries there can be only
one political party, and a revolution is needed if a government
is to be changed. In a democracy, the people may vote the
government out and the opposition in.
This is one reason why it is the duty of any democratic
government to take the people frankly into its confidence.
Consultation is one of the oldest democratic functions,
the natural instrument for government to use in order to harmonize
its policy with public opinion. The people should be given
a picture in broad outline of the proposed plan and of the
economic and social facts that underlie it. Then they should
be shown what are their individual tasks and duties. The people
of a democratic country like Canada cannot be driven in blinkers.
Any attempt to promote great changes without making clear
the purpose and method will dissolve into frustration.
External Affairs
Canadians have a compelling interest in world affairs. The
pressure of events, the continuing sense of crisis, and the
rivalries of continents, demand clear and confident rather
than flamboyant leadership, and this Canada is prepared to
give. She has the attributes of a hunter who was referred
to by a companion in these terms: "He is the kind of man to
go tiger hunting with in the dark, because you can always
reach out and be sure he is there."
Canada, more than most nations, needs world peace for her
prosperity. Her external trade provides a third of her national
income. If her exports were cut off or seriously interfered
with, every workman's pay envelope would suffer. For this
practical reason, as well as because of a natural desire for
world peace and order, Canada supports the United Nations.
Religion and Education
People in Canada worship in many different ways, yet their
belief in God, their emphasis upon trust, hope and love are
strong assets toward the development of good citizenship.
All the faiths represented in Canada, and freely practised
here, teach the dignity of the human soul, and regard all
individuals as important members of the human family. The
church, of whatever denomination, is the voice of the nation's
conscience.
This spiritual culture, the inward force which creates and
sustains the outward manifestations of civilization, is the
greatest power a democracy can have. That is one reason why
democracies take such pains to safeguard the right of citizens
to worship "each according to the dictates of his own conscience".
It is one of the most important freedoms in the modern world.
Church authorities in Canada and elsewhere are emphatic
in their condemnation of the atheism and tyranny of Communism.
Any system of government that deprives people of the right
to faith, the exercise of their religious instincts, and the
communion of spirit provided by worship, will be condemned
by all right—thinking people.
There are ample and freely—available educational resources
in Canada, directed to providing the opportunity for self—realization,
human relationship, economic efficiency and civic responsibility.
The standard educational ladder consists of eight grades
in a public elementary school and four or five in a public
secondary school, though there are minor differences in the
provinces. The vital point is that throughout these years
education is free. There are certain "separate" schools to
accommodate minority groups.
After school years comes adult education, which enables
the mature members of the community to pursue various courses
of study. In recent years, adult education has grown from
almost complete obscurity to the position of a third partner
along with higher education and the public schools. It is
not a scheme to help the illiterate and under—educated
to "catch up", but a plan for enabling everyone to develop
the best that is in him and obtain the greatest satisfactions
out of life.
Adult education is a main strength of democracy. Subversive
influences and totalitarian philosophies thrive on ignorance.
They cannot stand the light of truth. This is why enlightened
men in business, government and education are supporting every
advance in adult education, urging the idea of lighting up
the schools at night for use of mature persons, and contributing
through pamphlets, films and posters to the spread of knowledge.
Law and the Police
The high standing and independence of magistrates and judges
have always been conspicuous merits in Canadian government.
Judges are not elected but are appointed for life by the Governor—General
in Council or the Provincial Lieutenant—Governor in Council,
according to the rank and duty of the court. They must not
take part in politics, and are not allowed to vote. Their
positions are regarded by all as posts of great honour and
responsibility.
Respect for the law derives from the highest levels. In
taking the Coronation Oath, the King is asked: "Will you to
your power, cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed
in all your judgments?" To which the King assents, "I will."
From coast to coast, Canada has a uniform code of criminal
laws and a uniform procedure in criminal matters. The purpose
of law is to guard the liberties of every citizen. In a democracy
like Canada, a man is free to live as he chooses so long as
he keeps within the law which he, as a voter, had a hand in
shaping.
The police in Canada, perhaps better than any other group,
know the meaning of civil liberties and personal rights because
it is their duty to guard against the violation of these rights
by anyone or by any group. They are the friends of every good
citizen, and the defenders of our free democratic way of life.
Our Future
We can listen at any moment and hear our country growing.
The air is rich with promise. The spirit of Canada is progressive
still. We can say to the children who left school this year
what old Voltaire, when he went to Paris in 1778 to die, said
to the youth in whose hearts he sensed the grandeur of the
coming century: "The young are fortunate: they will see great
things."
We are not seeking a mechanical utopia, or a country with
highways paved with gold. The ideal Canada will be developed
by its people, using all that science can give them as an
aid but keeping their roots firmly grounded in the rich heritage
of the past.
To quote a fine Greek adage: "Life is the gift of nature,
but beautiful living is the gift of wisdom." What we need
in these days is to broaden our knowledge and intelligence,
and at the same time cling to the simple virtues which our
society approves. The values which test achievement - honesty,
truthfulness, self—control, fair play, loyalty, devoutness,
and many others - these play a determining part in the course
and pattern of life.
We, a nation of 14 million people, covet no other man's
land. We wish that the nations of the world should live together
in peace, and that we and they should develop an exalted spirit
of co—operation.
We will do our share toward bringing into being the better
world of which all good men dream. We will transmit our handiwork
to future Canadians, in the confident faith that time will
merely wear away the dross of it, and that what is worthy
in what we and our children build will be preserved.
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