Survey Says

Nationalism is having a moment — at least in Canada. As I write this from my home in Ottawa, a reinvigorated pride in this country is palpable. People who were not feeling especially celebratory in recent years are eager to make it clear that we are a sovereign, independent country. There’s no talk of a fifty-first state in these parts, unless it is to mock the mere thought of it. In Vancouver, where I was travelling recently, people seemed unusually enthusiastic about Canada and were asking, “What’s it like to live in Mark Carney’s Ottawa?” A special issue of Maclean’s is themed “The New Nationalism: Portrait of Canada at Its Crossroads” and features articles on how we can and must resist American encroachment on our territory, resources, politics, and culture. Similarly, The Conversation has been publishing articles on how our symbols of nationalism are evolving, including Canadian flags, the sales of which have “skyrocketed.” Indeed, as Norman Hillmer has...