Protecting Canadian Culture: Time for Canadians to Stand Firm

Tom Marazzo, Captain (Ret'd) Canadian Army

Canada, once a beacon of shared values, hard work, and unity, is now at a crossroads. The nation that built itself on the pillars of freedom, democracy, and respect for the rule of law is increasingly divided by policies of unchecked multiculturalism that have eroded the core values Canadians once held dear. These values—personal responsibility, self-reliance, hard work, community service, and a shared sense of civic duty—are rooted in Canada’s Christian heritage, and even those who do not follow the Christian faith have benefited from the ethical framework it provided. They form the very backbone of Canadian society—creating a culture where individuals are encouraged to take ownership of their lives, contribute to the greater good, and live by a code of decency and fairness that transcends religion.

While these values are indeed shared by many cultures around the world, what distinguishes Canada is how deeply these principles are embedded in its national identity. Over generations, Canadian values have shaped a cohesive society, where people of diverse backgrounds united under common goals—fairness, democracy, justice, and respect for the law. These values weren’t just ideals—they were lived by Canadians, binding the country together. And now, many of these values are under threat as fragmentation replaces the once unified Canadian identity.

The question now is clear: How will Canadians define their own culture?

A Culture Under Siege

Canada's identity has long been grounded in Christian morals and Western values—principles that shaped its society and institutions: rule of law, fiscal responsibility, hard work, and community service. These values enabled Canadians to build a prosperous country, united by a shared sense of personal responsibility and mutual respect. While Canada was never a perfect country, it was a nation where the difference between right and wrong was clear, and these principles guided social cohesion and progress.

However, this once cohesive society has been challenged by policies of multiculturalism that, while intended to celebrate diversity, have led to fragmentation rather than integration. Instead of uniting around shared Canadian values, society has become increasingly divided into cultural enclaves, where integration into the broader Canadian identity is no longer the priority. This shift has resulted in a nation that no longer feels as unified as it once was.

The Challenge: Defining a New Canadian Identity

Since the passing of the Multiculturalism Act of 1971, the nature of Canadian society has changed significantly. The Act set the tone for how Canada would embrace and celebrate cultural diversity, making it a cornerstone of Canadian identity. Today, Canada is a mosaic—a society that has grown more diverse and complex with each passing decade.

The challenge now becomes how to define what it means to be Canadian in a way that reflects this new diversity while preserving the core values that have historically united the country. Multiculturalism has created a society where new cultures and traditions have shaped the Canadian experience, but it also complicates the task of defining a cohesive national identity. How can we ensure that Canadian values are not lost in the mix of competing identities, and how can we define what makes Canada unique when there are so many different cultures within it?

This is where the difficulty lies: after over 50 years of multicultural policy, we cannot retroactively define who we are as a nation without recognizing the new cultures that have become integral parts of the Canadian fabric. To move forward, we must find a balance between embracing these cultures and upholding the values that have traditionally made Canada the nation that it is.

Immigrants Exploiting Opportunities

All immigrants come to Canada for one primary reason: to exploit the opportunities this country offers. If they didn’t seek to benefit from Canada’s prosperity, they would stay in their home countries. Canada offers safety, economic opportunity, and a quality of life that many have not been able to find elsewhere. However, there is a growing concern that immigrants are not just coming to take advantage of what Canada has built; they are actively seeking to reshape Canada into the land they left behind.

Culturally diverse groups coming to Canada often appear to be intent on recreating the conditions of the countries they fled, rather than integrating into the Canadian way of life that made this country a beacon of freedom and opportunity. Why leave your home country, if not to escape the conditions there? If those countries were capable of creating the prosperity and freedom found in Canada, they would have stayed and made those changes themselves. Instead, many immigrants seem intent on transplanting the values and conflicts from their homelands into Canadian soil.

We don’t hear stories of immigrants transforming their home countries into versions of Canada or the U.S. Instead, Canada is being transformed—not by the values that built this country, but by the values immigrants bring with them. These values often conflict with the Canadian way of life—the values that made Canada the peaceful, prosperous nation it is today.

Racism Has No Place in Canada

It must be made absolutely clear: racism has no place in Canada. Canada is far too diverse for us to ever again embrace the dangerous idea of projecting any particular race forward as the "master race". It simply will not work in a society as diverse as ours. The notion of a single race holding supremacy over others is not only wrong, but it is impossible in a nation where every race, ethnicity, and culture contributes to the vibrant fabric of Canadian society.

Canada is a mosaic, and our national identity cannot be rooted in race. Instead, it must be based on the shared values that bind us together as Canadians. Canadian identity is about culture, not race. It is about respect for the rule of law, freedom, democracy, individual rights, and the willingness to contribute to a society that upholds these principles.