Survey Says: "Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests fewer people are feeling that way"

[The Bread Guy]

Heading into Canada Day (and July 4th for our southern neighbours), this via The Canadian Press

Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests fewer people are feeling that way

A new poll suggests Canadians' sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.

www.cp24.com

This from Leger itself

Canada Day and the USA's 4th of July Celebrations

From June 22 to June 24, 2024, we surveyed Canadians and U.S. residents to find out their opinions on their annual celebration days.

leger360.com

More details attached.

 

[dimsum]

Not that this could ever happen unless there was a multiverse, but I’d like to see if the reasons behind the folks who say they aren’t proud of being Canadian (or American) was due to the govts in power. Basically, if the CPC in Canada and the GOP in the US were in power now, how would that change results.

A second comparison I’d like to see is how big of a change the Can/US results are compared to the rest of the world. Are Brits, Aussies, etc more, less, or equally proud of being that country’s citizens? If they are more proud and we are not, then that’s one thing. But, if everyone is essentially on the same trajectory, that’s another.

I’ll also add that one can be proud of being a citizen in a country, and also disagree with the party in power.

 

[FSTO]

I'm a proud Canadian but I'm disappointed that we cannot seem to be able to do big things anymore. (High speed rail or even High Frequency Rail), follow through on promises to do things for other countries, etc.

 

[quadrapiper]

Wonder how much, too, the willingness in both Canada and the US to say you're proud of the country has been tainted by the (forget the politics, look at the aesthetics and delivery) more addled, fringe "patriots."

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I'm proud to be Canadian. My oath has no expiry date.

It's my current government I'm ashamed of.

 

[Eaglelord17]

I suspect a good reason for the drop, especially with younger people is because the country is actively failing them.

Household wealth is dropping steadily, for the first time in decades. Today it is back to what the 2019 average is. Next year its estimated to be back at what the numbers were in 2015.

Job market other than some specific skilled trades is a mess. What jobs that are being created are usually part time or government. Housing market is a absolute disaster for both renting and owning. Health care system is slowly collapsing, over 20% without family doctors and no one expecting or doing anything to change that.

Student debt is through the roof but most of what that education gets you is the same income wise as if you didn’t get it. Crime is up, being on a increase since 2015 for the first time in decades.

Our military is rusting out, lacking capability, personnel, equipment, and training. About 25% of Canadians meet the European standard for living in poverty.

Lots of promises to do things from the politicians but no one is actively doing anything, mainly because they are all profiting from the above situations.

Somehow in one of the richest nations in the world in terms of resources, education, and what should be opportunity; we have very little.

 

[mariomike]

I still proudly fly the Canadian flag - right side UP - every July 1 weekend.

 

[KevinB]

I'm proud to be Canadian. My oath has no expiry date.

It's my current government I'm ashamed of.

I suspect that many Americans and Canadians have similar feelings to that.

For some it may reach back further to previous governments as well.

But I think the biggest issue is that a lot of the North American population has a tendency to forget that there are a great many things to be proud of one’s country for, even if it times they make mistakes and one can be frustrated at governments for not standing tall currently.

 

[dimsum]

I suspect that many Americans and Canadians have similar feelings to that.

For some it may reach back further to previous governments as well.

But I think the biggest issue is that a lot of the North American population has a tendency to forget that there are a great many things to be proud of one’s country for, even if it times they make mistakes and one can be frustrated at governments for not standing tall currently.

100% agreed.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

I think patriotism ebbs and flows, as it should, based on the climate and health of the nation.

Speak to a German, French, Serbian, Afghan, Japanese, or Korean from every era about their patriotism and your answers may very based on what just happened in their lives. We in North America are not immune to this phenomenon, nor are we as Canadians.

To demand, or even expect, continual blind enthusiasm from your populace under the guise of "patriotism" is a disservice to the country and ideals it stands for.

I love Canada. I am grateful for everything it has afforded my family since we got off the boat in 1952. In the same breath, we have lots to improve upon. We are not perfect:

• We are not a bastion of freedom in the world, and regularly trample on the rights and freedoms of our citizens based on the whims and lobbying of a few.
• We fail to provide basic human necessities to portions of our population (health care, housing, food security, jobs, innovation, etc.), while funding some niche initiative in ernest because its good for vote buying.
• We have a dysfunctional government/political/electoral system that has caused a huge disparity in who wields power in this country and to what degree.

- We have systemic abuses that benefit a small minority of Canadians at the expense of the majority.

We have our worts; and no amount of Red and White, maple syrup covered, hockey stats will cover that in my mind.

The truth of the matter is that to be a patriot is to be one willing to stare those blights and ugly parts of our nation in the face and strive to improve them. To avoid or downplay them in pursuit of an ill founded national pride is the polar opposite.

I think it fitting that the motto of the Order of Canada is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (“They desire a better country”).

That desire for a better country is patriotism manifest. I know it was the motivation I had when raising my right hand nearly 2 decades ago.

If there is nothing to improve, we can all go home because we met the End State and we can all be smug and content with ourselves for a job well done.

I am not that naive, and know that if we have folks that aren't proud of being Canadian, we have work to do.

The willingness to pick up that yoke is the true measure of patriotism, and one we should all be instilling in every Canadian, born or naturalized.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... we cannot seem to be able to do big things anymore. (High speed rail or even High Frequency Rail) ...

I'd be happy with regular cross-country bus service.

As others have said, proud to be Canadian, but not so pleased with current management in Ottawa.