I think that we ought to consider the notion that it is our ideas and values that bind us, as Canadians, together.
The problem with a community uniform, or required religion, is that it precludes change based on a prejudice of - or for - historical continuity. But, ideas, or values, based on human notions of justice, or value, or dignity, are more flexible and promote the very foundations and reasons for coming together as a nation in the first place (just look at the American and Canadian Constitutions as examples!): To do things collectively that we, as individuals, could never achieve alone. It is here, deep in the purposes for coming together as a community, that we should look for the "isms" of our national identity - not to constraining gimmicks or superficial badges of membership.
So, the next time you are asked "what is a Canadian" you can say that, far better than an itchy national costume or salty dish, we have a strong sense of community built on ideas of interdependence, independence, justice, equality, and dignity - and that interestingly, these are the same reasons for Man leaving the "state of nature" and entering into civil society! And, unlike so many other places on earth, there is, for example, no ethnic or religious requirement.
In this sense, Canada is a modern nation, built not on historical prejudices but on the triumph of reason and rationality; a people, of diverse makeup, driven by a common purpose that fosters basic human conceptions of the good, the right, and the just.
Indeed, being Canadian is not, cannot, and should not be so narrowly encapsulated in any costume or uniform – this is not “dress up” or “for pretend”. Being Canadian it is not something you wear on your sleeve or pin on your shirt – its complexity is not encapsulated in a slogan, sport or food; it’s not defined by the color of your skin – and it is not something so easily mimicked or feigned. Rather, it is something one feels and quietly practices as a right and obligation of membership. A way of life built on value and purpose - shared and valued by our fellow Canadians, and fellow human beings around the world. It is our ideas that bind us together, as one: The true north strong and free.
