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Canadian identity 'stronger than ever' Friday May 19, 2000 - Canada's culture is so deeply rooted, complex and unlike any other in the developed world that it is not at risk of being overwhelmed by that of the United States, says philosopher John Ralston Saul. In a speech yesterday, cryptically entitled The Inclusive Shape of Complexity, Mr. Saul said Canada is steeped in a tradition of tolerance and restraint that has allowed it to weather crises that would have divided and crippled other countries. He said it is important to look beyond the accepted definitions of culture and examine the very foundations of Canadian life and politics in order to see that Canada is entirely unique and well adapted to overcome even the most difficult situations. Mr. Saul's speech opened The Canadian Distinctiveness into the 21st Century conference, a three-day meeting being held at the University of Ottawa. Canadians are uniquely adapted to withstand the barrage of other, larger cultures and philosophies without buckling, Mr. Saul said, adding that Canadians are adept at encompassing the best elements of other cultures without compromising their own. "Canadians have got used to living on several levels at once," he said. "This is an astonishingly sophisticated population. They are able to listen on a daily basis to things that actually have nothing to do with them, take them in, and go on and do something else. No American is asked to imbibe one thing and do another. Canadians do it almost effortlessly." He said Canada has existed "on the margins of western democratic philosophy" and its traditional nation-state model, adding that Canadians should be proud of the country's legacy of flexibility and genuine non-violent democracy. "This is the least European country in the world and the most American country in North America. It is a sign of great self-confidence that we can live with this complexity." Working only from notes and speaking in equal measures of English and French for more than 45 minutes, Mr. Saul, who is married to Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, said Canada's tolerance is rooted in the 400 years that aboriginal, French and English peoples have worked together. However, he said it is perhaps best highlighted by the decision in 1849 of the government of Lower Canada in Montreal not to use troops to quell riots against British rule. At the same time in Europe and in the United States, armies were frequently turned against their own people to suppress anti-government demonstrations. "Since Confederation, this country has killed in civil strife approximately 85 people," he said, adding that Canada possesses all of the elements -- race, religion, socio-economic -- that "should have led to violent catastrophe. This is an extremely rare characteristic for a nation state. It is an astonishing that after 125 years, you can name them all -- all 85. "Restraint was the element that (allowed) a place as complex as this to survive the civil strife that gripped the countries of Europe and our neighbours to the south," he said. He later added: "Even the fact that we invented peacekeeping and have become experts in it is an example of our commitment and ability to find a new way." Following his speech, Mr. Saul told journalists that it is important for everyone to interpret history through their own experiences as Canadians and not those of "monolithic cultures" of Europe. "All I'm doing is providing the function which a writer is supposed to provide of reminding people practically, technically and factually of where it (this willingness to compromise) comes from, which then gives people tools to say 'This is why I'm a moderate,"' Mr. Saul said. And Canadians around the world are becoming increasingly comfortable with their identities, he added. "I think Canadian culture -- both in the narrow sense and in the large sense -- is stronger than it has ever been," Mr. Saul said. "The ability that Canadians have found to affirm themselves both in the formal cultural sense (books, etc.) is greater than it has ever been. ... But also their way of kind of thinking among themselves I think is very strong. They may not have found ways of enunciating it yet, but it is very strong." James Baxter The Ottawa Citizen http://www.ottawacitizen.com/national/000519/4130104.html janet paterson 53 now / 41 dx / 37 onset 613 256 8340 / PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada visit my website "a new voice" at: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/