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This article examines the symbolic construction of Canadian national identity by the 1993-2006 Liberal governments and the 2006-2015 Conservative governments. To do so, it employs the concept of a 'national symbolic order', which refers to the complex set of public symbols that invoke, transport, and define claims to a shared national identity. Within Canada's national symbolic order, we focus on the state's use of national symbols across two domains: Speeches from the Throne and banknotes. Our analysis shows that Canada's recent Conservative government has used both of these domains to reshape Canadian national identity in ways that accord with neo-conservative values and ideology, and that it has done so in a coherent, consistent, and comprehensive fashion. This analysis highlights the symbolic strategies employed by state actors in linking particular ideologies to their nation-building projects; these strategies span multiple political and policy spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, the Conservative government announced that its new citizenship guide, Discover Canada, would replace the previous guide that had been in place since 1995. Using a discourse analysis, this article assesses the nation-building strategies employed by the Conservative government in this new guide. The central argument is that Discover Canada advances a version of the Canadian nation tied to socially and economically conservative values as well as law and order issues. This neo-conservative national identity has important implications for national belonging and membership not only for prospective citizens to Canada, but also for Canada's historical national minorities, including Quebec and Aboriginal peoples. En 2009, le gouvernement conservateur a annoncé son nouveau guide de la citoyenneté. Découvrir le Canada, lequel remplacerait le précédent guide en place depuis 1995. En utilisant une analyse du discours, cette étude évalue les stratégies de renforcement de la nation employées par le gouvernement conservateur dans ce nouveau guide. L'argument central est que Découvrir le Canada est une version de la nation canadienne attachée à des valeurs socialement et économiquement conservatrices ainsi que des questions d'ordre public. Cette identité nationale néo-conservatrice a des implications impor-tantes pour l'appartenance nationale et l'adhésion non seulement pour les citoyens éventuels au Canada, mais aussi pour les minorités nationales historiques du Canada, y compris les peuples québécois et autochtones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the use of public policy to construct a Canadian identity has been established in the literature, what is less well understood is whether national identity, once established, might shape Canadians' feelings about these same public policies. This article examines the extent to which citizens' national identities influence their pride in Canada's social security system, and how this relationship may be changing over time. Using data from the International Social Science Programme's 1995 and 2003 National Identity Modules, the article argues that citizens' national identities help explain the contours of social security attitudes in Canada, and that this relationship persists despite significant policy change in the field. Additionally, the paper suggests that political actors may successfully increase public support for their social security policies by “framing” them in ways that appeal to citizens' definitions of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article compares national identities in Canada and the U.S., using survey data from 1995 and 2004. According to the author, Canadians' national identities outside Quebec are becoming more similar to those of Americans. It is suggested that Canadian national identity is being strengthened and redefined, rather than weakened by the influence of American culture as is sometimes thought. Topics discussed include cultural and economic integration across the North American continent, the idea of Americanization, and essentialism in national identity.

Public opinion on national identity in Canada is changing. Using data from the International Social Science Programme, this essay presents evidence that most Canadians have a strong national identity rooted in universal conceptions that everyone can share, such as citizenship. Data also show, however, that a growing number of Canadians define their national identity narrowly, such as through birthplace and religion. Drawing on research from social psychology, the essay suggests that theories of Canadian identity need to take into account the fact that many Canadians have strong national identities that do not fit cleanly into the civic/ethnic theoretical dichotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]