National Identity in a Globalized Canada - Essay Example

Every year thousands of new members are admitted to the United States. Many of the old nations that were supposed to be consolidated are now facing challenges due to the sub-nationalism within their borders. The reality is quite simple, the prediction which said that this is “the end of the era of nationalism, is now not remotely insight” (Anderson, 2-3). Marshall argued that the class inequalities of a capitalist society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were extremely harmonious in terms of rights of citizenship.

According to Marshall such rights were necessary to maintain a particular form of inequality since citizenship rights were similar to civil rights and civil rights were indispensable in a competitive market economy (Marshall, 87). Citizenship will strengthen class inequality if such rights are the foundation of citizenship. When political rights and social rights are incorporated in citizenship then the relationship formed with the class system is different from that which includes only civil rights (Turner, 37-38).

The nation-states are cultural artifacts with their origin in religious societies; political dynasties and elite-led nation-building processes that are facilitated by the spread of printed documents and the growth of mass media. However, Anderson observed an anomaly in including English-speaking Canada in the United States, the reason being that the Americans failed to realize a territorial dream that integrated Canada. In 1930 Canada showed strong evidence of “a community being constructed around the legacy of ethnocentrism and raciest exclusion arising from its history as a colony within the British Empire” (Simmons, 15).

“Thus Anderson situates commercial textuality at the center of the colonial project, mediating and defining a common imperial for geographically disparate group” (Connors, & MacDonald, 195). This is a historical observation that leads to the evolution of Canadian immigration policies. To understand Canadian immigration globalization may be considered as an important parameter. Globalization can be linked to different aspects. The concept of time-space compression says that globalization leads to an economic, social, and political link between the people who were previously isolated (Eriksen, 137).

The State of mind concept says that individuals have a different view in their minds which gets exchanged when they come in touch with each other (Zheng, 40). Globalization is seen as an ideology that generates an imagined future for the nation in the international system. The ideology of globalization leads Canada to gaze towards global trade and competition that creates an effective economy to maintain an affluent society. Canada’s culture follows religious pluralism. The huge increase in immigration from various areas of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have contributed to the growth of other religions.

A large chunk of the population is Sikh and the immigration laws are tightened and they are denied proper rights. However, seventy-five percent of Canadian citizens follow Christianity (“Culture and Religion in Canada”). French and English are regarded to be the two official languages of Canada. But there are also over 100 other unofficial languages. All the federal institutions use only these two official languages. Moreover, the Government of Canada has also set out directives to create and maintain this linguistic duality (“Official Languages”).

For work permits knowledge of any of these two languages are mandatory. The Government of Canada encourages both Canadian citizens and non-Canadians before entering Canada to know the customs they follow. Each and every traveler before getting inside Canada must declare “the food, animals, plants and other products” (“Customs: Requirements Upon Entry to Canada”) that are related to their natural habitats. This shows that they are very strict regarding their customs (“Customs: Requirements Upon Entry to Canada”).

Canada is ranked as the third-best country among 31 other countries in integrating immigrants into their society. The Migrant Integration Policy Index is responsible for this ranking. The criteria that they judge include “countries policies on labor market mobility, family reunification for third-country nationals, education, political participation, long-term residence, access to nationality and anti-discrimination”. Canada is rated high for its anti-discrimination policies. It is also rated favorably well for its policies on education, access to nationality policies, labor market mobility, and family reunification (“Immigration: Does Canada do a good job of integrating newcomers?”). Immigrants are welcome in large numbers as they are assumed to be frequent contributors to the future of the country.

But this is seen both negatively and positively. The immigrants would strengthen the economy and create job opportunities but at the same time, it would also lead to job competition. However “There is widespread consensus that immigration has the potential to deliver substantial economic and social benefits to receiving countries” (Alexander, Burleton & Fong, 4). Therefore Canada should remove all barriers and look towards promoting immigration.