The many faces of Canada

In comparison with other countries, Canada has a relatively short 'formal' history -- Confederation in 1867, stable territory only as recently as 1949 when Newfoundland became a part of Canada, and repatriation of our Constitution from England just 25 years ago. We are a young nation.

But when you travel this country, starting in the Atlantic provinces, you understand very quickly that Canada has been important on the world stage since it became a landing spot for the earliest Europeans (and Vikings, before that). Moving westward, Canada was also home to very important prehistoric and aboriginal activity. These are facts not lost on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Canada has 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites. But in typical fashion, we continue to under-leverage our UNESCO designations as a way to expand knowledge about our nation. We should promote these sites not just to tourists, but even to our own citizens.

A visit to the UNESCO Canada website isn't much help either, unless you're looking for the typical boring experience only a UN website can give you. You need to search aimlessly through almost every link on the site before finding any information on Canadian UNESCO heritage sites. There is a handy interactive graphic but it is buried and not promoted off the homepage -- a wasted opportunity! This is an organization run by Canadians for Canadians. It's also the perfect international platform by which to showcase our cultural significance. It's true, I am singling out the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, an Ottawa-based taxpayer-funded organization, but the lessons run much deeper.

Over the past five years or so, Canada has systematically undermined its sovereignty and reputation on the international stage, whether by denying academics with differing points of view entrance into our country, or by sending one of our own citizens to be tortured, or by allowing our Prime Minister to espouse personal views on religion as the ideological foundation for his grip on power (which doesn't bode well for a society that promotes itself as multicultural!).

We were all taught that Canada was founded as an East-West country in a North-South continent; it was only through wise choices by past Prime Ministers that we were able to preserve -- maybe even strengthen -- a tenuous hold on nationhood against all odds as well as promote this country as a stable, safe and pragmatic place to live. Not since Trudeau have we had a leader who represents a uniquely Canadian point of view on the world stage, while at the same time challenging and holding Canadians to a higher standard of citizenship, intellect and reflection. Where has that gone in our national leadership? What are organizations like UNESCO Canada, which is part of an incredibly important international network, doing about it?

My visit to the UNESCO Canada website, and observations of its technical and design shortcomings, brought up another issue. As a nation, we are at a critical juncture in terms of our capacity to compete on a world stage. The very rapid shift over the past 25 years to a 'digital society' has meant younger generations must be integrated into positions of greater leadership in order to improve our competitiveness. While it is important that we continue to care and provide for an aging populace, older workers also represent inertia to forward movement -- they do not have the same connection to technology as someone who is younger. Despite the valuable lessons an older generation can impart, organizational leadership in the private and public sector across Canada must begin a process of rapid transformation in order to be truly competitive in an increasingly cutthroat, globalized economy. Luckily, with a small and relatively well-educated population, we have a major advantage that can be capitalized upon - we are a speedboat compared to the heavy, US freighter. Let us systematically un-tether ourselves from the big, slow boat and be more strategic in our international relations and trade. In areas of mutual advantage, we can and should collaborate, but in parallel, we must also build as much self-sufficiency as possible.

Let's also give young people a reason (opportunity!) to stay in Canada and contribute. Recent news reports have suggested that young people from India and China are returning home from the United States to start businesses and contribute to building their nation; the fact the same thing isn't happening amongst young Canadians abroad should be a concern to us all.

There's no doubt, Canada and Canadians must understand their history in order to understand their future. The world has recognized 13 critical sites across our country which we should all visit - after all, they're the analog equivalent of a national website. But perhaps as importantly, we must combine our understanding of the past with the realities of the future - it's the only way to ensure a vibrant, innovative Canada.