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| The Last Best West in 2003Remarks by the
Hon. David Kilgour,
Member of
Parliament for Edmonton Southeast
and Secretary of
State (Asia-Pacific)
to the
International Western Summer Seminar in Canadian Studies
University of
Calgary, August 24, 2003
Canadian
Studies programs are a source of much pride to Canadians generally.
Canadianists around the world through their research and writings have
not only enhanced understandings of this country, but have in the process
enriched their own disciplines with new insights.
They/you have interpreted us to other nationals and on occasion to their
governments. Tous les Canadiens ont profité des commentaires
habituellement sympathiques mais parfois critiques des canadianistes a l'étranger.
Earlier this year, I was privileged to speak in Mysore, India, to the
largest association of Canadian studies on earth.
It was good to see the fascination shared by over 1000 of your Indian
colleagues for what they consider to be one of the most fascinating countries on
earth. For
some, this is likely your first exposure to "the last best West". Let
me congratulate you and assure you that your interest will not go unrewarded.
To know Canada is to understand the West and appreciate the
not-always-easy relationship we more than nine million Westerners have with the
rest of the country. The current
crises with terrible fires in B.C. and Alberta, the continuing BSE threat to our
beef industry, SARS and the West Nile Virus are testing our mettle once again
very severely. Your
brief biographical notes outline wide-ranging areas of interest:
multiculturalism and immigration, Canadian culture and history, economic
integration, environmentalism and more. I
promise you that your curiosity will not be quenched by the end of this week.
We are an endless source of fascination - strong communities, full of
contradictions and glowing with pride. And
let me assure Tomasz Sikora, whose stated interests include
"mythology" of the North American West, that we have no shortage of
that as well! A
Unique Model
When
the first chair of Canadian Studies was created in Edinburugh in 1975, some
wondered why the study of Canada would be attractive to scholars in countries
themselves rich with centuries of history and culture.
All who have since come to know Canada, however, realize that the absence
of thousands of years of documented history and ancient architecture is by no
means a reflection of a nation's intrinsic value.
Our history was partly determined by First Nations peoples who mastered a
hostile wilderness and have lived here "since the world began" - or at
least during thirteen or so thousand years.
The past 137 years represent the realization of "an impossible
dream": the blending of a range of cultures, languages and economies that
at times seem unmixable. A
friend in the Washington, D.C., region speaks of the third "alternative
North American model" in describing the importance of Canada's unique
contributions to the global community. We
have built on our part of the continent not a traditional nation-state, but a
political space, based on civility and balance, in which an enormous diversity
of peoples, languages and cultures are developing in peace and freedom.
We have lessons still to be learned.
We too see the creation of a 'new world order' and have something
important to say about where we want planet earth headed. Let
there be no doubts about the depth of our friendship with the United States and
the importance of our relationship. Much
has been made lately of differences between our two countries - most notably our
ultimately differing positions on the war in Iraq.
Let me be clear off the bat: with more than 87% of exports headed South
and a myriad of human and other bonds, the U.S. will remain our closest friend
and trusted ally. That
said, as you know, we are not one in the same.
Canadians fill a unique space in this shrinking world.
Our humility - and sometimes trepidation - should not prevent us from
sharing our voices with a world that in my opinion is perhaps more ready than
ever to hear what we have to say. Our
legendary politeness is such that many non-Canadians evidently believe that most
of us actually thank automatic teller machines (ATMs) when we withdraw cash from
them - even at night. Unique
Voices within a Unique Model
Westerners
have had considerable impact in creating Canada's national identity and are
certain, with our growing self-confidence and economic strength, to mould it
even more in the future. We are a
needed voice in the Canadian chorus - albeit perhaps never as close to the front
row as we would like. As
a region built by immigrants called to tame a harsh wilderness and build an
economy and a community, we embraced early on a concept of multiculturalism far
broader than "British, French and other". Louis Riel, the father of
Manitoba, led the Metis people in their resistance against the John A Macdonald
government in the Northwest and was instrumental in ensuring some protection for
French language rights in Western Canada before being hanged for treason in
1885. Some of you might enjoy my
treatment of Riel in Uneasy Patriots
- Western Canadians in Confederation, which is posted on my website. Fine
Alberta women led by Emily Murphy, surpassed even our own Supreme Court and
Parliament to persuade the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council to
hold that women are "persons" in law. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were the first three
provinces to allow women the right to vote.
Canada's first female architect grew up in Edmonton; the appointment of
our first major city's female police chief took place here in Calgary.
Alberta was the first province to introduce a minimum wage for women;
whereas Saskatchewan first brought in the concept of Medicare - now a source of
immense national pride. B.C. was the source of the Ballard fuel cell and the
home of one of our best artists, Emily Carr.
(There is a chapter on her in Uneasy Patriots as well.)
The list goes on and on. More
than any other section of the country, we believe Western Canada has fostered
democracy and the democratization of our national and provincial institutions,
an authentically pluralistic society in which no cultural background is given
preference, the right to oppose and dissent peacefully, and the opportunity for
all to work directly to secure economic, social and other rights.
Despite
our many commonalities, our Western provinces cannot be marked by one coherent
identity. We can be as diverse as
Sao Paulo, with at least one very notable exception: our common historical
obstacle. Roger Gibbins, President
of the Canada West Foundation, recently released a study showing that the
residents of all four Western provinces are essentially united in their
suspicion of all Ottawa governments. A
Western Canadian conviction has persisted through the years that federal
policies and practices have transferred opportunities, jobs and people out of
their rightful place in the West. To
save time, I'll spare you the long chronology.
Further details are available in Inside Outer Canada, which is also
posted on my website. Author Peter Newman describes our region as "a
wrongly considered child of the East, a stray adopted into Confederation but
never quite a member of the family, sent out to do the chores and made to eat in
the kitchen." Whither
the new West?
Our
future, of course, is doomed if we allow ourselves to remain hung up in the
past. We have baggage to leave
behind, opportunities to create and new challenges that don't wait for old
apologies. So
what is next for the West? In early
May, I attended a conference here in Calgary entitled "Building the West
for the 21st Century" at which government, private sector, community and
political leaders examined the needs and issues created by economic
transformation in Western Canada, and how national policies can support
prosperity in the region. The results of the discussions are available on the
Internet and I would encourage each of you to seek them out.
In
their final report, the conference organizers reached eight key conclusions: 1)
Western alienation requires national political action. 2)
Innovation is the foundation of economic prosperity in the new global
economy. 3)
The energy sector remains the key driver of the regional economy, but is
experiencing new challenges. 4)
The agricultural sector is adjusting to structural changes and must add
value to what it produces. (This
was before the BSE mega-crisis hit our industry.
By the way, pleas eat all the beef you can while here!
It's the best and safest on earth.) 5)
An effective transportation infrastructure is crucial to support economic
growth. 6)
Aboriginal concerns must be addressed in the policy-making process and
require better collaboration mechanisms between industry and governments. 7)
Demographic pressures and labour shortages could limit the potential
growth of the West. 8)
The West must manage its trade relationships more proactively and add
value to what it does and sells. I've
listed these because if, after this week's seminar, any of you have additional
suggestions, I'd be most grateful to hear them by email, letter, or in
conversation. With
that, I invite you to do as many have before you have done - to discover the
West for yourselves: to attempt to reconcile our contradictions, become
enveloped in our strong sense of community, to marvel at the respect for life
and love of nature, our frugality, resourcefulness and undeniable spirit...and
to go 'mythbusting'. Although
the week's program has one glaring omission - a visit to Edmonton, the
organizers have set up you up for an unforgettable stay.
Les études canadiennes se doivent de toujours être equilibrees,
objectives, et en quete de vérité. Les
canadiens et les candiennes ont toujours valorisé la recherche de la vérité.
My
second last point is words written almost a hundred years ago on a poster
designed to advertise this province. "I
am the Great Alberta"
Let
me conclude with an anecdote about the individual one opinion survey indicates
Albertans admire the most: Grant MacEwan, who died at 100 years-of-age a few
years ago and was given a provincial state funeral. There are countless stories about him - some in a chapter of Uneasy
Patriots - but I like this one best. At
the age of either 84 or 87, he boarded a bus at about 5am to travel from Calgary
to Edmonton for the annual celebration of Grant MacEwan Days at Grant MacEwan
College. Arriving at about 9am, he
spent the morning doing events at the various campuses of the College until 1pm.
Then he was dropped off at the Public Library to do research on one of
his 30 or so books about our region. In
the public washroom, he later changed into his dinner jacket and was picked up
to attend a dinner with the College's board of governors.
There he spoke without notes about the late Tommy Douglas of Saskatchewan
who had recently died. At about
9pm, he caught the bus back to Calgary, arriving after midnight. Here was the quintessential Westerner, who had lived in three
of our four provinces. I
wish you every success this week.
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