If, at the start of 2025, Justin Trudeau’s political era seems to be drawing to a close, the time has come to take stock of the man who began his reign by calling Canada the “first postnational state.” This term certainly raised the eyebrows of many Canadians at the time. But Mr. Trudeau saw it as a compliment. Since Canada had “no fundamental identity,” it was not in thrall to the nationalisms that had led to the rise of intolerance and conflict elsewhere. His Canada was above all that.
However, more than nine years later, Mr. Trudeau’s post-national Canada is even less the country of his dreams than it was when he came to power. The general mood of Canadians has rarely been so rancorous, or so ungenerous. According to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute and published in mid-December, the proportion of people who say they are “very proud” of being Canadian has been halved in 30 years, going from 71% in 1994 to 34% in 2024. The descent began before Mr. Trudeau came to power, but it has accelerated since his election.
If a majority of respondents from all regions, with the exception of Quebec, still say they are “proud”, “very proud” or “rather proud” of being Canadian, it is thanks to the oldest citizens. Those aged 55 and over remain more proud to be Canadian than their younger compatriots. Among those aged 18 to 34, feelings of pride have plummeted since 2016, falling from 72% to 48% among men in this category and from 70% to 41% among women in the same age bracket. .
Certainly, economic insecurity has something to do with it. The survey reveals a strong correlation between Canadians’ sense of pride and their income level; those who earn less than $25,000 per year are much less proud of being Canadian than those who earn more than $200,000. However, in general, young people generally earn less money and are more affected by the housing and cost of living crises that have hit Canada in recent years.
However, Canada has experienced much worse economic crises over the past 30 years without the sense of pride felt by its citizens being affected. The Canadian malaise at the end of Mr. Trudeau’s reign is of a completely different order.
No prime minister before Mr. Trudeau has so denigrated Canada’s history. Although he wanted to improve the living conditions of indigenous people, his repeated apologies towards them have generated a feeling of shame among many young Canadians towards the country’s first leaders.
In 2017, the year of the 150e anniversary of Confederation, Mr. Trudeau gave a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to highlight Canada’s “great failure” in the treatment of its indigenous peoples. According to him, they were “victims of a government that sought to rewrite their distinct history, to eradicate their languages and cultures by instead imposing colonial traditions and ways of life.” He even cited Amnesty International when describing the violence suffered by indigenous women as a “human rights crisis”.
No one could blame Mr. Trudeau for his desire to correct the injustices of the past and present. But by constantly dwelling on the sins of his predecessors, while ignoring their efforts to build a more just and egalitarian country, he has distorted our history. Just as he did in 2021. Asked about Meghan Markle’s allegations regarding racism within the royal family, he then said: “There are a lot of institutions that we have in this country, including this big building across the street [du bureau du premier ministre]the parliament, [qui ont été] built around a system of colonialism, discrimination and systemic racism. »
After nine years of similar speeches from the Prime Minister, it is hardly surprising that young Canadians have so little pride in their country and seek to tear down all the monuments erected in honor of John A. Macdonald, there are still some left. But while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre comes to Macdonald’s defense, he also doesn’t give young Canadians much reason to feel proud of their country. In any case, it is not by constantly calling Canada “broken” that he will succeed in enhancing the sense of pride of his fellow citizens. Moreover, for the past two years, his entire political strategy seems to consist of undermining the pride and confidence of Canadians in their own country.
Quebecers have always felt mixed emotions towards Canada, especially for cultural reasons. But the malaise currently affecting the entire country threatens the future of Canada much more than the ambivalence of Quebecers towards the federal system. Postnational Canada has never been in such bad shape.
