Canadian Identity in the 60s Essay Sample

In the 1960s, the Canadian identity was still forming. The country was still finding its place in the world, and young Canadians were eager to define who they would be.  For centuries, Canada was a colony of Great Britain, but in the 1960s, Canadians began to define their own country and culture. They had their own flag, anthem, and even prime minister. Some of the most important and iconic symbols of Canadian identity were also born in this decade, such as the Canadian flag, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the country's national anthem, O Canada. However, Canada was still eager for a unique identity separate from the United States and Britain.

One of the most important movements of the 1960s was the Canadian women's rights movement. Women across Canada began to demand equal rights and the right to vote, by the 1960s women were making great strides in areas such as education and employment. The right to vote had only been federal and not provincial in the 1960s, and women wanted their voice to be heard. The women's rights movement, which was led by such activists as Mary Eileen Drennan, Gloria Skutiska, and Nellie Cournoyer, was a key moment in the development of Canadian identity, as it defined Canadians as a nation with equal rights for all. 

For a country to be unique it needed its own flag. That is the exact thought that Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson had, before Canada used Britain's Union Jack. In 1965 Canada adopted the new flag we all know and love today. Pearson was also given the Nobel Peace Prize, for helping solve the Suez Canal crisis. Pearson was not the only influential politician during this time, Saskatchewan premier and NDP leader Tommy Douglas was a strong supporter of socialized medicine and a welfare state for all citizens. It was under Douglas' premiership that medicare was established. Canada was the only country in the world to have socialized medicine at the time. Douglas was a key figure in the Canadian identity formation of the 1960s, in 2004 Douglas was named “The Greatest Canadian of All Time”. Together with Pearson they made Canada a nation to be reckoned with, and his legacy is still being seen today.

The baby boomers in 1960 were those born between 1946 and 1964. They were a large and influential group born during the post-war "baby boom" and entering their prime years during the 1960s. These baby boomers grew up in a world that was vastly different from the one their parents had grown up in just a few years before. Their experiences shaped their values, priorities, and behavior in ways that continue to influence their lives and the lives of those around them. The teenagers of the baby boom generation found their unique identity from drugs. Although it is ironic this generation was also mainly attracted to peace and freedom as well as being focused on juvenile delinquency. The teens of the 60s also discovered the counterculture, which was a group that challenged the status quo. They still remain one of the largest and most influential generations of all time because of their counterculture.

Canadian songs in the 60s were some rock bands and albums, one such rock band was “The Collectors”, Paul Anka, and Gordon Lightfoot became popular during these times. The trends in the 1960s were unique and associated with the 1960s and hippies. Hippies were non-conformists who rebelled against the traditional roles assumed by men and women in society and who followed new rules and values. They shunned the "normal" and adopted new customs and practices. They wore lots of color, mainly wearing jeans and brightly coloured t-shirts. With lots of International instability with the Cold War having lasting effects, and with American involvement in Vietnam the hippies became a symbol of the anti-war culture. Hippies were known for their eagerness to be different and their rejection of mainstream society. They experimented with marijuana and were drawn to ideas of peace and freedom. Hippies were one of the biggest impacts to Canadian identity in the 1960s.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/hippie#/media/1/266600/71577

Technology would change the way that we live.  From household electronics to computers and beyond, Canadians were both leaders and followers in the technological revolution.  Canadian innovation was at its peak in the 1960s, but it would fade over the next four decades as Canadians began to follow the American model. Technological advances in the 1960s influenced the everyday life of Canadians. It also had a lasting impact on the Canadian identity. Canadians were interested in many new technologies and science. The technological revolution of the 1960s was no small thing. It opened up a whole new world of opportunity, and it helped to shape Canadian culture for the next 50 years. The automobile was another major technological innovation of the 1960s. Cars became a common mode of transportation in Canada in the 1960s. Cars granted freedom and more access to services. The first mass-produced car was the Ford Model T 1908, which was produced in Canada. Other major automobile companies in Canada in the 1960s included General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. 

https://canadianautodealer.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Chevrolet-Corvair.jpg

Canadian television was also influenced by the technological and social advances of the 1960s. Television was first introduced to Canada in 1936. In the 1960s, Canadians began to watch television in their own homes, letting them access more forms of entertainment, and information throughout Canada and around the world. Canadian television also influenced the technological and social advances of the 1960s as well as how Canadians viewed their own country. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was the major national television broadcaster in the 1960s.  Canadian television also played a major role in Canadian global influence in the 1960s. Canadian television was accessible to Canadians around the world, and it played a major role in shaping Canadian identity.

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/140522132732-01-sixties-tv-moments.jpg

The 1960s were a time of great change for Canada. Canada became a leader in international trade, science, and space exploration, and also a major contributor to peacekeeping efforts around the world. Canada expanded its international role with participation in UN peacekeeping missions, first in Korea, then in the Middle East, and then in Europe. Further cementing Canadians as peaceful peacekeepers. Canada also became a leader in the area of science and technology, contributing to every branch of the sciences. To a large extent, this was due to Canada’s booming trade and booming economies, which produced commodities like grain, timber, and minerals that were in great demand overseas. Canada’s growing economic, cultural, and military might changed how different countries viewed Canada. Although Canada only had less than 0.5 percent (17 million) of the world population (3 billion) it began to assert itself as an international actor, Canada’s global influence was quickly felt.

Canadians have always been proud to be Canadian and often identify strongly with the Canadian nation. The hippie counterculture in Canada was a monumental cultural and social phenomenon. Their social and political impact was very wide-ranging. The first national television networks in Canada (CBC, CFC, and Global) had a profound influence on Canadian culture. The 1960s not only changed Canada but also the world. They brought with them many new technologies, and they shaped the future of Canada in ways that were, and are, difficult to predict.

Sources: 

https://opentextbc.ca/postconfederation/chapter/9-16-the-1960s-counter-culture/

https://musiccanada.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/biggest-hits-of-the-early-60s/

https://www.viu.ca/viu-history/trades-and-technology-1960-1969

https://www.cbc.ca/life/backintimefordinner/how-canada-became-a-player-in-the-1960s-1.4682740

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Canada_(1960%E2%80%931981)

https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/tommy-douglas-timeline-b775ebb5-f3f0-4513-a7f1-106fbecbb369.