Social Studies 20-4: Nationalism in Canada and the World
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Visions of Canada's Past, Present and Future

Activity: My Future Canada
  • Instructional Support
  • Formative Assessment
  • Supporting Resources

Students use their understanding of Canada today to describe their ideal vision of Canada on the country's 175th birthday in 2042.

Instructional Support

A number of possible tasks are provided in this suggested activity. It is not intended that you work through all of the tasks, but rather select those tasks and resources that will best meet the learning needs of your students. The focus should be on ensuring that students have the background and support to be successful with the skill that is the focus for assessment (describe a future vision of national identity).

Setting the Context for Learning

  • In early 2004, CBC Television put out a call to all people in Canada to vote for "The Greatest Canadian." After weeks of debates and passionate arguments by advocates for the 10 finalists, Canadians chose Tommy Douglas as the greatest Canadian of all time. As a class, select one of the radio or television clips about the greatest Canadian. Choices include Dr. Frederick Banting, Alexander Graham Bell, Don Cherry, Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky, Sir John A. Macdonald, Lester B. Pearson, David Suzuki, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and the winner—the greatest Canadian of all time—Tommy Douglas.
  • Discuss with students what their selected "top 10 Greatest Canadian" contributed to Canada, including what he saw as uniquely Canadian or important to Canadians and what he worked to change about Canada as a nation.
  • Brainstorm with students their thoughts on what they would most like to contribute to Canada, what makes our Canadian identity unique, and what they wish they could change about Canada as a nation.

Describe a Future Vision of National Identity

  • Prompt students to consider what they have learned about pluralism; the multination model; separatism; our role as a global leader; pursuit of First Nations, Métis and Inuit self-determination; and the concept of North American integration as they begin this section of the summative assessment task. You may wish to use some of the links in the Suggested Supporting Resources section to help with this exploration.
  • To engage students in thinking about Canada as a nation in a personal manner, prompt students to make a list of values, attitudes or even stereotypes that they think define what it is to be Canadian. From this list, students select one thing that they connect most strongly with and one thing that they wish they could change.
  • To engage students in thinking about Canada from the perspective of a member of our broader society, prompt students to list what they value or like most about Canada as a nation, and what they wish they could change about Canada as a nation.
  • Students select the top three things from their list about what they would like to keep as part of their life in the future. Encourage students to consider reasons for keeping each item by explaining how it is a part of their personal experience of Canada or their connection to Canada.
  • Transition from modern Canada to students' ideal vision of the future by prompting students to envision what they would like Canada to be like as a nation in 2042. Ask students to consider the questions on their summative assessment task sheet as they describe their ideal Canada of the future.