I’ve recently picked up John Ralston Saul’s new book, A Fair Country – Telling Truths About Canada. An early push of the book examines how Canada deals with the integration of numerous cultures into a relatively harmonious melting pot. Canada is held up as having got it pretty much bang on, a positive example, where other countries, such as France, are stumbling on integrating immigrants. Ralston Saul’s idea is that this is not a recent development based upon effective immigration rules and policies but is in a fact very old reality, and is based on First Nations practices. Indeed, the thesis of the book (so far as I have read), is that Canada is a Metis civlization, with the First Nations as the founding and most senior pillar of our country. It’s a significant and sober departure from accepted analysis of Canadian history, as far as I am aware. So far, his arguments are compelling and inspiring. More to follow.
