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A series of faces, in black and white, on a cream background, with maples leafs scattered

Members of our UM community (clockwise from left): Wilfred Sam-King, Lori Wilkinson, Tomson Highway, Neil McArthur, Moses Levy and Divya Sharma

So, You’re Canadian, Eh?

We seem to be a nation in defiance. Defying the hard geography and climate of our land. Defying being likened to Americans. It’s exhausting and we’d rather relax but then we suddenly must explain to our friend of 150 years that we’re not for sale because we’re our own thing.

We know we’re not the same as Americans. That’s the conclusion journalist Pierre Burton came to in his book Why We Act Like Canadians. We’re embarrassed to love our country, he wrote in 1982, “yet it may well be that love of country that is what really holds us together. For we are learning to love it perhaps because for the first time we see its future threatened.”

So, what is a Canadian? Writer Mavis Gallant quipped it was “someone with a logical reason to think he may be one.” A beer ad from 2000 declared it’s someone who thinks highly of the beaver, says “zed” and knows what a chesterfield is. Naturally. But what else? We asked UM community members to weigh in. Sorry it took so long to get to this point.

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In Focus

Health matters: people and planet

This month, we’re highlighting how UM is advancing health, promoting equity, and supporting sustainability—on campus and around the world. From global research to everyday wellness, explore how our community is making a meaningful impact on well-being at every level.

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