Becoming Canadians

A superbly illustrated book that succinctly describes the social history of the Sikh population in Canada, focusing on their struggles, hardships, and perseverance to live in British Columbia. -BC Historical News

In this passionate, thought-provoking vision for Canada, Ken Dryden argues that we have paid a price for having the wrong sense of ourselves as a country. The old definition of Canada – genial but sometimes too self-deprecating and ambition-killing – is no longer the real story. Through recent global events such as Barack Obama’s election and first year in office; the climate conference in Copenhagen; and even the 2010 Winter Olympics, Dryden explores the clash between politics and story, and the importance of a nation finding its true narrative in order to thrive. By tracing the ups and downs in contemporary Canadian politics, from the Liberal leadership race to Stephen Harper’s Conservative minority governments, Michael Ignatieff’s appointment as Opposition leader, and prorogation, Ken Dryden presciently identifies the obstacles facing Canada. He observes a sea change taking place among Canadians, who want something more for their country. The ambition of Canada’s policies and the nature of our politics will not change, Dryden says, until we conceive of a new story for the nation. Becoming Canada is at once a celebration of Canada and a timely, ardent rallying cry to all Canadians to build upon Canada’s unique place in the world. It is certain to inspire new conversations about our Canada’s identity at home and abroad.

Through in-depth qualitative research with African Canadians in three Canadian cities - Calgary, Toronto and Halifax - this book explores how experiences of racism, combined with other social and economic factors, affect the health and well-being of African Canadians.

"Becoming a Citizen is a terrific book. Important, innovative, well argued, theoretically significant, and empirically grounded. It will be the definitive work in the field for years to come."—Frank D. Bean, Co-Director, Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy "This book is in three ways innovative. First, it avoids the domestic navel-gazing of U.S .immigration studies, through an obvious yet ingenious comparison with Canada. Second, it shows that official multiculturalism and common citizenship may very well go together, revealing Canada, and not the United States, as leader in successful immigrant integration. Thirdly, the book provides a compelling picture of how the state matters in making immigrants citizens. An outstanding contribution to the migration and citizenship literature!"—Christian Joppke, American University of Paris

Becoming Canadian reveals how Michiel Horn, a Dutch immigrant in Canada in the 1950's, adjusted to the process of cultural assimilation. Horn tries to make sense of the immigrant impulse to integrate socially while maintaining a respect for heritage.

Dutch warbrides come to Canada and tell their stories.

Xiao Ling Li keeps a scrapbook to record the day she became a Canadian citizen. Includes information about Canadian citizenship.

Constitutional Odyssey is an account of the politics of making and changing Canada's constitution from Confederation to the present day. Peter H. Russell frames his analysis around two contrasting constitutional philosophies – Edmund Burke's conception of the constitution as a set of laws and practices incrementally adapting to changing needs and societal differences, and John Locke's ideal of a Constitution as a single document expressing the will of a sovereign people as to how they are to be governed. The first and second editions of Constitutional Odyssey, published in 1992 and 1993 respectively, received wide-ranging praise for their ability to inform the public debate. This third edition continues in that tradition. Russell adds a new preface, and a new chapter on constitutional politics since the defeat of the Charlottetown Accord in 1993. He also looks at the 1995 Quebec Referendum and its fallout, the federal Clarity Act, Quebec's Self-Determination Act, the Agreement on Internal Trade, the Social Union Framework Agreement and the Council of the Federation, progress in Aboriginal self-determination such as Nunavut and the Nisga'a Agreement, and the movement to reduce the democratic deficit in parliamentary government. Comprehensive and eminently readable, Constitutional Odyssey is as important as ever.