Canada's Intangible Economic Cultural Capital (Outline for Characterization)

Abstract

Canadian society is the product, if not a fusion, then a close coexistence of two cultures - English, Protestant and French, Catholic. It is natural that its cultural capital – values, traditions, perceptions, norms, etc. – is composed of elements of the cultural capitals of England (Britain) and France, or a mixture of them. Thus, Canada has inherited from them statism and communitarianism, while the United States has come to be dominated by anti-statist and individualistic sentiments. The harsh living conditions and remoteness from metropolitan areas have been instrumental in producing a "garrison mentality" and a "survival" orientation among Canadians, which provoked a more communitarian lifestyle. Direct observers of life in New France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries noted a sharp contrast between the French and the English – the former imitating the local nobility in trying to keep up with it in luxury, while the latter sought to toil hard and to invest their earnings in business. Differences in work and consumer ethics between English-speaking (Protestants) and French-speaking (Catholics) Canadians seem mostly to be a thing of the past, however, the rejection of mercantile orientation in some segments of Canadian society still persists to the present day. Canadian managers are not as aggressive and assertive as Americans and are more ready to take into account the public interest. True to some of its historical European roots, Canada has adopted many social democratic practices – a fairly developed welfare state (with free healthcare) and large-scale state entrepreneurship (however, its size has been significantly reduced lately). Proximity to such an economic giant as the USA has both pluses and minuses. The southern neighbor is suspected of trying to format the Canadian economy to suit its own goals and objectives, which causes rejection and resistance.