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Branding Canada
Evan Potter
“As diplomat and scholar Evan Potter reminds us in his illuminating new book, Branding Canada, we must present a more compelling, coherent image of Canada to the world. We need to harness the tools of public diplomacy — culture, international education, business promotion — to present an image of a certain kind of country, with a certain kind of values, which reflects the people we are." Andrew Cohen, The Ottawa Citizen
It’ll be 142 years tomorrow since the British North America Act, and by all accounts Canadians are ready to celebrate the culture, heritage, diversity and history of the country. But diplomat and scholar Evan Potter, in his recent work Branding Canada, argues that this is also a time for us to start figuring out how we present ourselves to the rest of the world.
National identity, he writes, is “Janus-faced – facing inwards and outwards at the same time”. Canadians might know themselves, but the rest of the world doesn’t know us, and it’s time to get the word out. “How a nation is seen and heard- how it is perceived and understood- matters a great deal…the federal government in Ottawa will be challenged to present a coherent, accurate, and compelling image of Canada to the world”.
Canada, Potter argues, needs to brand itself internationally. It is way of slowing a loss of power, reinforcing our own national unity, and of pushing our policies more effectively. And we haven’t been doing very well- global perceptions of the country date back to branding efforts undertaken mid-century, dominated by images of natural resources and a certain sense of monotony. It’s for these reasons Potter is so adamant Canada start projecting itself. If we fail to tell our own story, he says, our country’s image “will be shaped exclusively by the perceptions of others”.
Potter has been working hard at branding Canada himself. He’s got the Times Colonist in Victoria talking. He was on CKOM Radio in Saskatoon on Monday, and he’ll be on CFRA Radio in Ottawa tonight at 10pm. You can catch more of him tomorrow in both the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald. It might be because, as he puts it, “public diplomacy is not a foreign policy challenge – it is a national challenge”.
British North America Act….
LOL its still a military occupation… No mater how you want butter it up… You stole the land…. and took out the Aboriginal crown… before 1867 you had to deal with us…
You can’t disrespect the original inhbitance…
Basically the British and France can only claim to be dominion citizens…
Place leave and return power back to us… who has more rights peaceful people or military enforcement…
What do we hve to do go to war with you…like you did to us…