Last week, new PM Mark Carney called Canada “the most European of non-European countries”. Sure, as a diplomatic nod to old allies, it plays well in Paris. But what does such framing of Canada through a European lens say back home?
Carney cited “three founding people” — Indigenous, French, and British — yet smoothed over some uncomfortable truths, namely the fact that Canada exists because of colonial dispossession and stolen land. It also sidelines the rich realities of Indigenous nations and non-European communities that shape Canada today. Such narratives enact ‘epistemic violence’ by erasing Indigenous sovereignty and presenting the settler state as cohesive, stable, and uncontested. When we claim Canada’s identity is essentially European, we forget that this state was built on both stolen land and stolen labour — and still operates through systems that exclude, displace, and exploit.
There’s nothing wrong with recognizing Canada’s ties to Europe. But to name it “the most European” without acknowledging the violent erasure and ongoing marginalization of Indigenous and non-European communities is more than a simple oversight — it’s a political choice. And we should ask: what happens to everyone else? Who does this narrative serve?
Desirée is a current student of the Hertie-Munk MGA/MIA dual degree programme.
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