The end of the British World and the redefinition of citizenship in Canada, 1950s-1970s

The end of the British World and the redefinition of citizenship in Canada, 1950s-1970s

In the 1950s English-speaking Canada very much identified itself as a British country and an integral part of a wider British World, which had the United Kingdom at its centre. Canada’s bicultural nature, with the French-Canadians, complicated this self-identity in Canada. However, by the 1970s this British World had come to an end, as had Canada’s self-identification as a British nation. During this period citizenship in Canada was redefined in a significant way from being an ethnic (British) based one to a more civic founded one - which was more inclusive of other ethnic groups and apparently Indigenous peoples. This article will argue that this redefinition of citizenship took place primarily in the context of this major shift in national identity. After having established the context of the end of the British World in Canada it will explore the Canadian Citizenship Act of 1967 and the Canadian Citizenship Act of 1977 to illustrate the way in which citizenship became more inclusive of other ethnic groups in the country. It will then study the awarding of the right to vote for First Nations in 1960 and the 1969 White Paper to highlight the way in which citizenship in Canada also appeared to incorporate Indigenous groups at this time.