During this year's federal election campaign, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet sparked outrage by suggesting that Canada is “an artificial country with very little meaning.”
Despite the media and political backlash, Blanchet is right. Every country in the world is an artificial, man-made construct. However, Canada is especially artificial. Canadians are not united by geography, climate, politics, values, religion, or language. This has always been true, since 1867 when Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into one country. The original four provinces had different histories, different ethnicities, and different political aspirations. Canada has always existed as a pragmatic compromise.
The only thing that Canadians from coast to coast to coast have in common is that we are all living on land taken by force from Indigenous nations.
The Indigenous nations of the land are diverse and not confined to the arbitrary borders of Canada. Despite living on the land for thousands of years, Indigenous peoples were not consulted in the creation of Canada. They were not even invited to the founding conferences of Canada in Charlottetown (1864), Québec City (1864), and London (1866-67).
Canada is an artificial country with a flawed history, but does that mean it shouldn't exist? Maybe. The case can be made that Canada should exist today, perhaps as a force for good in the world, a means of protecting minorities, or merely a foil to American expansionism. The case for Canada seems especially strong at a time when the President of the United States is trying to resurrect the 19th century concept of "manifest destiny" and threatening to annex Canada.
However, the artificial nature of the country means that Canada is not inevitable. Canada is not a necessity, not innately good, and not inherently justified in its existence. The same can be said for the United States. No country has a God-given right to exist.
Canada can only exist as long as the people who live here believe it still serves a purpose. Every generation has the right to re-evaluate Canada.