As U.S. politics fractures, Canadians must hold fast to their values

U.S. polarization shows the dangers of division. Canadians must embrace unity and respect for difference to protect their future

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As the United States descends into political chaos and misinformation spreads, Canadians must turn to homegrown values that respect personhood and diversity to hold our country together.

The turmoil south of our border is a stark warning: division and distrust can hollow out even the strongest democracies. Canadians today face growing uncertainty, not just from global tensions but from rising misinformation and fractured politics at home. In these existential moments, our values must become the anchors on which we rely.

These values are essential to guide us through challenging times. They come from the land itself and its original peoples—values passed down from generation to generation. They have shaped how we understand personhood and how we engage with difference.

Openness and acceptance are among the reasons why warring Europeans and other immigrants sought sanctuary, hope and a good life on this continent, our homeland.

The story of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, a Canadian-born Arctic explorer and ethnologist, illustrates this well. Born in Manitoba, he moved to the U.S. and changed his name. From 1908 to 1912, he led an expedition in the western Canadian Arctic, in what is now the Northwest Territories, an Inuvialuit Land Claim region whose peoples he called “Copper Inuit.”

The Inuit had never before encountered someone like Stefansson, who was accompanied by an Inuk from Alaska. As he approached each community, they would ask him to wait at the outskirts. Then, returning with their staple food, muktuk (whale blubber), they would offer it to him and say, “Eat!” When he did, they declared, “You are a person,” and welcomed him into their community with hospitality and shelter. This scene repeated throughout his winter journey across Inuvialuit territory.

This story teaches us that we do not have to agree with each other because we are, by nature, different. But our borders and sovereignty deserve respect. Even so, we can recognize the personhood of our neighbours, friends and even strangers precisely because of their difference. In our towns and cities, we may not always see eye to eye with our neighbours, yet we acknowledge them because they reveal perspectives we might not perceive on our own. In turn, we encourage them to consider new ideas. Together, we grow stronger and wiser.

As Canadians prepare to elect a new federal government in the coming weeks, we must not allow poisonous political leaders to hijack our humanity. In the U.S., divisions have deepened dangerously, and some fear the prospect of violence or even civil war. Extremes dominate public life, with voices from the superficial WOKErati on the left and the shallow MAGA movement on the right drowning out the vast majority of kind, thoughtful and generous Americans. Increasingly, dissenters are threatened, and their homes are attacked. The dignity of the person is no longer respected. Fear now drives society south of our border.

Canadians must resist following this path during the election campaign. A country divided is a country vulnerable to conquest.

Our land defines our personhood. The name Adam in both Arabic and Hebrew refers to the Earth and to humanity itself. Surely, Christians, Jews and Muslims understand this truth from their scriptures.

Similarly, First Nations such as the Gwichʼin, North and South Slavey, Dogrib, Sahtu and others call themselves Dene, meaning “peoples.” They call their homelands Denendeh, meaning “peoples who flow from the Creator’s Spirit through the land.” Similarly, the Inuit call themselves “people,” and Inuvialuit means “real people.” These concepts have shaped our social and ethical fabric. Whether we realize it or not, they continue to inform our children’s understanding of the world.

You can even see this in our national pastime. Differences and personhood come together on the hockey rink. Each player brings unique, valuable qualities to the game. Their personhood shines through in their creativity and is elevated by their teamwork. Canadian hockey personifies how diversity and co-operation create a beautiful game.

As we confront both the existential threat from our belligerent neighbour and the misinformation spread by venomous vested interests, we must draw upon our homegrown values that respect difference and uphold personhood. These values will protect and guide us. They are a defence worthy of our pride, visible not only in our daily lives but also on the rink, every time we rise to a challenge.

Canada’s destiny is in our hands, rooted in the values of our land and its peoples.

Karim-Aly S. Kassam is International Professor of Environmental and Indigenous Studies at Cornell University. The University of Calgary awarded him the Career Achievement Arch Award for International Impact because of his research into the cultural and ecological basis of pluralism.