For my artifact, I have picked my Ontario health card. I feel that this is a very distinctive piece of identification as a Canadian citizen. There are many advantages to me having this simple yet very powerful card with me. I feel that this expresses something about Canadian, because since this is an Ontario Health Card, it has a picture of a trillium behind it. The trillium became the national flower of Ontario in 1937. This national flower holds a symbolic meaning of peace and hope. It is also present on the Ontario license plate. What I also noticed while examining this artifact was that it has red and white on it, which are classified as Canada’s national colours from which Canada can be identified from, just as how they are present on the Canada flag. The Franco-Ontarian flag also has a trillium on it. Below I have attached a picture of the flag to show what the flag looks like.

 

The trillium on the health card is just one aspect of representation of Canadian identity. Another key representation of it is the card itself. It represents the meaning of Canadian healthcare. It symbolizes that we as Canadians are granted the opportunity to have and use the free healthcare system that Canada has built for us. Above I have pasted a picture to show what the health cards look like, and by having these we are identified as Canadian. In Anderson’s article Imagined Communities, he mentions that one of the ways we look at nations is through a psychological perspective. This perspective looks at how one can get attached to a nation to the extent where they feel that their nation should be the one which prospers the most, the one that an individual finds collective meaning in and the ideology that people would die for the nation that they are attached with. In the case of the health card, I find a collective meaning in it, and it makes me feel as if my nation has prospered a lot more compared to other nations because of this grant of free healthcare. When I say free healthcare, it actually means a lot to me, and makes me feel very good about when I tell people that I am a Canadian citizen. Anderson makes the argument that we find collective meaning in the littlest of things to show pride in our country, and that is exactly what I feel with having this health card with me in my wallet every day.

It gives off a sense of security, and that’s what I would expect to obtain from a nation that I reside in. This health card shapes this nation in a way that it seems very welcoming. By this I mean that Canada is a country very open to immigration, and people who come from other countries that don’t offer this grant would feel very good that they came into Canada, and think of it as a place where they are taken care of. As far as the topics of other nations goes, I know that the States does not offer such a grant, and that is something that I feel very confident to point out, and think it’s something that as Canadians we should appreciate about our nation, that we are fortunate to have been given. This is only for Canadian citizens, but you don’t have to be born here to obtain this right. In Painter and Jeffrey’s article, they talk about high and low politics. High politics is the bigger picture which looks closely at war/peace and the state’s claim to sovereignty and constitutional change, whereas low politics paints a picture on a more local level looking at public health, education and welfare benefits. When thinking of the health care system that we have in Canada, according to Painter and Jeffrey it does have to do with politics but on a more local level. I found this to be really interesting because since it is something that I find myself very proud of having, it is something that the nation uses everyday on a local level just as they describe low politics in their article.

Needless to say, this is an artifact that we don’t often realize is a very useful privilege that the nation has provided us with, and we are exceptionally fortunate to have been given this right as citizens. All of the provinces and territories in Canada have health cards that look different, and have different representations of their provinces and territories. I have attached some pictures of examples below. As someone who owns a Canadian health card from Ontario, I feel good every time I pull it out, knowing that I don’t have to pay for a visit at a doctor’s office every time, and knowing that if I ever need something like a critical surgery or treatment, that I am covered for it. This type of feeling is the one that one should have every time they think a    bout their nation. I definitely couldn’t imagine living somewhere that wouldn’t give the same privileges as I get in Canada regarding the free healthcare.

 

British Columbia’s Health Card                    Quebec’s Health Card

 

Northwest Territories Health Card

 

It is something that makes me feel very proud to be from Canada. I find it to be a very useful source of identification as well. I had gone to renew my passport, and didn’t have my driver’s license with me. I had given them my health card and that was all that they required. It’s good to know that a simple card has such value to it, especially a health card that gives me a sense of security. The Canadian health care system is truly something that makes me feel extremely proud to be a Canadian citizen, and for me it definitely shapes out the nation in a very positive and welcoming way, making sure all the citizens feel safe and secure to live in a nation that cares for their well-being.

 

References:

 

Anderson, Benedict R. O’G. “Imagined Communities: Reflections On the Origin and Spread of Nationalism.” American Council of Learned Societies – York University, and American Council of Learned Societies. Rev. ed. London; New York: Verso, 2006.

Dittmer, Jason. 2010. Chapter 4: “Narration of Nation in the Post WWII US”, in Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 69-90.

Painter, Joe, and Alex Jeffrey. 2009. Chapter 2: State Formation, in Political Geography. 2nd ed. London: Sage. p. 19-43