I look at Canadians as Canadians. Unless the speak French. Then they're French Canadians. Or if they're first generation Indians with Canadian citizenship working with me here in the States. They're Indians. English-speaking Chinese guy who grew up in Toronto, he's Canadian.

Canadians (singular Canadian) are the people who are identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be genetic, residential, legal, historical, cultural or ethnic. For most Canadians, several (frequently all) of those types of connections exist and are the source(s) of them being considered Canadians. Canadians, Americans, etc. differ from other ethnic groups because they don't have a common genetic clustering given the numerous backgrounds of people. However, that doesn't stop 'Canadian' being a separate identity. 'Ethnic group' fits the definition given it omits common genetic clustering of the people.

Ok, maybe I can be of a little more help here.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

Jax,

Have you ever visited one of your ancestral lands before? I know I have and even the very town where one of my great great grandfathers came from. While I was happy to be in this place and very proud of the culture ancestral to mine, relating to people was somewhat of a challenge.

Why you ask? Simple. I didn't speak the same language!

Language is an important part of culture after all and the very means by which it is transmitted. Its not the be all end all of culture, but knowing the language of particular culture is usually pretty crucial to understanding or fitting in with it. Ones very language can effect the way one thinks even since the way thoughts are conveyed in a language can differ greatly from one to the next.

Visiting one of your ancestral homelands will be very important to seeing how well you actually relate to the people and culture.

Obviously the British component will be easier to digest if you go over but there are some you mentioned which may be a bit of challenge.

I am a New Worlder several generations removed from my ancestral cultural heritage, and I can guarantee you that the country my immigrant ancestors came from changed culturally to certain degrees even during their lifetime.

Yes I have actually, I have visited Northern Ireland twice. That is where my maternal grandmother was born. I feel I relate to the people there but not totally just like all of my other ancestors from my Italian and Finnish sides. I can't speak Italian or Finnish though either.

---------- Post added 2012-06-05 at 21:13 ----------

I still do not see Canadians as being an ethnic group really.

And that's not the only challenge. You may find the way people act or even their attitudes are different then your's or at least what your more familiar/comfortable with in Canada.

I still have a lot of ancestral traveling left though. I've depriotized two since they're not components as near and dear to my heart as some of the others. I'm not a self hater, just not into them as much.

BTW, I can't speak Italian worth a lick either but that didn't stop me from visiting the town my great-great gramps came from.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

Oh believe me I am going to definitely visit the town my great grandparents came from in Calabria one day. It looks quite interesting actually as it is a mountain town. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif

---------- Post added 2012-06-05 at 21:51 ----------

Maybe I am my own new ethnicity? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/laugh.gif

Jax, I don't mean to trivalize your issue, but how can you possibly be messed up by that if you're fully European (25 % italian, 50 irish etc) - living in Canada?

Who ever questions your identity and nationality as a canadian on the basis of race? Has it even happend?

What do you mean by this?

''but how can you possibly be messed up by that if you're fully European (25 % italian, 50 irish etc) - living in Canada?''

No one has ever questioned my identity and nationality as a Canadian. I don't view Canadians as an ethnic group though.

I think DragonRouge views Acadians as their own ethnic group. What does it take to be an ethnic group. 300-400 years of separation and mixing seems like enough to me.

Well man, I obviously have non-English ancestry. German mostly. But the bulk of my ancestry is English, I would say 70+%, so I consider my ethnicity to be Anglo-American. Do people identify as Anglo-Canadian at all?

Yes some certainly do.

Simply Canadian.