Canadian Politics Today

How about when those sports die out entirely ?  Same thing right ?

If those sports die out entirely it will indicate that rather than the mass of immigrants assimilating into Canada, Canadian culture wound up dissolving into the great mass of immigrants.

To really be Canadian you have to blend into the mainstream. You know how I'll know immigrants have assimilated? When I go to a hockey game or a curling match and don't see a see of white. For that matter, the whitest place in Ottawa seems to be at Canadian Blood services on Carling when they hold a blood drive. Why, I don't know.  Most of the restaurants I go to seem to lack much in the way of pigment diversity too. I suspect immigrants go to 'their own' restaurants.

I think this might be a good point to discuss, since it's true that immigrants tend to group together.   Although I am not sure that defining a Canadian based on their preference for meat/potatoes/vegetables (aka fat, carbohydrates and lip service to healthy eating).  Recently, a new development of townhouses was constructed near our place and right next door to a sort of standard Canadian restaurant, not a chain and serving home-style food.   I assumed, and so did they apparently, that the new residents would use the restaurant but when I asked, I was told no - that many of them were of Asian descent and if they were eating out, they weren't coming to the restaurant next door.  It's an easy-enough stereotype to make although I found it odd that in a complex of over 100 people, someone could so blithely determine the reason why the restaurant next-door wasn't their first choice.    Another possibility is that these townhouses are pretty expensive, so maybe the new homeowners just aren't eating out because it's too expensive.  I've noted at least one Millennial family live in this complex, so maybe the new residents are looking for more trendy/healthy/pure foods rather than the meat/potatoes/vegetables dishes this restaurant specializes in.   Or maybe there are a lot of non-European Canadians who are looking for food with more noodles or rice, or curry.   I suppose without doing a poll, we don't really know.   

But if a sign of "Canadian" is participating in our institutions, what about the over-representation of non-European descent youth in the Remembrance Day parade I mentioned in my OP?   Some wore turbans, though I didn't see any in hijabs or niqabs - even though they 'dressed differently', it seems clear that they are invested in the Canadian military; do we deny them true Canadian-ship because they are wearing a turban?     If we had to go to war for some reason, would we honor dead turban-wearing soldiers less than dead non-turbaned soldiers?   What about the many visible minority kids taking part in football, soccer, dance at the park next door to my place?  What about the immigrants who are taking part in political activity,  sometimes at a higher rate than European-descent Canadians?  Other than going to Canadian restaurants, participation in what other institutions would validate someone's claim to being 'Canadians'?

I think this might be a good point to discuss, since it's true that immigrants tend to group together.   Although I am not sure that defining a Canadian based on their preference for meat/potatoes/vegetables (aka fat, carbohydrates and lip service to healthy eating).  Recently, a new development of townhouses was constructed near our place and right next door to a sort of standard Canadian restaurant, not a chain and serving home-style food.   I assumed, and so did they apparently, that the new residents would use the restaurant but when I asked, I was told no - that many of them were of Asian descent and if they were eating out, they weren't coming to the restaurant next door.  It's an easy-enough stereotype to make although I found it odd that in a complex of over 100 people, someone could so blithely determine the reason why the restaurant next-door wasn't their first choice.    Another possibility is that these townhouses are pretty expensive, so maybe the new homeowners just aren't eating out because it's too expensive.  I've noted at least one Millennial family live in this complex, so maybe the new residents are looking for more trendy/healthy/pure foods rather than the meat/potatoes/vegetables dishes this restaurant specializes in.   Or maybe there are a lot of non-European Canadians who are looking for food with more noodles or rice, or curry.   I suppose without doing a poll, we don't really know.   

But if a sign of "Canadian" is participating in our institutions, what about the over-representation of non-European descent youth in the Remembrance Day parade I mentioned in my OP?   Some wore turbans, though I didn't see any in hijabs or niqabs - even though they 'dressed differently', it seems clear that they are invested in the Canadian military; do we deny them true Canadian-ship because they are wearing a turban?     If we had to go to war for some reason, would we honor dead turban-wearing soldiers less than dead non-turbaned soldiers?   What about the many visible minority kids taking part in football, soccer, dance at the park next door to my place?  What about the immigrants who are taking part in political activity,  sometimes at a higher rate than European-descent Canadians?  Other than going to Canadian restaurants, participation in what other institutions would validate someone's claim to being 'Canadians'?

I would add to that as I was reminded of yesterday that we were all too happy to have Indigenous Canadians go and fight and die in wars, but when those who survived returned we "re-Indianed" them and sent them back to the reserve while the white boys and girls got the full benefits vets were entitled to. Apparently there are still hints of that attitude at large in this country.

They're not failing. But Canada has revolved around hockey for generations. If it stops doing so in the next generation because of 'cultural change' there will be no question it will be due to immigration of great masses of people from countries which do not have hockey and who ignore once here.

Plenty of European-descent Canadians could care less about hockey, too.   And since we European-types are still the majority here, if hockey (or any sport) fails, it will be because the *Majority* failed to support that sport.

I would add to that as I was reminded of yesterday that we were all too happy to have Indigenous Canadians go and fight and die in wars, but when those who survived returned we "re-Indianed" them and sent them back to the reserve while the white boys and girls got the full benefits vets were entitled to. Apparently there are still hints of that attitude at large in this country.

What's this 'we''? I think the reserves are a relic of a bygone era and should be dissolved. If the land actually is their 'ancestral homeland' and has actual meaning to them they should simply be allowed to live there as owners. If not it should be sold and the value given to them. In any case, the natives should be moved into areas where there are economic reasons to sustain a population. Native government should gradually be dissolved. Irish and Scottish clans still exist but they don't run anyone's lives.

1.  Just gleaned this article but it touches on the phenomenon which you don't seem to be aware of.  As a NASCAR fan, I am treated to watching 1/2 empty stadia all the time.

I understand that going to an NHL game costs more. But every young boy I know (white) is either involved in hockey or watches it and is quite enthusiastic about it. Every adult I know has at least some interest in the NHL, as well. I doubt this is the case for people coming here from the middle east and China.

In any event, I'm much less concerned with that cultural aspect than I am the rest of what it means to be Canadian, which includes a broad sense of justice, compromise and tolerance. Those are traits largely if not entirely absent from the countries most of our immigrants are coming from.

In today's paper was a story from Bangladesh, one of our top source countries, which stated that a rumour that a member of a Hindu village said something unflattering about the prophet on Facebook prompted a mob of 20,000 Muslims to attack and burn the village to the ground. That sort of religious frenzy is not something I want transported here.

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This question was really brought home to me when I watched a video of the Remembrance Day parade in Surrey.   When the cadets marched past, most of them were from a 'visible' minority.  In Surrey, the split between visible minorities and Whites is close to 50/50, but in the parade it was more like 90/10.  Perhaps not all of these kids will go on to become part of the system that protects "Canada" and "Canadians", but I think it is significant that they outnumber whites by quite a bit at this early recruitment stage.   And I think once people demonstrate a willingness to put their life on the line to protect Canada, then they should perhaps be allowed to become "Canadians" and not "immigrants". 
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This may be the case in Surrey, " that goes again'st the grain of the reality in the Forces". the Military is still approx 80 to 90 percent white, but as more and more immigrants arrive, we are finding more "second generation" Soldiers joining up. It was once thought that most immigrants came from countries that were unstable or the military played a much larger role or a much more violent role than it does here, they feared their military forces, and did not want anything to do with the military here in Canada....Now our military is under funded, under manned, and more or less neutered.

   I think the whole question is moot. Does it matter in any way wether someone is a 'real' Canadian?  Only if one is seeking to discount  positions and/or opinions does one resort to the others as 'not real' Canadians.
  The whole concept of defining or attempting to define 'real' Canadians is a misguided attempt to establish some sort of personal superiority solely for the purpose of feeling better about oneself.  The edifice of being Real Canadians is built on sand.  The only time I have ever heard the term used is on internet discussion boards or in bars.  It means nothing. It is smoke and noise and nothing else.