Reflections of Canada: Illuminating Our Opportunities and Challenges at 150+ Years

Reflections of Canada—intelligent, passionate, provocative—is a book with opinions as diverse as Canada. Leading thinkers take a stand on some of the most pressing issues facing Canada as our country marks 150 years since Confederation. The book’s title and its content acknowledge the complexity of this anniversary: Indigenous peoples have been here long before the origins of Canada. Thus, Reflections of Canada asks Canadians to consider critically the opportunities and challenges we face as our country grapples with its history and with the world that has emerged in the twenty-first century. An original poem by Canada’s Poet Laureate leads off forty-one essays on topics as diverse as the peoples and landscapes of this country. Contributions contemplate issues among the most pressing for Canada: reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, climate change and resource use, inequality, the technological revolution, democracy, arts and culture, immigration and multiculturalism. The essays offer informed and pointed perspectives on topics that demand attention and that call for expert but also accessible commentary. Canada’s past is considered and its future contemplated, with calls for action on how Canada must proceed into the next 150 years. The written pieces are accompanied by an eclectic range of photographs selected from a national photo competition. Together, the photos and essays communicate a complex and engaging landscape of what Canada is at this point in its history. This is a book of lively, respectful, and thoughtful debate. Reflections of Canada affirms the place for public intellectual discussion of major societal questions.