B. Physical Geography and Physical Processes in Canada · Canada's Physical Environment: Landforms, Climate, Hazards and PeopleLandscapes and Canadian Identity: Symbols and Images
B1.5 A1.3 A1.6About 65 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain how features of Canada's physical geography contribute to Canadian identity.
- I can analyse the significance of symbols and images based on Canada's landscapes and wildlife, used in Canada and internationally.
- I can critically analyse an image by asking who made it, for whom, and what it leaves out.
- I can recognize that identities connected to the land are diverse, including the identities of First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
Words to know
identity
The sense of who a person or group is, shaped by place, history, culture, language and values.
national symbol
An object, image, animal or plant officially or widely used to represent a country, such as the maple leaf or the beaver.
iconic landscape
A landscape so often shown in art and media that it comes to represent a place, such as the Rockies or a Shield lake.
Group of Seven
A group of Canadian painters, who first exhibited together in 1920, known for bold paintings of Canadian landscapes, especially the Canadian Shield.
inuksuk (plural inuksuit)
A stone structure built by Inuit, used for purposes such as marking routes, hunting places or caches.
place name (toponym)
The name of a place; many Canadian place names come from Indigenous languages and describe the land.
bias
A one-sided view that favours some ideas or people over others.
"The True North strong and free"
Sing O Canada and you sing about the North. Look at the flag and you see a maple leaf. Open your wallet and you may find a loon, a polar bear and a caribou. Canada's motto, A mari usque ad mare ("From sea to sea"), is about geography.
For many people, Canada's identity is tied to its land: vast distances, winter, northern lakes and forests, mountains, three oceans. Expectation B1.5 asks you to explain how features of Canada's unique physical geography can contribute to Canadian identity, and to analyse the significance of related symbols and images used in Canada and internationally.
Physical geography in Canada's symbols
- The maple leaf: maple trees grow across much of southeastern Canada; maple syrup was made by Indigenous peoples long before Europeans arrived. The red maple leaf has been on the national flag since February 15, 1965 (now National Flag of Canada Day), and the maple was officially named Canada's national arboreal emblem in 1996.
- The beaver: made an official symbol of Canada in 1975. Beavers shape rivers and wetlands, and their fur drove the fur trade that tied together much of early Canada.
- Coins: the 5¢ beaver, 10¢ Bluenose (a famous Nova Scotia racing and fishing schooner), 25¢ caribou, $1 loon and $2 polar bear all point to Canada's waters, coasts, North and wildlife.
- The national anthem and motto: "The True North" and "From sea to sea"; some people now say "from sea to sea to sea" to include the Arctic Ocean.
- Place names: the name Canada likely comes from the Iroquoian word kanata (often described as Huron-Iroquois), meaning "village" or "settlement". Many other names come from Indigenous languages and often describe the land.
Landscapes in art: the Group of Seven
In the early 1900s, a group of painters, who first exhibited as the Group of Seven in 1920 in Toronto, set out to create a distinctly Canadian art. They painted the rugged Canadian Shield of Algonquin Park, Algoma and Lake Superior, as well as the Rockies and the Arctic, with bold colours and strong shapes. Their friend Tom Thomson (who died in 1917, before the group formed) painted famous wind-bent pines such as The Jack Pine. Emily Carr painted the forests of British Columbia. These images became, for many Canadians, what "Canada" looks like.
Look critically, too. The paintings usually show the land as empty wilderness. But those lands were, and are, the homelands of Anishinaabe, Cree and other First Nations, who live, harvest and govern there. Showing the land as empty left out the people connected to it. Asking what is left out? is a key critical-thinking skill (A1.3).
Images of Canada around the world
Internationally, Canada is often pictured through its physical geography: turquoise mountain lakes in the Rockies, Niagara Falls, polar bears near Churchill, the northern lights, red-and-gold autumn maple forests, and snow. Tourism campaigns, films, sports (hockey on frozen ponds) and product logos use these images.
- These images attract tourists and support jobs, and many Canadians feel proud of them.
- But they can create a narrow picture: most Canadians live in cities in the south, not in the wilderness.
- When Inuit or First Nations symbols are used as national or commercial images, there are important questions about respect and permission. The emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, named Ilanaaq, was based on an inuksuk. The inuksuk also appears on the flag of Nunavut, where it is an Inuit symbol on Inuit lands. Its wider use as a symbol of Canada has prompted discussion about who should decide how Inuit symbols are used.
Many identities connected to the land
Identity is not the same for everyone. For many First Nations, Métis and Inuit, identity is connected to specific lands and waters, languages, place names and responsibilities, not just a national landscape. Regional identities matter too: the Prairies' big sky, the Atlantic's sea and fishing heritage, the North's ice and tundra, the Laurentians and the St. Lawrence in Quebec. Newcomers to Canada build their own connections to its landscapes. All of these together make up Canada's relationship to its land.
Worked exampleModelled example: Analysing a tourism image
An international tourism ad shows a single red canoe on a perfectly calm lake, surrounded by rocky shores and dark pine trees, with the words "Discover the wild heart of Canada." Analyse it using the four questions.
- Who made it, when, why? A tourism agency or company, to attract visitors and their spending.
- Audience? International travellers, especially people in large cities who want nature and quiet.
- What is shown? A Canadian Shield landscape (rock, lake, conifers), the canoe as a symbol of travel on Canada's waters, calm and emptiness. What is left out? People, including the First Nations whose territory it is (and whose canoe technology it is); bugs, cottages, roads, mines, logging; cities where most Canadians live; other regions.
- What does it say about Canada? That Canada is wild, peaceful and natural. That is part of the truth, but not the whole truth.
- Significance: the image draws on the Group of Seven tradition and the Shield as a national symbol; it is powerful for tourism but can reinforce the idea of "empty" land.
The ad uses the physical geography of the Shield to sell an identity of wild, peaceful Canada. A critical reader appreciates its appeal and notices whose stories and landscapes it leaves out.
Hands-on activitySymbol scavenger hunt and redesign
You need: coins and bills (if you have them), product packaging, sports logos, stamps, travel brochures or tourism websites, paper and coloured pencils.
- Find eight examples of Canadian symbols or images at home or online. For each, record: what it shows, which physical feature or wildlife it connects to, and where it is used (in Canada, internationally, or both).
- Sort them: landscape, wildlife, plant, water/coast, North, other.
- Choose one and analyse it with the four questions (who made it, audience, what is shown or left out, what it says about Canada).
- Design a new symbol for your own region based on a physical feature you think matters (for example, an escarpment, a river, a moraine, a lake). Write three sentences explaining why it represents your region and whose perspectives you considered.
What to look for: accurate links between symbols and physical geography; thoughtful notice of what is left out; a design that is clearly connected to a real local feature.
Just for funFunny but true: Canada's $1 coin was supposed to show voyageurs paddling a canoe. In 1987 the master dies for the design were lost in transit, so the Mint switched to a picture of a loon, and Canadians have called the coin the "loonie" ever since.
Your turn
1Give three national symbols linked to Canada's physical geography and explain each link.
Sample: maple leaf (maple trees of southeastern Canada); beaver (rivers and wetlands, fur trade); loon on the $1 coin (northern lakes); polar bear on the $2 coin (Arctic sea ice); caribou on the 25¢ (the North).
2When did the maple leaf flag become Canada's national flag?
3What did the Group of Seven paint, and why are their paintings important to identity?
Mainly rugged Canadian landscapes, especially the Canadian Shield (Algonquin Park, Algoma, Lake Superior), plus the Rockies and Arctic. Their bold images became, for many, the picture of what Canada looks like and helped create a sense of a distinct Canadian identity.
4What is a criticism of showing Canada's landscapes as "empty wilderness"?
It leaves out First Nations, Métis and Inuit who live on, use and govern those lands, and it ignores where most Canadians actually live (cities).
5What does Canada's motto mean, and how is it geographic?
A mari usque ad mare, "From sea to sea": it describes Canada stretching between oceans.
6Why are some people cautious about using the inuksuk as a symbol for all of Canada?
It is an Inuit cultural structure and symbol (on Nunavut's flag); using it widely raises questions about respect, meaning and who decides how Inuit symbols are used.
7Name two images often used to represent Canada internationally.
Any two: Rocky Mountain lakes, Niagara Falls, polar bears, northern lights, autumn maple forests, snow and hockey on frozen ponds.
More practice: warm-up
1What animal is on the $2 coin?
2What animal is on the 25¢ coin?
3In what year was the beaver made an official symbol of Canada?
4What does the word kanata likely mean?
"Village" or "settlement" (an Iroquoian word).
5Which painter, who died in 1917, painted The Jack Pine?
More practice: on your own
1Why might a tourism campaign aimed at people in large Asian or European cities choose wilderness images rather than images of Toronto?
Wilderness, space, clean air and wildlife are what make Canada different from where those travellers live; the campaign sells something they cannot get at home.
2Explain how the physical geography of the Atlantic coast contributes to regional identity there.
Long coastlines, fishing banks and the sea shaped livelihoods (fishing, shipbuilding), culture (songs, stories, the Bluenose) and community life; the sea is central to how many Atlantic Canadians see themselves.
3How can the same symbol mean different things to different people? Use the beaver as an example.
To some it represents hard work and Canadian history (fur trade); to some Indigenous people it is part of their territories and economies before and during the fur trade, which also brought major changes; to farmers it may be a pest that floods fields; to ecologists it is a keystone species creating wetlands.
4Choose a physical feature of Ontario (other than the Shield) that could be a strong regional symbol. Justify it.
Sample: the Niagara Escarpment: a long, distinctive landform with waterfalls, cliffs and the Bruce Trail, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, visible from many communities. (Any feature with a clear link to Ontario's landscape and people is acceptable.)
5Why is it important to know that many place names come from Indigenous languages?
They show that Indigenous peoples named and knew these places long before Canada existed; the names often describe the land, and they remind us that these are Indigenous homelands today.
Challenge
1Evaluate this statement: "Canada's identity comes from its wilderness." Agree or disagree with evidence from at least three perspectives.
A strong answer might partly agree: national symbols (maple leaf, loon, anthem, Group of Seven) do draw on wilderness. But it is incomplete: most Canadians live in cities; First Nations, Métis and Inuit identities are tied to specific homelands rather than "wilderness" (a word that can erase their presence); newcomers and regional communities have other connections (multiculturalism, languages, cities, farms, coasts). Identity comes from land and people together.
2Compare the significance of the maple leaf when used on the national flag in Canada and when used on a Canadian product sold overseas.
On the flag, it is an official national symbol expressing unity, sovereignty and pride. On a product overseas, it works as a brand, signalling quality, nature, safety or friendliness to attract buyers. The same symbol carries political meaning at home and commercial meaning abroad.
3A company wants to use an image of an inuksuk on its packaging. What questions should it ask, and whom should it consult?
What does the inuksuk mean to Inuit? Is the use respectful and accurate? Does it benefit Inuit or just the company? Is permission needed? It should consult Inuit organizations (such as regional Inuit organizations or Inuit artists) and follow their guidance.
Quiz
1. Which coin shows a common loon?
2. The Group of Seven mostly painted:
3. A key criticism of "empty wilderness" images is that they:
4. Canada's motto A mari usque ad mare means:
5. The flag of Nunavut includes:
6. Which question best checks what an image leaves out?
Big idea: B1.5 asks students to explain how Canada's unique physical geography contributes to Canadian identity and to analyse the significance of related symbols and images in Canada and internationally. The lesson also builds critical thinking (A1.3): analysing who made an image, for whom, and what it leaves out.
Teaching with care: Indigenous symbols (such as the inuksuk) belong to living cultures. Encourage respectful discussion about their use. Avoid presenting Indigenous peoples as part of "nature" or the past.
Common difficulties: Students may describe symbols without explaining their significance. Ask "Why does this matter? Who uses it, and for what?"
How to help: Do the symbol scavenger hunt together. If you can, visit the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, the Art Gallery of Ontario, or look at Group of Seven paintings online, and discuss what is shown and what is not.