May 17, 2011 – 5:53 PM ET
By Bradley Bouzane: The televised forum given to Don Cherry to explore hockey issues — and often topics outside Canada’s favourite game — may be working to shape a “tougher” Canadian identity, but perhaps at the cost of multiculturalism, a new study suggests.
The study from two political science PhD candidates from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., looked at whether Cherry’s Coach’s Corner segments, which often focus on Canada’s military as much as hockey, could carve “an understanding of Canadian identity through the lens of hockey analysis.”
Co-author John Nater says the view of Canada often espoused by Cherry in his broadcasts seems to be restrictive in some aspects and essentially offers a one-sided view to millions of people each week.
“His view of Canadian identity would appear to be a limited one, focused very much on traditional Canadian immigration from western Europe and the United Kingdom,” Nater said Tuesday. “The concern is it does exclude a large segment of the population … from non-traditional ethnicities. He is entitled to represent these views and put out his understanding of (national) identity, but the challenge with his position is they are not challenged. He is presented as a hockey commentator and there’s no challenge function to what he says on non-hockey related issues.”...Read Here
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