This week, the political arena buzzed with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s White House visit, while sports fans celebrated the Toronto Blue Jays’ thrilling playoff triumph over the New York Yankees. Beyond these headlines, there’s a deeper conversation taking place, one that a new book, “Elbows Up!,” aims to illuminate.
Since moving to Canada last year, I’ve been fascinated by the ongoing debate surrounding the nation’s identity, especially in relation to the United States. Having grown up in Greece, where history strongly defines national character, it’s striking to see how Canada’s identity dialogue, particularly amidst talk of becoming the “51st state,” is so acutely focused on the future.
“Elbows Up! Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance,” set to release on October 14th, tackles the pressing question: What defines Canada? The book explores avenues for the country to reassert its independence and emerge from the shadow of American cultural influence.
This powerful collection features 30 essays, curated by author and critic Elamin Abdelmahmoud, host of CBC’s “Commotion.” It brings together diverse perspectives, including Indigenous and immigrant Canadian voices, Québécois authors, and experts in sports and culture. Abdelmahmoud notes in his introduction that the book doesn’t promote a strong, declarative nationalism, but rather a quiet, persistent belief in the strength of an unfinished national project.
The book draws inspiration from “The New Romans: Candid Canadian Opinions of the U.S.” (1968), even featuring a couple of essays from the original. However, it intentionally does not include viewpoints advocating for Canada’s assimilation into the United States.
Regarding the potentially partisan phrase “Elbows up,” Abdelmahmoud clarified that while Prime Minister Mark Carney used the slogan with political intent, the phrase itself originated as a broader response to perceived threats to Canadian sovereignty.
Many passages resonated deeply during my reading. For instance, renowned author Margaret Atwood reflects on a 1963 survey where most Canadians denied a difference between Canada and the U.S., yet also rejected joining it. She observes, “It seems they knew there was a difference, but they didn’t know what it was.”
Journalist Carol Off presents a thorough argument on the challenges to Canadian cultural production, largely due to America’s immense influence and financial power. She challenges Canadians to find the courage and desire to resist cultural assimilation, and to do so urgently.
Vancouver-based author Jen Sookfong Lee offers a sharp critique of the country while still holding onto hope. She ponders whether she’s fighting for the “idea of Gold Mountain,” her grandfather’s idealized vision of Canada, concluding, “I am choosing to believe that Canada can be the country my grandfather once dreamed of, but that I can also be the Canada that I would wish for my children and grandchildren.”
Ultimately, Abdelmahmoud summarizes the book’s core message: “It’s a book that says we can’t ignore the reality of our vulnerability, so how should we think about it?”
For those interested in more Canadian political commentary, the Writers’ Trust of Canada recently honored outstanding works from the past year. At last month’s Politics and the Pen event in Ottawa, the 2025 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing went to Raymond B. Blake for “Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity.” Other notable finalists included Stephen Maher’s “The Prince,” Tanya Talaga’s “The Knowing,” Jane Philpott’s “Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada,” and Alasdair Roberts’s “The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive The Twenty-First Century.”
Looking ahead, keep an eye out for “Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk,” a powerful new book by pollster Darrell Bricker and journalist John Ibbitson, scheduled for release on October 28th.
Happy Thanksgiving weekend!
**Trans Canada**
* Prime Minister Carney met with President Trump at the White House. News reports detailed Trump’s assertion that “Canadians will love us again,” and the delicate diplomacy involved in navigating a meeting with the president.
* After five decades of discussion and DNA analysis, the 11,000-year-old fossil known as Torontoceros hypogaeus, or “horned Toronto deer from underground,” discovered during subway excavations, has finally revealed its mysteries.
* Our correspondent reported on Marineland’s contentious plan to euthanize 30 beluga whales, a decision that has sparked international outrage.
* Our Washington team covered President Trump’s approval of an industrial road through Alaskan wilderness to a proposed copper and zinc mine. The U.S. government is investing $35.6 million for a 10 percent stake in Vancouver-based Trilogy Metals, co-owner of the project.
* From Toronto, an editor highlighted the symbolic significance of the Blue Jays’ victory over the Yankees within the current U.S.-Canada relationship.
* In our Real Estate section, a feature on the Nguyen family in Calgary showcased how seven family members, aged 6 to 65, embrace multigenerational living as a solution to rising housing costs, with the added bonus of endless homemade pho.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff is The Times’s Canada bureau chief, leading the country’s coverage.
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