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I’m trying to understand Justin Trudeau’s idealistic thinking.

When the prime minister says Canada is the world’s “first postnational state,” I believe he’s saying this is a place where respect for minorities trumps any one group’s way of doing things.

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‘There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada,’ Trudeau claimed after the October election. ‘There are shared values – openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other, to search for equality and justice.”

The New York Times writer who obtained this quote said Trudeau’s belief Canada has no core identity is his “most radical” political position. It seems especially so combined with criticism Trudeau is a lightweight on national security and sovereignty.

Not too many Canadians, however, seem disturbed by Trudeau talking about us as a “postnational state.”

Maybe they just write it off as political bafflegab. But of all the countries in the world, Canada, with its high proportion of immigrants and official policy of multiculturalism, may also be one of the few places where politicians and academics treat virtually all forms of nationalism with deep suspicion.