“We have been conditioned, for decades now, to flinch at identity talk and to sneer at those who raise it as a live question or problem to be resolved. But it is vital to understand that the state capacity problems that Canada has, the reason why nothing ever gets built, why the federal government is perpetually overpromising and underdelivering, why this blessed country is not nearly as prosperous as it ought to be, all have their origins in the weakness of our national identity. Without a story we can tell one another about our collective ambition, about the many on behalf of whom the few are asked to make sacrifices, all we are left with is the buying off of one province or region or another in order to keep the peace.” buildcanada.substack.com/p/t…