Complicating factor: Western Canadian people’ s historic connection to Western Americans rather than Central and Eastern Canadians?

Western Canadian identity has often been shaped by a complex relationship with both their American neighbors to the south and their fellow Canadians in Central and Eastern Canada. A significant complicating factor in this identity is the historic connection that Western Canadians have shared with Western Americans, which at times has fostered a sense of cultural and economic alignment that contrasts with their ties to Central and Eastern Canada.

Historically, the creation of a distinct Western Canadian identity was influenced by a deliberate differentiation from the American "Other." Canadian politicians and media often portrayed Americans, particularly those in the American West, as embodying rugged individualism and aggressive expansionism—traits that were seen as contrary to the Canadian values of British law, order, and moral superiority. This narrative was especially useful during the westward expansion of Canada in the 19th century, as it helped to justify policies like John A. Macdonald’s National Policy, which aimed to integrate the Canadian West into the Dominion while countering perceived American threats. The image of the American "Wild West" was contrasted with the Canadian "Mild West," where British justice supposedly prevailed, reinforcing a Canadian identity defined in opposition to American values1.

However, despite this constructed opposition, Western Canadians have also shared significant cultural and economic connections with Western Americans, often more so than with Central and Eastern Canadians. Geographically, the Rocky Mountains and the vast prairies create a shared landscape that transcends the Canada-U.S. border, fostering similar lifestyles and economic activities such as agriculture, resource extraction, and ranching. The economic realities of the Canadian West—rooted in agriculture in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, oil in Alberta, and forestry in British Columbia—mirror those of the American West more closely than the manufacturing and financial hubs of Ontario and Quebec23. This economic alignment has historically led to shared interests, such as a preference for free trade with the U.S. over the protective tariffs of the National Policy, which Western Canadian farmers saw as benefiting Eastern manufacturers at their expense4.

Moreover, the sense of alienation from Central Canada, a recurring theme in Western Canadian history, has sometimes pushed Westerners to look south for cultural and political kinship. Western alienation, rooted in the perception that Ottawa prioritizes the interests of Ontario and Quebec, has been a persistent issue since Confederation. Policies like the National Policy and later the National Energy Program in the 1970s and 1980s deepened this divide, as Western provinces felt their resources were exploited without adequate representation or return456. This frustration has occasionally manifested in a stronger identification with the independent, frontier spirit of the American West, rather than the centralized, sedentary culture associated with Eastern Canada78.

While not all Western Canadians embraced this connection—many still valued their British heritage or sought cooperation across the border—the shared frontier experience and economic parallels have undeniably complicated Western Canadian identity. This historic connection to Western Americans has often placed Western Canadians at odds with the national narrative crafted in Central and Eastern Canada, creating a regional identity that is both distinctly Canadian and yet influenced by cross-border ties13.

1. https://usurj.journals.usask.ca/article/download/70/37/
2. https://study.com/academy/lesson/economic-characteristics-of-canadas-different-regions.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Canada
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_alienation
5. https://canadahistory.com/sections/periods/Later_Canada/Trudeau/Western_Alienation.html
6. https://angusreid.org/new-west-western-identity/
7. https://www.mironline.ca/a-mari-usque-ad-mare-east-west-regionalism-in-modern-canada/
8. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskACanadian/comments/14nh929/what_are_the_biggest_differences_between_eastern/
9. https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/settling-west-immigration-to-prairies
10. https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781773852676/
11. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/americans
12. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnwfp
13. https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/projects/the-american-western-in-canadian-literature
14. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/forty-ninth-parallel-feature
15. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/economic-canadian-american-relations
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Canada
17. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskACanadian/comments/k0w3u1/maybe_you_can_straighten_this_out_for_me_once_and/
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_Canada
19. https://www.fodors.com/community/canada/eastern-canada-maritimes-vs-central-vs-western-canada-for-summer-vacation-1726001/
20. https://www.brookelandisd.net/page/open/3187/0/Chapter%207%20Section%203%20Reading.pdf
21. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-american-relations
22. https://www.cgai.ca/canada_u_s_trade_an_enduring_relationship_nafta_or_not
23. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/confederation
24. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/discover-canada/read-online/canadas-history.html
25. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-west