Is National Identity Really What We Need?

That question is the last line of Bryan Palmer’s new book, Canada’s 1960s: The ironies of identity in a rebellious era, out now from UTPress. I used to think it was the most important question facing Canadians; the fact that I now think the search for a Canadian identity is both misguided and counterproductive is what (partially) explains the somewhat negative tone of my review of John Ralston Saul’s latest book, in a forthcoming edition of the LRC.