Canada Preliminary Assessment - 2025 FIFA WORLD CUP

1. ADV20001: ADVERTISING ISSUES: REGULATION, ETHICS AND CULTURAL
CONSIDERATIONS
CANADA PRELIMINARY
ASSESSMENT
2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BID
WORD LIMIT: 2030 words
GROUP MEMBERS:
Jasmine Kwan 7719302
Sam Peatey ​10049501​7
Ryan King 7685459
Ben Warburt​on 100857196

2. CONTENTS PAGE
Introduction 2
Canadian Way of Living 3
Cultural Values 4
Stereotypes 6
Gender Equality 8
LGBT Community 9
Treatment of Immigrants and Foreign Residents 10
Sport Culture 12
Conclusion 13
References 14
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3. INTRODUCTION
The following report is a preliminary assessment of Canada as a suitable location for the 2026
FIFA World Cup. The report will explore Canada’s key cultural aspects which promote the
country’s values in universal solidarity and respect welcoming people from all different
countries, backgrounds and cultures. The report will highlight the Canadian way of living,
acknowledging cultural values and will further discuss stereotyping, gender equality, the LGBT
community, treatment of immigrants and foreign residents and the Canadian sport culture.
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4. CANADIAN WAY OF LIVING
Canada is a northern American, self-governing nation state and has been a member of the
Commonwealth since its independence from the British crown. Hosting a population of over 35
million, it is the second largest country, sharing its entire border with The United States of
America (CIA 2016). Whilst land mass is extensive, population is more dense across the
southern border, with 80% of the population living within 100km of the southern border as living
conditions are not favourable within the northern part of the country due to intense weather
conditions and limited resources (CIA 2016).
The country is diverse in ethnicity, landscape and culture with a significant French population in
Quebec which has maintained its language and strong cultural hold on the region, promoting the
bilingual nature of the country. Canada is home to a large indigenous population, making up 4
per cent of the population and is also prominently influenced by different cultures through their
proactive nature to immigration, welcoming people from across the globe with an estimated 1 in
5 people originating from another country (CIA 2016). Canada is known for some of the most
popular mountains in the world for snow sports and is therefore a widely popular winter
destination. While the country’s landmass is large, the close proximity of the majority of the
population ensures ease of travel (Statistics Canada 2016).
Source: http://westerndestination.com/tourism-and-fun/excursions-and-tours/
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5. CULTURAL VALUES
Recognized as global peacekeepers, Canadians exude notions of freedom, respect and commitment to
social justice. The country is ranked as greatly valuing self-expression with further focus on gender
equality, embracing all members of varying sexual orientations and culture and environmental
conservation and protection (World Values Survey, 2015). A large country with a small population, the
unique federal style of Canadian government encourages compromise and co-existence in correlation to
their democratic values (Durhamimmigration.ca. 2016).
Equality Canada believes in individual equality, whereby everyone is encouraged
to speak out and express their ideas and themselves. Also, governments
must treat everyone with equal respect and dignity
Respect for cultural
differences
Canada welcomes and embraces all people from different backgrounds
and cultures as they seek to respectfully understand and appreciate
customs, traditions and cultures of all Canadians, whether they were
born here or from another country (Durhamimmigration.ca. 2016)
Freedom Canadians enjoy the freedom to live the way they want and express such
diversity through language, culture, religion, sexuality etc. They
embrace basic freedoms including freedom of speech, thought and
peaceful assembly, in which, contribute to the country’s unity. As times
change, so do traditional ways of thinking and Canada is progressive in
the growing acceptance of liberal policies including euthanasia, abortion
and divorce (World Values Survey, 2015)
Peace Canada prides itself on their non-violent society as well as their
international role as peacekeepers. Alongside, respect for cultural
differences, their peace core value has a dominant global presence,
which would see the warm and welcoming acceptance of all
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6. international visitors.
Law and Order Canadians respect the democratic decision-making ‘rule of law’ and
legal system, encouraging a fair system of treatment between the courts,
police and citizen, ensuring that the elected governments remain
accountable to Canadians (Durhamimmigration.ca. 2016)
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7. STEREOTYPES
Undoubtedly, stereotypes of a nation can influence the external perceptions of the country,
particularly for those who have not been there. Canada holds many positive stereotypes,
embracing and promoting cultural diversity and strong cultural values of equality, respect for all
individuals, pride and freedom (Brock University 2010). Such attributes work in the country’s
favour to be the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and with reference to stereotypes, the country
is known for their love of sport, in particular, hockey with a strong and proud fan base. Whilst
Canada is known for their love of hockey, they also have a strong soccer following.
In the last Fifa World Cup, according to a Fifa census Canadians were the top non qualifying
nation for ticket sales and were ranked 11​th
in total with 29,000 tickets (Shendruk 2014).
According to the same census, 1 in 39 Canadians are engaged with the sport of Soccer as
opposed to 1 in 40 in Italy. Since 1998, Soccer has also been the number one sport played by
Canadian children between the ages of 5 and 14 (Shendruk 2014). Canada also set the world
record for the highest attendance of an U20's Fifa World Cup Tournament with a total of
1,156,187 spectators (CBC Sports). Clearly a soccer loving nation, hosting the Fifa World Cup in
Canada would help diminish the stereotype of Canada as a hockey dominated nation and help
Canada in promoting and further engage the sport of soccer with it’s citizens.
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8. Canadian fans show their support at the 2007 U20 Mens Fifa World Cup (Jim Morris, The Canadian Press) Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/canada-considers-bid-for-2026-world-cup/article27136887/
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9. GENDER EQUALITY
Canada is a leading nation in the development of gender equality and are committed to
eliminating discrimination towards women internationally (Government of Canada 2015).
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) has evaluated
achievements of Canada in developing gender equality throughout the nation and has created a
policy to help in sustainable gender equality development. The policy aims to help men and
women in Canada “realise their human rights and potential to contribute to national,
international, political, economic and cultural development” (Global Affairs Canada 2014 p5).
Canada is one of the top 10 countries in the world for most successful gender development index
(Human Development Report 2015). Canada were successful in hosting the Women's Fifa world
cup in 2015 and the Women's U19 Fifa World Cup in 2002, with the success of these
tournaments and the strong fan support for both male and female national teams Canada have
demonstrated their strong commitment to gender equality in sport as well as other aspects of
society.
Canadian Woman rally for gender equality in Ontario (Fred Thornhill, The Guardian)
Source:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/26/canada-women-un-ranking-discrimination-justin-trudeau
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10. LGBT COMMUNITY
The re​cognition of LGBT rights and same sex marriage is symbolic of Canada’s values in
equality, tolerance and freedom with Canada proud be one of the most advanced thinkers in this
area, globally. Acceptance of different sexualities and preferences is not only acknowledged but
encouraged as the law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity (Statcan.gc.ca. 2016). Parliament passed the bill of same-sex marriage in 2005 in
Canada and was ranked as the fourth country to do so nationwide without a residency
requirement (Statcan.gc.ca. 2016). This in mind, census figures saw same-sex married couples
nearly triple between 2006-2011, while the number of same-sex common-law couples rose 15%
(Statcan.gc.ca. 2016). As a result an estimated 3 in 10 of married couples are same-sex and
undoubtedly Canada is one of the most friendly and welcoming countries for the LGBT
community, hosting numerous events including the Gay and Lesbian Pride March, in which the
current Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau proudly march in this year (SBS News, 2016).
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marches in the gay pride parade in Toronto (Getty Images, Toronto Star)
Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/agenda/article/2016/07/05/justin-trudeau-leads-way-toronto-pride-parade
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11. TREATMENT OF IMMIGRANTS AND FOREIGN RESIDENTS
Canada’s position within the cultural influencers of the world means that it is often visited by
citizens of other nation states around the globe. Its position on a global scale is represented in the
percentage of its permanent population that originate in other countries with 20.6% of the total
population originating in another country. Sitting atop that list is the United Kingdom with
almost 10% of total immigrated population (Statistics Canada, 2009). This can be attributed to
their position in the commonwealth, making for an easier shift for the individuals logistically.
The fact that both countries are part of the commonwealth also ensures a shared set of values and
philosophy amongst the people and governments.
Sitting below the United Kingdom in terms of immigrants from overseas now permanently
residing in Canada are China and India. However, this is not uncommon for established Western
countries, as citizens of China and India often immigrate to reunite with family members and
increased job/financial prospects.
Canada’s immigration system is different from other nations in that it is based on points and not
quotas set on how many people from each country can come per year (Workpermit.com, 2016).
The points are given based on the various qualities of the applicants. Points for language,
professional skills, current wealth and ability to set up a business are awarded, with a higher
amount of points ensuring a larger chance of being allowed to settle in Canada (Citizenship and
Immigration Canada 2016). Because of this, Canada has been able to build a population of
immigrated skilled workers.
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12. Source: ​http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/06/29/canada-citizenship-test_n_7691146.html
In summary, the benefits of the Canadian immigration system rely on the fact that they do not
see immigration as a burden on their economy, instead they use the opportunities available to
those who immigrate as a way of enticing skilled workers into the country. Their willingness to
settle people from other nations has allowed them to have the highest percentage of the
foreign-born citizens within the G8 (Statistics Canada, 2011).
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13. SPORT CULTURE
Canada has a rich sporting culture that continues to develop globally, encouraging their proud
values of work hard, focussed discipline, teamwork and respect as seen through their large
sporting events, team comradery and vast employment opportunities. This culture allows viewers
from Canada and across the globe to share knowledge, lessons and stories to encourage further
development and progress.
Of particular reference, it is hard to ignore the sport of Hockey in Canada, which has become
characteristically Canadian, seen as one of Canada’s greatest and most wide reaching exports
with year-round media coverage and a strong community and international following (Martin,
2011). Statistics also suggest it is not just a sport to watch with over 500,000 women, men and
children registered to participate each year in organised hockey throughout Canada and at a
professional level, Canadians make up over 50% of players in the NHL, more than 2.5 times the
number of American players in the league (Martin, 2011).
Through the continuous promotion of sporting events and Government funded assistance,
Canada provides several initiative programs which enable athlete, industry and sporting
development. This further creates opportunities for Canadians to get involved in a large variety
of sports and sporting related events. Programs such as the Athletic assistance program (AAP),
Sport Support Program (SSP) and the Host program (HP) were developed in association with the
Government in order to further progress the success Canada has had within sport.
In 2010 it was found that the Sports industry accounted for 105,000 jobs within Canada. Of that,
90% (93,200) were direct sporting jobs and the industry also contributed 12,000 jobs that were
non-sports related to the economy, such as aiding a sporting event. This job spike further
encourages and aids the Canadian economy and tourism industry.
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14. CONCLUSION
The preliminary assessment report underlined Canada as an optimal location to host the 2026
FIFA World Cup. Proudly presenting their culture values in freedom, respect and unity, the
report explored the Canadian way of living, stereotyping, gender equality, the LGBT community,
treatment of immigrants and foreign residents and the Canadian sport culture. Given the positive
international reputation held by Canada, attendance of the FIFA World Cup would present
benefits for both parties, boosting the Canadian economy and tourism industry, as well as
providing a safe and welcoming environment to further encourage FIFA fan attendance.
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15. REFERENCES
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https://brocku.ca/international-services/international-student-guide/general-information-on-canada#Canad
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CBC Sports, 2007, Canada sets U-20 World Cup attendance record, viewed 26​th​
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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/canada-sets-u-20-world-cup-attendance-record-1.659028>
CIA, 2016, ​Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook - Canada, viewed 27 October, 2016,
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html>.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2016, ​Citizenship and Immigration Canada - FAQ, viewed 22
October, 2016, <http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/>.
Durhamimmigration.ca. 2016, ​What are Canadian Values?, viewed 27 October 2016,
<https://www.durhamimmigration.ca/creating%20community/Pages/WhatareCanadianValues.aspx >.
Global Affairs Canada, 2014, Policy on Gender Equality, viewed 27​th​
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x?lang=eng>
Government of Canada 2015, ​Canada’s Commitment to Gender Equality and the Advancement
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<http://www.international.gc.ca/rights-droits/women-femmes/equality-egalite. aspx?lang=eng>
Human Development Report, 2015, ​Table 4: Gender Development Index (GDI), viewed 27​th​
October
2016, <http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GDI>
Martin P 2011, "Hockey and Canadian culture | Paul W. Martin", ​Paulwmartin.ca, viewed 31 October,
2016,
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Shedruk, A 2014, Soccer vs. hockey: Who plays what in Canada, Macleans, viewed 26​th​
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http://www.macleans.ca/society/the-good-ol-soccer-game/>
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16. Statistics Canada, 2016, "Travel and tourism - Statcan", ​Statcan.gc.ca, viewed 27 October, 2016,
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SBS News 2016, ​Justin Trudeau leads the way at Toronto Pride Parade. Viewed 27 October
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