Canadian values

Canadian values are the perceived commonly shared ethical and human values of Canadians. The majority of Canadians believe they share specific values, with a plurality identifying human rights, respect for the law and gender equality as collective principles. Canadians generally exhibit pride in equality before the law, fairness, social justice, freedom, and respect for others; while often making personal decisions based on self interests rather than a collective Canadian identity. Tolerance and sensitivity hold significant importance in Canada's multicultural society, as does politeness. Historian Ian MacKay associates Canadian values with egalitarianism, equalitarianism and peacefulness.

Canadians typically tend to embrace liberal views on social and political issues. In Canada the idea of a "just society" is constitutionally protected, with government policies—such as publicly funded health care; higher and more progressive taxation; outlawing capital punishment; strong efforts to eliminate poverty; an emphasis on cultural diversity; the legalization of same-sex marriage, pregnancy terminations, and euthanasia—being social indicators of the country's political and cultural values. Canadians express pridefulness with the country's military peacekeeping and the national park system and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Political scientist Denis Stairs connects values with Canadian nationalism, noting Canadians feel they hold special, virtuous values. Canada promotes its domestically shared values through its foreign relations participating in multiple international organizations. Numerous scholars have tried to identify, measure and compare Canadian values with other countries, especially the United States. However, there are critics who say that such a task is practically impossible.

Despite Canadians progressive views, ongoing societal challenges exist, including what has variously been described as neglect, indifference and human rights violations of marginalized groups; such as the treatment of Indigenous peoples, profiling of visible minority, poverty faced by those with disabilities, concerns with the treatment of migrants and refugees and the freedom of religion and language expression in Quebec society.