Friday February 27, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
EDITORIAL by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Words matter and should be chosen with care.
Quite understandably the leaders of our country are trying to motivate and explain the approaches to revision of Canada’s economic landscape with words that will make an impact.
The phrase ‘master in our own home’ is not properly achieving that goal.
Can you imagine a female politician saying that?
Just like at the start of the US-Canada trade war period last year — when premiers and others in the economy were saying that their economies would have to push back and “hurt” aspects of the American economy — leaders who use ‘master in our own home” are being tone-deaf to the power dynamic of some households where male dominance is still active or a painful memory.
There are women across this country who did or still suffer from having been under the influence of a controlling male, oftentimes a breadwinner they depended on for themselves or their children. Leaders in this countries must know that intimate partner violence (IPV) is still sadly happening in some Canadian homes, driven largely by the belief or pressures of a man to be the master in his own home.
It would be thoughtful for the prime minister, the leader of the official opposition, and others who use the “master in our own home” phrase to find a new way to express the thought that the Canadian economy seeks to be self-reliant and protective.
Politicians who pay staffers to write things may need to revisit the training and perspectives of their speech-writers, or at least review the material with a broader sociological lens.
Perhaps some historians have pulled this odd rabbit out of an old political hole, in that in 1962 ‘master in our own home’ (maîtres chez nous) was a political slogan from the 1960s Quebec Quiet Revolution representing the desire for Francophones to control their own economic and social destiny. It may have worked for the Liberals in particular back then, but that was a different sociological time and with some distinct political scenarios. Nearly 65 years later, the use of that phrase comes with challenges.
There is no suggestion here that Canada should not determine its own economic and societal fate. But using a phrase that barks loudly of a time gone by is not just ineffective, it shows a lack of due attention to where Canadian society is at today and perhaps even slipshod political messaging — at the very least it indicates a laziness in the belief that pulling a once-useful political slogan out of a previous century and slapping it over the billboard of a strategy in a new century will produce the same or similar results.
The English language is amazingly adaptable and ever-changing with new words, concepts and uses. Good ideas still need a refresh to keep up with the times, and effective use of the English language can be an example of how that is done.
To political pundits the phrase might represent (or remind of a time) when sovereignty and self-determination were emerging and being fortified in one part of this country. Or perhaps they are thinking it will speak to voters in Quebec in a way that is distinct to that part of the country — a dog whistle of sorts. The previous cultural importance of ‘master in our own home’ is getting lost in the translation to English if not actually landing with a thud.
Taking Canada into the deeper complexities of the 21st century is no small feat. Canadians are busy with their daily lives but hope at some level that their leaders are trying to keep up with the mindset of the people they lead and the tonality of communities as we approach the 2030s.
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke has been Editor and Publisher of the Island Social Trends series since 2008 (previously MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, West Shore Voice News 2014-2020, and now Island Social Trends 2020-to-present).
In addition to reporting the news, Ms Brooke maintains a mission to uphold respectful effective use of the English language and to ensure that independent publications maintain a place in the media ecosystem.
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