The year-long celebration of the War of 1812’s bicentennial is over, and Canada is $30-million poorer, but many Canadians say they feel no greater sense of affinity for their country as a result of the federally instigated hoopla.

A recent survey conducted by Nanos Research for the Institute for Research on Public Policy asked what types of historic events Canadians believe the federal government should spend time and money marking. The War of 1812, which saw British troops thwart a U.S. attempt to overrun their territory, was not high on the list.

Nor was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee or the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series – both of which took place last year. And the online poll of 1,000 Canadians, conducted Jan. 18 and 19, suggests there is only muted enthusiasm for glorifying the coming 200th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald....