Canada: Let's push for more than just polite in 2017

It's time to take a hard look atour national story.

As Canada marks 150years since Confederation, we have a unique opportunity to refresh our national image; a chance to reflect on our history, assess our presentand forecast our future insurprising newways.

Beyond wornout quips about our politeness as a people, we might explore how a national identity is established in the first placeand how ours is evolving. Or sort through national stereotypes to separate the enduring from the outdated. Or predict which living Canadians will be remembered in 150 years time and, in a global exchange of ideas, where Canada might take the lead.

With these questions in mind, we are excited to be runningCanada 2017,CBC'syear-long project to mark Canada's sesquicentennial.

More than flags and fireworks

Beginning withCBC's first nationalNew Year's broadcast since the kickoff to the sesquicentennial, we started the year reflecting on where we are as a nation, from our greatest achievements to our greatest challenges.

There will be room for both the celebratory and the critical, the fresh and the familiar, the playful and the philosophical.

CBC'sCanada 2017team will curate content from across the CBC universe great stories and special projects from across television, radio and digital.

While we will primarily focus on stories about the present and the future, we will also heed the warnings, triumphs and lessons of the past.

And when confronting challenges facing the country,we will point to many visions of where we might go from here.

What's your story?

Most of all, we want to hear your personal stories.

Our mission is to represent thebroadest possible range of perspectives, particularly the unique, surprising and seldom heard from.

We'll be joining and starting conversations, exploring many versions of Canadaand asking lots of questions.

(What about Canada delights and inspires you? What about it bugs or worries you? Have you ever experienced culture shock within Canadian borders? Do you have your own "only in Canada" story?)

Every story is a potential springboard into a bigger discussion, as we drawsomething deeper from our personalpersonal passions,regionalperspectivesandeven our politicaldifferences.

We humblyinvite all Canadians to join usand make 2017 the year wetake a closer look at each other.