What is the purpose of Canadian Studies? This was the question that was investigated in 1975 by the Commission of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to understand how the government and the universities could work together to strengthen a better understanding of the diversity of cultures in this country. At that time, the notion of area studies began to raise certain attention among scholars and for the government these studies would contribute to disseminating knowledge on the specificities of Canada. Most of this report is about the self-knowledge of Canada which means the way the Canadian universities and colleges covered the question of Canadian identity from a multidisciplinary perspective. There is also a section devoted to Canadian Studies abroad that updates some of the conclusions of the Massey Commission in 1951 on ‘the projection of Canada abroad’ (Symons, 1975, p. 246) which is one of the most important report on the relation between Canadian identity and culture.