Marks questions the meanings of "Canadian identity" in culture today by exemplifying the increasingly restrictive laws that govern both national immigration policies and what qualifies as "Canadian art" in grant eligibility. The article discusses the case of curator Dr. Aida Kaouk, in relation to The Lands Within Me: Expressions by Arab-Canadian Artists, and the Lebanese Canadian media artist Jayce Salloum's work everything and nothing to exemplify the growing tensions and prejudice against Arab-Canadian artists. Marks advocates for the necessity to privilege the notion of "becoming-Canadian" over being Canadian in contemporary Canadian art that by virtue of its citizenship is able to engage in global political activism.