Canada - Know Thyself

A collective national groan was heard across Canada last week. Another Ottawa politician is trying to define Canada by defining Quebec. For the record, Canadians don’t have an identity problem and neither does Quebec. Canadians love Quebec and expect it be respected and defended. Canadians know who they are.

Courage has always been the Canadian way. Bravery created a country out of a northern land. At Vimy Ridge our soldiers did not find courage and strength; rather they brought character forged by the land and sea of their home. When we created healthcare, we were not defining our nation but were instead expressing our belief that we are a people that stands together. In 1972, when Phil Esposito pleaded with Canadians that Team Canada needed our support, the country responded. That Canada-Russia hockey series was just hockey but Team Canada was our team and so it mattered to us. Canadians are clear on who we are. We are a people of northern courage who are committed to each other. We love both the superstars and the weak among us and are determined to play as a team.

We struggle against foreign imperialism, bullying, self-centeredness, separatism, and isolationism (provincialism). Nevertheless, our way is that of the team. As in hockey, the team wins and loses as a team and we are committed to it. We are a people who have chosen to stand together and be a peaceful leader among the nations of the world. Politicians who cannot see Canada as whole, or who champion individualism or a heavy hand, have been given their say from time to time but then they are consistently rejected.

Canadians build each other up and stand together in order to show a better way of life for the world. Those Ottawa politicians, who play semantic games with words like “nation” and “people”, face a people who do not want to be led in the ways of self-centeredness, antagonism, and potentially separation. Rather, we want leaders sworn to respect the country and honour its people(s). We know what we stand for.



(c) 2006 Victoria BC