To be Canadian is to be part of a nation with history and stability. As of July 1, 2017, our country will mark 150 years of nationhood, a far cry from so many unstable countries, which change their names every few years after yet another revolution. Like a solid three-legged stool, even our tri-syllable name has a stable quality to it: Ca-na-da. Say it loud and say it proud!
To be Canadian is to know space, in an uncrowded, unhurried, and non-competitive sort of way. Those looking for a downtown parking space might not agree, but don’t we all know in our hearts that wide-open spaces await us just an hour or so away? Thanks to our vastness, major transportation routes, like the TransCanada Highway, our national railway, and the St. Lawrence Seaway, have become familiar necessities, as have airports connecting us to each other, the USA, and the rest of the world.
Unlike our southern neighbour, to be Canadian is to have the right to universal health care. We too often take this for granted for the simple reason that Canadians don’t have to worry about how we are going to pay for a doctor’s appointment or a visit to the emergency room. It’s a beautiful thing to be supported in this way when we are at our most vulnerable.
To be Canadian is to know the four seasons fully and completely. Every three months we are reminded of our resiliency and how to gracefully accept change. And because of our four seasons, Canadians know water up close and personal in all of its three forms. As a liquid we appreciate our lakes, rivers, waterfalls, seas, as well as rainfall to water our crops and gardens. Its solid form, ice, gives Canada her reputation as the Great White North and is the reason for our hockey legends Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, and even Tim Horton whose name we now associate with coffee and donuts. For those who live along the Great Lakes or our amazingly long coastline, you’ll know what humidity and bad-hair days can be like in the summer.
In Canada, thanks to environmental laws, we have the opportunity to know what clean air, clean water, and clean soil is like. But, we have more work to do on this front, for all Canadians should know what this is like wherever they are and wherever they go. Winona Laduke, an American aboriginal environmentalist, economist, and writer said it best: “Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you an activist.”
It is with great pride that I mention our national parks, which, of course, conserve some very special places in their natural state for generations to come. These patches of land are like a little piece of heaven for our indigenous plants and wildlife. And, they’re a little piece of heaven for us humans, too. Establishing more little pieces of heaven in Canada would be smart, I think.
Perhaps most important of all, to be Canadian is to know freedom. Freedom of religion, race, speech, sexual orientation, political leaning, you name it. And what’s most special about all this freedom is the opportunity it affords. To be born in Canada gives a child the opportunity to become anything he or she wants to be. And to become a citizen of Canada later in life does the same. It may not always an easy road or a linear journey, but the opportunity is always there. How great is that?
Cherishing all the blessings of our Canadian nationhood—now that’s in our best interest.
