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Jul. 1st, 2007
Happy Canada Day!
Jul. 1st, 2007 03:14 pmIt's also Memorial Day here in Newfoundland, but not being a native Newfoundlander, Canada Day is my impression of July 1st. That may change. My country is a hundred and forty years old today and this summer marks the twentieth anniversary of me being a Canadian; I became a citizen at three and a bit, and reaffirmed it by taking the oath when I turned eighteen and could truly understand what it meant.
There are things I don't like about Canada, yes - our vaunted public healthcare is woefully underfunded and overstretched, for one, and the government is not the one I would have voted for - but overall, I am so very glad this is the place my parents chose for my home when I was a baby. We HAVE a public healthcare system. I have the right to vote (and make use of it!). I live in the sketchiest area of my city - and have absolutely no qualms about walking home from the bars at three AM by myself (granted, this is not true for every city in Canada - St. John's is special). My friend John is welcome to marry his boyfriend Andy, should he choose to; and yes, there are people in Canada who would oppose that, but the government doesn't, and I'd believe that the majority of the population wouldn't, either.
Canada is big enough that there's a place in it for pretty much everyone, regardless of taste; we've got mountains, prairies, forests, desert (okay, the world's smallest desert, but hey), artsy cities, industrial cities, suburbs, farming areas, the world's longest coastline.
As far as public global opinion goes, I'd say that if we even came close to living up to our publicity, religions all over would suddenly die off - who needs a concept of Heaven when there's Canada? ;) (No - we don't live up to our publicity. But I think eventually we will.)
There are things I don't like about Canada, yes - our vaunted public healthcare is woefully underfunded and overstretched, for one, and the government is not the one I would have voted for - but overall, I am so very glad this is the place my parents chose for my home when I was a baby. We HAVE a public healthcare system. I have the right to vote (and make use of it!). I live in the sketchiest area of my city - and have absolutely no qualms about walking home from the bars at three AM by myself (granted, this is not true for every city in Canada - St. John's is special). My friend John is welcome to marry his boyfriend Andy, should he choose to; and yes, there are people in Canada who would oppose that, but the government doesn't, and I'd believe that the majority of the population wouldn't, either.
Canada is big enough that there's a place in it for pretty much everyone, regardless of taste; we've got mountains, prairies, forests, desert (okay, the world's smallest desert, but hey), artsy cities, industrial cities, suburbs, farming areas, the world's longest coastline.
As far as public global opinion goes, I'd say that if we even came close to living up to our publicity, religions all over would suddenly die off - who needs a concept of Heaven when there's Canada? ;) (No - we don't live up to our publicity. But I think eventually we will.)
