Sunday, July 01, 2007

Oh! Happy Birthday...er...Dear Canada

Oh Canada, our home and native land
How quintessentially Canadian, how typical it is that we see ourselves needing to celebrate our presence, our being, our 140th birthdate of existence as a country, a nation. A reminder to ourselves that we are here; we wouldn't know it otherwise? A gentle prod at the world outside to nudge them into recognizing us? We haven't been around since forever, like China, India, Egypt, but then we aren't exactly brash newcomers to the world of geographic, political, economic nationhood, either.

Still, we're sufficiently insecure that the federal government sees fit to dole out "Celebrate Canada" funding for festivities to enthuse the population. And don't we go cross-eyed when we become aware that one province alone, she who celebrates herself as a nation within confederation, receives over half of the funding meant for the entire country. Because, it would appear, unlike most other provinces and territories of this great land, Quebec will not itself fund Canada Day events. It celebrates fete Nationale, and itself as a sovereign entity.

And we're so anxious as a nation about ourselves that we're thrilled to pieces to read the results of a 2007 GlobeScan international survey of people from 27 countries which ranked Canada first in positive influence within the world. As for us, we're keen on Japan, Britain, France and Australia, while faulting North Korea, Russia and Iran; stick Argentina in there as well. We're also a tad nervous about our relationship with the U.S. But look, 54% of respondents worldwide give us thumbs up. The 14% that consider us a negative influence in international affairs are clearly misguided fools.

True patriot love in all thy sons command
Don't we love this land of ours; the second-largest land-mass in the world is ours. We're blessed with vast boreal forests, mountain ranges and fresh water lakes throughout this country. We have an abundance of natural resources which we extract and utilize. Our vast prairies enable our farmers to grow the world's finest wheat and grains. We live with an incredibly diverse geography and weather systems. We boast of a universal health care plan that effectively ensures this population's health and well being are well cared for. (Notice "timely" was left out of that. Of course, it's also a great pity that despite our excellent universality we suffer an insufficiency of health care professionals, so that a surprising proportion of the population has no regular access to a personal family physician.)

We have an educational system, from the primary grades to our outstanding universities and other institutes of higher education second to none. We graduate more young people from university than any other country in the world. (Sssh! we won't mention the surprisingly large number of Canadians, despite that, who are functionally illiterate and innumerate; who do they think they are anyway, swimming against the positive tide?)

We celebrate this country's diverse population of communities. Encouraging people from countries whose traditions and social mores are quite unlike ours, to cherish their heritage and continue practising what is familiar to them. Without, alas, encouraging them at the same time to integrate more, be more accepting of the values and mores of the country that has embraced them. Aren't we diluting ourselves, our values, our certainty of who and what we are? Don't we owe it to ourselves, let alone those whom we welcome to our shores to trumpet our achievements and history and invite our new citizens to truly join us as Canadians?

Don't we have reason aplenty to love this country, that offers its people the comforts and assurances that all nations aspire to. Our mandate to ourselves is peace and prosperity, observance of universal laws of humanity; to uphold our core values of tolerance, freedoms, respect for civil authority, the embrace of diversity and egalitarianism. All enshrined in our Constitution.

Held dear to our hearts.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise the True North strong and free
We have never faced an external threat later than 1812, now enjoying amicable relations to that great nation to the south of us. Which, needless to say, doesn't give us reason to believe this state of grace will continue forever. For we, as a nation of 33 million with vast fossil fuel and fresh water resources are being encouraged to "share" more, more often, more bindingly. It may not exactly be in our own national interest to do so, but we might be persuaded that it may become in our national interest to do so. Very nervous-making.

We would rather keep the peace than break the peace. This is our national psyche. We are a nation of peace lovers. Anti-militaristic by choice, sweetened by the kindness of geography and the true conviction of the sheltered.

But imbued with spirit and courage, sufficient to battle when the need is upon us and in the process prove that sad but occasionally-required capability to garner respect; self- and from external observers representing our political, and historical partners in world affairs. While also reserving for ourselves - as should any sovereign entity - the right to remain neutral or non-involved, should we see the necessity of it.

Ourselves perhaps free for now from outside aggression and the subjugation of our people, but sensitive to the furore beyond our shores where tyrants belittle the lives of their populations and where geographic unease of territorial ambitions continually shatter the peace and lives of countless others of this earth's inhabitants.

From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee
From sea to sea to shining sea; from the Atlantic provinces to our Pacific shores, up to Nunavut and beyond, our destiny is realized as a community of communities coming together for the common purpose of fostering good will and understanding among ourselves, of instilling in our children love for the land, and purposeful stewardship of that which we hold dear.

A beacon unto ourselves well before we see the outside world looking toward our experiment-in-life that is the absorption of peoples themselves from far and wide, with their various traditions and heritage.

From far and wide O Canada, we stand on guard for thee
And feeling the shame of past injustices, many of which continue to this day, although we collectively seek to ameliorate the results. While embracing new citizens to this nation from countries as diverse as Poland, New Guinea, Sierra Leone, China, New Zealand, Indonesia, Pakistan to swell our ranks and further their individual aspirations, we're aware of our failures. Our First Nations people remind us, lest we forget.

And lest we forget how tenuous peace and the comforts geography confer upon us, we are reminded from time to time that our complacency in accepting for ourselves sovereignty over our great white north, often seen by ourselves as a metaphor for what Canada represents, can itself be a subject of debate.

Vast mineral resources and the potential for alternate fossil energy fields are thought to reside in that frozen north which Canada has long considered its own. Not for exploitation purposes but for the purpose of protecting its presence, respecting its nature, seeking answers in its purpose and ours.

It may very well soon be under siege by competing international interests, as we enter a new age of environmental change that would see the vast expanses of permanent ice relent, allowing shipping through the formerly frozen fastness. And with that potential comes the inevitable onslaught of competing claims for sovereignty.

Then we'll see what historical antecedents has in store for the future. As mankind continues its battle for territorial expansion, facing the inexorable squeeze of rising demands for resources at the very time that current resources begin diminishing.

But we stand on guard.

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posted by Pieface @ Sunday, July 01, 2007

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