Hurray — On July 1, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday!
All Canadians should celebrate. Just for fun, I’ll list my 150 reasons for celebration.
- A great place to live. I would not choose another country to call home.
- Indigenous heritage. Canada has a horrible history with indigenous peoples yet, I believe that most indigenous peoples and most Canadians are committed to a more respectful relationship and to reconciliation. We have much to learn and must not repeat past mistakes.
- Stable government based on traditions of Westminster. Sometimes the legislative process is ponderous — yet it works!
- We have a Queen, a Governor General, and a Prime Minister!
- Safe communities. We can walk our streets without worry.
- Diverse cultures. Canada is known as the most multi-cultural country in the world.
- Two official languages. Most Canadians know at least a few words and phrases of each language and almost 20% are fluent in French and English.
- Besides French and English, Canadians speak over 100 hundred languages.
- History of tolerance. Canadians are willing to accept a variety of beliefs, opinions and ideas without animosity.
- Religious freedom. Canadians can freely worship and practise the religion of their choice.
- A universal health care system. Too bad most of us take it for granted until we need it. We have great hospitals with skilled doctors and nurses.
- Maternity leave.
- Paternity leave.
- Generous Social programs including Child tax benefit, Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, and the Canadian/Quebec Pension Plan.
- Laws to enable physician assisted dying.
- Laws to allow abortion.
- A Strong public educational system with most provinces providing education to children from kindergarten to the end of high school.
- Affordable post secondary education.
- Access to world class universities. I’m proud that one of my graduate degrees is from McGill University which is ranked among the top 30 in the world.
- Educated population. The 2011 census data shows that 64% of Canadians have post secondary education.
- Progressive attitudes toward climate change. Canadians understand that global warming is a threat to all of us. It’s taking too long for us to do much about our awareness of the treats to our planet.
- Decent standard of living. On most indices, Canada consistently ranks among the top 10 countries in the world.
- Banff and Lake Louise. Both are examples of unsurpassed natural beauty.
- Great writers. Alice Munro, Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler, Joseph Boyden are some of my favourites. Who do you like?
- Great singers — Leonard Cohen, k.d. Lang, Celine Dion, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie are my favourites. Who do you like?
- Sports heroes — Wayne Gretzky, Sydney Crosby, Catronia Le May Doan, Clara Hughes, Cindy Klassen, Elvis Stoyko.
- Great women’s soccer players — Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmitt, Keisha Buchanann.
- Great women’s hockey players — Haley Wickenhauser rocked women’s hockey.
- Group of seven painters — emulated by artists around the world.
- Great theatre — Shaw, Stratford, Soul Pepper plus Blyth and Huron Country for summer stock productions
- Qu’appelle Valley — who thinks Saskatchewan has hills and lakes?
- Progressive tax structure — Canada has its uber-rich people but there is still a middle class.
- Kim Campbell, our first female prime minister.
- Tourtiere — my favourite dish from French Canada.
- Hudson’s Bay Company — founded before confederation and still a great place for shopping.
- National Parks — preserving natural landscapes throughout the country.
- Maple syrup — every spring Maple sap is changed into this delicacy.
- Maple syrup fudge
- Ice-fishing — too bad it happens in the coldest time of the year!
- Skiing — cross country and alpine can both be enjoyed in every province. The world’s best skiers train at Whistler. Mount Tremblant is a fabulous ski destination.
- Bald eagles
- Loons
- Over 600 First Nations communities within the country.
- Politeness — Canadians wait their turn; Canadians apologize even when they don’t need to apologize.
- Respect
- Terry Fox’s fight to conquer cancer had him attempt to run across Canada with one good leg and a crutch.
- Beautiful flag
Celebrate Canada — Canadian Flag — photo courtesy of Waferboard - CBC — great radio and good TV. Free music app.
- Icebergs
- Potash
- Gold
- Diamonds
- Rocky Mountains
- The Northwest passage through the Arctic Ocean
- Totem poles
- Polar Bears
- Roots Canada — I love my Roots watch.
- Salmon fisheries — on both the Atlantic and Pacific side
- Bannock
- Thunder Bay’s Sleeping giant
- Oil reserves
- The culture and wilderness of Nunavut
- David Suzuki — our famous environmental activist.
- Four distinct seasons
- Saskatoon berry pie. My mother made this treat every year when she picked the Saskatoon berries near our farm.
- War veterans — Too often we forget how many Canadians volunteered to protect our freedom.
- Great Lakes — especially Lake Huron where our cottage is located and where make summer memories.
- St. Lawrence Seaway
- Abundant Mosquitoes — pesky things, but part of this country.
- National rail system — riding across the country in the dome car is an experience to savour.
- Trans Canada Highway — driving across the country is a challenge but there is so much to see.
- Tiger Lilies — the provincial flower of Saskatchewan where I was born.
- Affordable food from local producers.
- Forests
- Poutine
- Butter Tarts
- Beavertails
- Nanimo bars
- Tim Hortons
- Tim Hortons sour cream timbits
- Laws that allow same sex marriage,
- Legalization of pot — planned for 2018
- Stable economy
- Reliable banks
- Loonies and Toonies and colourful bank notes
- Suffragettes — who won the right for women to vote
- Laura Secord and her heroism in the war of 1812
- Laura Secord white chocolate with almonds
- Northern lights
- We say ‘sorry’ even when we don’t mean it
- Tulips on parliament hill
- The real Niagara Falls
- Peggy’s Cove
- Moose
- RCMP
- Saskatchewan perogies
- Snow birds — Canadians who go south in winter but come back re-energized and grateful to be Canadians.
- Canada Geese — sometimes too prolific but beautiful to see in flight.
- Canada Border Service guards that say ‘welcome home’ to Canadians returning from abroad.
- Toronto Raptors
- Skating on the Rideau Canal
- Canadian beer
- Ontario wine
- BC wine
- Newfoundland screech
- Cod tongues
- Gord Downie & The Tragically Hip
- Glaciers
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Toronto’s CN tower
- Canadian Football and the CFL
- Montreal bagels
- Montreal smoked meat on rye
- Robert Munsch children’s books
- Maude Lewis paintings
- Public Libraries — My favourite places with everything from digital borrowing to maker spaces — all free with a library card.
- Anne of Green Gables
- Pauline Vanier aka Madame Vanier and the Vanier family. I had a great career start in a children’s mental health centre named after Pauline Vanier.
- The Canadian Shield
- Sunsets on Lake Huron
- Small town newspapers
- Church suppers
- Local legion halls
- Meat auctions and meat draws at legion halls
- Toronto Raptors
- Progress in building a green economy — wind farms, solar, and geothermal energy
- Robert Banting’s discovery of insulin and what this drug has meant in saving lives
- Canada Goose parkas
- Pacific salmon
- Atlantic cod
- PEI lobster
- Nova Scotia blueberries
- Canada’s legacy as peace-keepers around the world.
- Canadian bacon
- Courageous Canadian soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge.
- Abundant fresh water
- Atom Egoyan’s films
- TIFF — Toronto International Film Festival. I know people who use their annual vacation days to attend all films.
- Hockey
- The Stanley Cup
- Skating as a great winter sport
- James Nasmith — inventor of Basketball
- Fred Penner
- Astronauts Roberta Bondar and Chris Hatfield
- Canadians don’t kill criminals — capital punishment was abolished in 1976.
- Caribana
- Northern Lights
- RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
- Louis Riel
- World class cities — Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver.
Your list might be different from mine but I know in my heart that the world needs more Canada. We’re nice people. We’re generous people. Let’s get over our Canadian modesty and roar “Happy Birthday Canada”