Readers, today is Canada Day, celebrating the enactment of our first Constitution in 1867. In about a month, I’ll be moving back home after five years in, as we say, “the States.” (That’s part of why I’ve been so quiet lately; preparations to de-exile oneself take a lot of time and energy, as it turns out!)
Mine isn’t a perfect country. We have universal health care, it’s true – and I’ve come to appreciate this more and more as I’ve stared down the business end of a COBRA premium – and a quasi-functioning social safety net. We have pretty decent public schools. We don’t yell on cable news quite so much. The tuition in my program is quite low by American standards.
But it’s not all roses. We also have a past rooted in the oppression of First Nations peoples, particularly through the legacy of residential schools. That racist legacy continues to play out today in government inaction about the hundreds of missing First Nations women and girls whose cases the police have dallied to prosecute. And even, just this past week, a present that’s rather messy – the police brutality at the G20 was mortifying and horrible last week.
(Also, as my friends keep reminding me, booze is more expensive.)
Still, after some initial angst, there’s a part of me that’s feeling like it all could be worse. Per Adam Gopnik:
Almost every ambitious Canadian thinks of leaving, because, model liberal country or not, Canada offers a small stage. Once you are gone, the realities of Elsewhere sooner or later sink in — the indifference of the British, the insularity of the French, the occasional insanity of Americans — and the model liberal country looks better and better as a place to go home to.
Happy birthday, home.
(The video is a Canada Heritage Moment, which are a series of commercials that aired in Canada in the 90s highlighting particular moments in Canadian history. This one is about one of the first female doctors in Canada. Making fun of the histrionic acting is a Canadian national pastime.)
[...] direct you to others who have done a much better job at this than I could: Pilgrim Soul from The Pursuit of Harpyness and Renee at Womanist Musings (though, as awesome as she is, I can’t get on board with the [...]
Happy Birthday, Canada! I love your people–your comedians are amazing–and your weather and your temperance and your doughnut chains!
I see your jingoistic video and raise you
Monty Python, lumberjacks and the RCMP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQOMxz-O7Sc
Happy Canada Day!
“…the occasional insanity of Americans…”
As an American, I beg to differ with that remark — we’ve got Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sarah Palin (and the whole teabagging crew), Michael Steele, et. al. Heh — the USA is MORE than just ‘occasionally’ insane.
Oh, Canada! Yay you, reasonable, small-stage nation that you are. As an Australian I feel a weird affinity Canada. Everything you just wrote above could be applied to my home country, down to the exy booze, police thuggery, and self-mockery.
Let’s here it for the modestly progressive nations out there!
[...] since, as PilgrimSoul reminds us, mocking those Heritage Moments they used to run was somewhat of a national pastime, here’s a [...]
Happy birthday, Canada. From a New Zealander, living in Australia, who would like to second what SkipToMyLou said, and add New Zealand to the list of modestly progressive nations.
PSoul, I hope the move goes as smoothly as possible!
I love that Canadian heritage ad – good on Mrs Trout and her compatriots.
[...] And Now For Some Unabashed Jingoism! – July 4 is Independence Day in the US, Canada Day is July 1. [...]