A Letter Home...
(I was touched by this early Canada Day tribute. This article came from The Globe and Mail. 30 June 2005)
I am writing this letter from Khartoum, where I am serving as a Canadian peacekeeper with the United Nations Mission in Sudan. Being far away from home certainly has a way of making you think about things in a different light and seeing a new perspective.
I have had the great privilege and honour of serving our nation for my entire adult life as an officer in the Canadian Forces. I truly believe that being in the Forces provides many of us with a greater understanding and appreciation of our country than most of our fellow citizens - having the chance to live in different parts of our country, experience regional cultures and integrate with its various peoples. This can be achieved only by living somewhere, as opposed to simply visiting on a holiday. Canadian Forces personnel also travel and live around the world, providing us with an opportunity to compare Canada to other countries. I personally have served on lengthy deployments to the Middle East, the Balkans and Africa, and I have been posted to Europe twice. This life experience has been more than I could have ever imagined.
This leads me to say that we in Canada are living in the most fortunate nation on Earth. When you look at what is important for a happy, prosperous and safe life, we have more than our fair share.
Great people
In general, Canadians are a very friendly, warm and generous people who are willing to do something extra to help others. Good examples are how Canadians acted during disasters such as the Winnipeg flood or the Quebec ice storm, and the generosity of our citizens in the wake of last winter's devastating tsunami half a world away. Observing our soldiers helping the less fortunate on any given mission - be it within Canadian borders or far from our shores - is enough to warm the coldest heart. Canadians also know how to enjoy life, as can be observed at our countless summer and winter festivals. Is there anything better than listening to some cool jazz in the streets of Montreal during that city's incomparable jazz festival, or skating down Ottawa's Rideau Canal during Winterlude?
Good government
Even though we love to complain about the government, and how hard done by we are, we are served by some of the best, most professional and honest governments in the world. I have had innumerable dealings with official institutions in other nations and can recount endless tales of frustration and incompetence. Our government structures and institutions are properly resourced and staffed with well-educated and well-trained people who generally care about their work, which can also be said for our other public institutions such as education and health care.
Welcome immigration
Canada has been incredibly well served by the way it has welcomed immigrants to its shores. Living in Europe has opened my eyes to intolerance to outsiders, which our nation generally does not share. We have made the most progress in the way we accept people and help them settle and quickly become productive citizens. I challenge anyone to find another nation that has done as much as Canada in this regard. These newcomers have brought us so much to improve our society, and we have helped them join us in the best place on Earth. I have met at least a dozen new Canadians serving as UN civilians on this mission who have escaped often horrifying situations by coming to Canada, where they were given a new lease on life. They were able to quickly establish themselves and become productive citizens who are now helping others in a less fortunate part of the world. Without exception, they are all extremely proud Canadians and ever thankful for the chance to improve their lives.
Spectacular landscape
Let's face it, is there anywhere more gorgeous and diverse than Canada? From sunrise at Cape Spear to sunset off the coast of Tofino, from the Prairies to the Rockies, we are blessed with the most beautiful nation on Earth, which provides us endless space and room to grow.
Livable cities
Our cities are beautiful, clean, safe, well organized and very livable. The mixture of peoples living together brings excellent restaurants, arts, culture and business opportunities.
Opportunity
If you want to work hard, virtually nothing will prevent you from getting ahead. There are no institutional roadblocks to prevent anyone from improving his lot in life. Look at our newcomers who arrive here with nothing and make a life for themselves and their families through diligence and effort.
I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful Canada Day with your friends and families, enjoying BBQs, fireworks and our long-awaited summer. Please take the time to reflect on our good fortune as citizens of this great land and thank your ancestors who had the foresight to choose to come here. Last, but not least, think of your fellow countrymen and women who proudly wear the Maple Leaf on their uniforms and are serving far from home, away from their loved ones, trying to make the world a better place - a place more like Canada.
Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Chaloux is serving with the United Nations Mission in Sudan.
10 comments:
Damn, now I want to move to Canada. P says Edmonton sucks(or at least that is how I took the mall comments at Dani's), and Toronto is too clogged with bloggers already. Montreal is, well, French, and I could never root for the Canucks. All that leaves me with is Calgary(Kristen, how is it). I hate rodeos.
What about Ottowa? Looks Purdy.
And then there's Nova Scotia, but that's filled with grumpy scots, I hear (actually, one of my best friends is a, I think, a transplanted New Brunswickian - don't get made at me, that's what Wikipedia called them).
Happy Canada Day
Ottawa is awesome, but you'd better like winters. Fortunately for Larry, there's that lovely canal to use for skating.
I loved Calgary and I'd go again in a heartbeat.
Calgary is GREAT! I was born there and it's a party town. The rodeo doesn't come to town often, but you always get great beef, no sales tax and low, low income tax.
You can also get snow in July, have 80 F weather in February and then the next day, it'll be -40 F.
Come to Toronto. :oP
That's it. I'm moving to Canada. Mossy & Penny, I hope you've got a spare room or something. I'll clean, I'll babysit the Wondertwins, (I can't say I'll cook, because who am I kidding? Unless y'all like grilled cheese sandwiches...daily.) Heh.
That's a very nice tribute. It's funny - when I think of Canada, three words immediately spring to mind: clean, open, and calm. It just seems like it would be lovely. I really need to visit someday.
If I lived in Missouri I'd long for Canada too....
(chuckle chuckle)
DG: If you're handy with drywall, you can help finish the room in the basement where you'd be staying. I'm sure the Wondertwins would have no objection to any variations on the Grilled Cheese themes. I know Penny would never object to assistance with cleaning...
Mossy, i can handle drywall and would love to send the steph a few thousand miles away.
DONE! We'll meet you at the airport! We'll be the couple holding the mop and the drywall tools.
My family is subplanted from Trinidad. My folks had a choice between Canada and the US. The reason they chose Canada was simple: less racism and a welcoming Liberal government (the conservatives were, and still are, less tolerant to non-whites and immigrants). notice I said less, not "none"; let's be realistic in knowing that racism exists everywhere.
The fact was, though the US was refreshingly open about whom hated whom, while Canada hid it well, they also were very open about lynching, shooting, and running over those people they hated as well. Canada was chosen as a safe place for our family to grow and was a better opporunity for a black mechanic to get a job.
Another reason was the educational system. Since both Canada and Trinidad were former British colonies, the school systems were more similar to each other. To this day, kids in Canada will have a better, rounded education than most in the States because we have a more worldly stance than the US. If you ask a student in Canada, they will be able to tell you all sorts of things about the US and other places in the world; this is not as high a percentage from US students about anywhere outside of the US.
If you think that this is not true, I would suggest you check out the show Street Smarts, Jay Leno's street skit and Mercer's Made in Canada. We may not understand the US government set up (hell, we do nto understand out own), but we can identify the President and Vice-President, know the captitol is Washington D.C. and that the White House is not just a porn site.
I was in Long Island, New York some many years ago at a mall. When the heavily accented young lady (who was looking mighty interesting, until she opened her mouth) asked me where I was from because I had a stong accent. I said, "I'm from Toronto." She asked "Where was that?" I said Ontario, Canada?" She said, "Canada? Where's that?"
At this point, I looked at my friend in disbelief and simply pointed up saying, "We're right above you on the map." We then left that area promptly less some of whatever she contracted got on us.
No, all Americans are not that dense, but she was a girl still in school. Living in a state that %$*&^% borders our Country and she had no clue what I was talking about. THAT is a very sad state of affairs.
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