Made in Canada eh!

Canada Day Up Canada Way - Stompin' Tom Connors

Canada is 146 years young. Think about that...it's nothing! People have lived nearly that long. But we have an awful lot to be proud of in this great land. We are a smart, funny, polite nation. Lovers not fighters, I am proud to say that on a world stage our army is a joke. Preserve life and make it better not storm in and take it from others. But that philosophy is only relevant for war. Dying with dignity and abortion are both rights I believe we should have. Sidebar: abortions have been available for a very long time. Like anything illegal or band, where there is a will there is a way. Make it safe and make it a choice. Given the information, people will often make the choice that is right for themselves. Back to the pride of Canada. Consider these: 

Marvels of the Canadian imagination:

1. zipper - or all pants would be elastic waist 
2. wonderbra - every girl loves this support
3. insulin - keeping diabetics kicking
4. standard time - so we know how late the trains are
5. ski-doo - because you can't walk in waist deep snow
6. basketball - we invented it but don't play it so well ;)
7. explosive vapour detector - canaries worldwide are grateful
8. paint roller - spreading beauty one stroke at a time
9. Robertson Screw - have you ever striped a star screw, slipped with a slot? I'll never understand why they are still sold. Trust me...try it!
10. retractable beer case handles - cuz we drink and like our 2-4's they are big enough to accomodate winter mitts  

A tickle to the funny bone or a belly laugh:

1. SCTV - from 1976 to 1983, this little TV show launched the careers of Eugene Levy, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis and Martin Short who all performed, created characters and wrote skits for the show
2. John Candy - SCTV, SNL, Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles
3. Dan Aykroyd - SCTV, SNL, Blues Brothers, Trading Places
4. Seth Rogen - 40 Year Old Virgin, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up
5. This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Kids In the Hall - ensemble TV cast
6. Lorne Michaels - stand up, writer for Laugh-In, producer Saturday Night Live
7. Jim Carrey - rubber faced man starring in Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, Ace Ventura
8. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas - SCTV, Bob and Doug McKenzie (not the Wendy's burger chain founder)  
9. Mike Myers - SCTV, SNL, Wayne's World, Austin Powers, Shrek
10. Leslie Nielsen - understated, subtle comedy that when it hits you you guffaw. Real knee slappers...Airplane, Police Squad, Naked Gun

Medical Marvels:

1. Pablum - original developed as a prevention and treatment of rickets in children
2. T-cell receptor genes - the understanding of T-cells will help in the development of drugs to combat infection, cancer, and transpant rejection
3. Cobalt Bomb - allowing deep tissue cancer radiation treatment
4. Insulin - saving the prolonging the lives of 250 million people (and growing) worldwide who suffer from Diabetes
5. Artificial kidney machine, knee joint, heart - developed in Canada
6. First deep brain stimulation for depression leading to remission
7. Toronto Heart Valve - used world wide to replace aortic heart valves
8. Worlds first pacemaker defibrillator is implanted
9. Discovery of gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis, also genes associated with Lou Gehrig's disease, Muscular Dystrophy
10. Elimination of Polio with the Jonas Salk polio vaccine
11. Universal Health Care - because sickness doesn't discriminate

Yummy Food:

1. Tim Hortons - we didn't invent coffee but we made it better!
2. Poutine
3. Bloody Caesars
4. Beer - we didn't invent it but we made it good! 
5. Ketchup chips
6. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp (when Tims is not in hand)
7. Beaver tails
8. Montreal smoked meat
9. Nanimo bars, date squares and butter tarts
10. Newfie Screech :)

Other things to be proud of:

1. The acceptance of medical grade marijuana. Back in the early 1980's it was prescribed for my brother suffering from cancer but the pharmacy was the street.
2. The acceptance of gay/lesbian/transgender/bisexual rights including marriage. Gay marriage rights since 2005
3. Sing it loud, Sing it proud - Our national anthem is a true reflection of the people - true, strong and brave
4. Our Civil War was basically a bar fight that was led by a drunken and possilby insane W.L. McKenzie and lasted less than an hour. Lovin' last longer than fightin'
5. Our music and musicians may not always dominate on the world stage but the best sometimes stay here and enjoy the prosperity and fame of their country. BLUE RODEO! I've spoken many times of my love of Canadian music that comes from the heart and soul instead of manufactured by electronics and the driven by the $ 

So much more can be added to anyone of these lists. I encourage you to see what else you can find. If you don't agree, I will personally take you on a tour of my small part of Canada and prove it to you. Not that your country isn't good as well ;) but CANADA ROCKS!

Canada's Really Big - Arrogant Worms

But nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Having just come back from a quick sight-seeing tour of New York City, I have a few observations. I was quite surprised to notice while shopping that card-chip technology for credit and debit cards was not widely available in the shops we visited. Albeit, it wasn't national chains that we frequented nor was it shops that were readily found in Canada. Speaking to one cashier, she said that many of the smaller retailers had imposed other security measures instead - like matching photo id to credit cards. It may be a few years for 
But I was pleasantly surprised to see that despite the congestion of bumper to bumper traffic there was still room to carve out dedicated bike lanes. The lanes were already there, it just took a commitment and some paint. Bike sharing seems to be growing in popularity since my last visit several years ago. I shake my head in disgust every time the subject is brought up for the city of Toronto. In 2009, Jarvis Street got dedicated bike lanes and they were well travelled. Then people complained that their commute home took 2 minutes longer and they were removed. The costs involved would blow your mind. Another Rob Ford blunder! 

Like it or not, a large percentage of our consumer goods in Canada are at least in part manufactured overseas where labour is cheaper. At the cost of lost jobs, we are able to pay less for products. In the interest of environmental health I am opposed to the uncalculated cost to the health of the planet, shipping consumables from so far away. If I had the financial ability, I would likely shop with more consideration for the labels and country of origin. But of course that poses a whole new problem since often times Made in Canada does not necessary mean exactly that. Several years ago, consumer affairs show Marketplace brought this issue as a a concern to the government. There have been changes made to put some teeth in the legislation. 

Product of Canada label will mean that 98% is domestic product and processing and labour are completed nationally as well. So for at least food products we can feel secure.

Made in Canada means that a major transformation to the product was done on Canadian soil. So coconut oil could be made in Canada, even though you won't find coconuts growing in any maple trees in your backyard. 

Then we can extend our notion of national pride to our backyard and neighbours with confidence while we ensure the security of jobs. 

Immigration is a hot topic for most people but it is very in-your-face in southern Ontario. This area is growing in leaps and bounds and it is disgusting. Green space is gone to new housing developments. From one month to another - a farmers field is plowed over and the corn stalks give way to the billboards touting a new subdivision. Where are all these people coming from? Not other parts of Canada, for the most part. Our borders are wide open and the people paying the price are the hard-working immigrants of a generation ago. Let's face it, all but the native American Indian are immigrants to Canada. But things have changed in the process of immigration. Canada is a big country and we have lots of room for immigration but this area is being raped and razed while our communities are dying a slow death. Like a viscious circle that needs to be broken - more people mean more jobs, more jobs mean more people. The population booms and the working class is not working enough to pay the taxes required to sustain the population in infrastructure, public transit or health care. Just my opinion - don't shoot me. I  would like to see other parts of Canada enjoy some of the benefits of immigration. 

"I am Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. The heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind" - John G. Diefenbaker (13th prime minister of Canada)

Credit where credit is due: http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/canisms.html
http://www.thegridto.com/city/politics/a-brief-history-of-jarvis%E2%80%99-long-running-bike-lane-spat/

My Canada, Your Canada is OUR CANADA

I am Canadian

The whole country it seems is talking about the Shafia family. In case you are in the dark, 3 members of the family (father, mother and brother) were found guilty of first degree murder in the killing of 3 teenage daughters/sisters and the ex-wife in the name of honour. It seems that the daughters were harbouring secret boyfriends and therefore not being subservient to the dominating father. It is the right of the father in this barbaric culture to chose who the daughters shall marry and when. The father was later reported to have said that the "devil should shit on their graves". I can only hope that a worse fate awaits these sorry excuses for humanity.

But I am conflicted. While I applaud the Canadian justice system and the jurors for having reached a relatively swift conclusion to this matter and handing down the recommended 25 years to life sentences with no possibility of parole, that means I will be paying for their survival. As a taxpayer that is. And then we give them a right to appeal - more money spent. These people weren't Canadian, they embraced none of values and morals we appreciate. Send them back from where they came and their backward views are accepted. I don't want their kind to be a part of my Canada. I am not speaking of a specific culture or religion. I am speaking of anyone who does not value each and every member or society as equal. I am speaking of anyone who feels superior to any man, woman or beast and feels justified in eliminating them at will. 

A very real issue came to light in a related news broadcast this evening. As a forward thinking just society, we can teach women that they don't have to tolerate emotional, social, physical or sexual abuse at the hands of family, friends or strangers. We have safe houses for women to seek refuge in. But then what. In the case of family members seeking vengence in the form of honour killing, no stones will be left unturned until they are vindicated. One woman who left an arranged marriage 30 years ago still fears retribution from family members and the whole of the Muslim community who still leave death threats for her. Instead of the Shafia sentences empowering woman to have the courage to stand up and seek justice for themselves, there is a very real possibility that woman will go underground instead of getting help. After all, 4 woman died and they had tried to seek help beforehand. 

The Muslim community was quick to assure reporters that honour killings were not a part of the Muslim religion but rather something that has been going on for generations in the Middle East countries. And on that point I can rant on an issue that has been a thorn in my side for many years. I really don't have anything against immigration and multiculturalism. I would say that I embrace it. After all, as they say the only true Canadians are the Natives that were here long before the Europeans came. I'm one of those Europeans. 

Canada has been referred to as a melting pot - referring to the myriad of cultures that make up this great country. But somewhere along the line, the melting pot got some pieces of gristle in it that refused to melt. They felt that the entire make-up of the dish should change to accommodate them.  For me, this started with the 1990 ruling that the iconic image representing the pride of Canada could be dismissed - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police without part of their uniform. Nothing was sacred anymore. Then there was the challenge to the motorcycle helmet law because a turban couldn't be worn under that either. From a purely selfish perspective, if a collision occurs and injuries are more severe because of the lack of appropriate head gear is that my fault? Helmets are there for a reason. If we don't enforce helmet laws on the roads, will we be able to enforce their use on the ice rink? the baseball field? the construction site? 

How much does Canada have to bend and change to accommodate the few? Most people come to this country to leave repression, depression and religious persecution. People come for democracy, freedom of speech and religion. I don't care what religion, culture or even sexual orientation you are but I don't think that my rights should be trampled on because they aren't the same as yours. Once upon a time people came to Canada to enjoy the benefits and all that it had to offer...not to change it...not to make it into the country they were so desperate to leave in the first place. Open your ethnic stores and restaurants, teach us about your heritage. Embrace Canada as she is and leave well enough alone.

Proud to be Canadian - Arrogant Worms

The following quote has been circulated in an e-mail recently and is attributed to Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier in 1907. 

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith 

Becomes a Canadian and assimilates himself to us,

He shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else,

For it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of

Creed or birthplace, or origin.

But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet a Canadian, and nothing but a Canadian...

There can be no divided allegiance here. 

Any man who says he is a Canadian, but something else also, isn't a Canadian at all.

We have room for but one flag, the Canadian flag...

And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is the loyalty to the Canadian people."

While the words resonate and are pertinent to my above viewpoints it must be clarified that the correct author is American Teddy Roosevelt and the word Canadian has been changed from American. When I read it without the desired emotion, I quickly realized it could not have been Laurier talking about my Canada in 1907. You see, in 1907 Canada did not have it's own flag! Canadian or American or any other country experiencing immigration - the words mean the same! 

Happy "UN"birthday!

What is it with some people who barely acknowledge their birthday? Maybe it is me, but I don't think I am completeely alone. To me, someones birthday is the most important day of the year. The one day to celebrate the life of that person. The one day for people to say "I love you" or just "I'm glad that I know you". I know that happens a lot at Christmas and for some Valentines Day but those are days that commercialism tells us we have to acknowledge our appreciation of people. A birthday is just about you!
You don't have to have a party or be showered in a pile of gifts, but acknowledge that it is your day! Smile that you have survived another year, be grateful for all that you have and let people appreciate you in some small way! You are unique and special!
If all else fails...listen to The Birthday Song by The Arrogant Worms. I guarantee you will smile! :)
Oh and don't forget my birthday! :p