Identity

138 years ago, our forefathers invoked the British North America Act, thus giving birth to Canada.

First of all, I would like to wish all Canadian readers a Happy Canada Day. I hope you take a few minutes out of this day to consider what it means to you to be a part of this great country.

Most Canadians celebrate Canada Day much in the same way Americans celebrate the Fourth of July: Barbecues, family, copious amounts of liquor, and the detonation of numerous small explosives. Apu was right: "Celebrate the birth of your country by blowing up a small piece of it".

In a lot of ways, I am guilty of taking the 1st of July for granted. I sleep in. I tend to avoid the Canada Day celebrations that Government Grants spend millions on so we can get teary-eyed and patriotic one day per year. I avoid the crowds and the hot weather. I do, however, take some time and reflect on what Canada means to me, and consider how proud I am to be a Canadian citizen.

This is not saying that Canada doesn't have a few skeletons in the closet. Our country has made a few blunders in its' day, like the Japanese Work camps during the World War II era, for example.

With respect to Canada, as a country, and as a world leader in peacekeeping activities, and protecting human rights everywhere, I think our merits far outweigh our blemishes.

We are a multicultural society. We believe our strength and character is defined in the tolerance, acceptance, and celebration of all cultures. We let our citizens practice the customs of their indigenous cultures; we let them practice any religion. We let our citizens speak any language they choose. In a sense, Canada is identified in the fact that we have no collective identity.

Canada is a peacekeeping nation. Though our military has been much stronger in the past than it is today, we have one of the best-trained, capable military in the world. We have only fought in two major wars, but now our presence has been shown through humanitarian efforts. Our soldiers are part of the UN peacekeeping military, providing food and medical supplies to refugees of war. Even though we did not participate in the 2003 Iraq war, we have been involved in the rebuilding efforts of the last few years.

Contrary to popular belief, Canada is also a socialist nation. Our greatness of our country is also defined by the social programs our government have implemented, including (but not restricted to) free education and subsidized health care. These two programs alone allow every citizen to earn a living wage and live long lives. The only trade-off these programs have is that we are taxed -- but I consider it a small price to pay for the overwhelming benefits we each receive.

The best way to come to terms on what Canada means to you, is by talking to people. I would suggest finding a young adult, and a war veteran, and ask them both what Canada means to them. I bet you would get surprisingly different responses.