Friday 1 July 2011

Oh. Canada...

I've been absent for a month or so, dealing with family and personal business and taking a break from watching/reading the news and the blogosphere. It's left me feeling quite disconnected from the daily atrocities being perpetrated around me, which is both a nice break and unsettling.

Today is Canada Day. In past years I would have been celebrating and enjoying myself. Not today. I have no patriotism left in my heart.

Make no mistake, I love my country. Canada is beautiful and the people are with few exceptions good, friendly and open-minded. But I have lost all the pride I used to feel when I thought of my nation. Watching recent history, how our government has dragged our good name and reputation around the world through the mud and perverted or ignored our laws and values leaves me feeling ill.

So no, I am no longer a Proud Canadian. When I call myself Canadian I feel not pride but shame, recrimination and dread. For the unjust wars we are helping wage that are not just wasteful but evil. For the policies that *my* government espouses that enrich a few and grind the rest a little further down into the mud. For police that I no longer trust but now actually despise for their corruption and violence against the people. For union-busting. For nonexistent environmental policy. For all of that and more, I am Ashamed to call myself Canadian.

So for me Canada Day is not for celebration. I will spend it mourning and searching for right actions I can take to try and undo all this harm.

Rebuilding the Canada I loved will be a long and arduous task and I don't even know where or how to begin.

My Country is Broken.

And so is my Pride in her.

1 comment:

Luke Bailey said...

Hello,

The Toronto Star is looking for community correspondents for the 2011 Ontario election to report on their communities, and we think you would be a great candidate!

You can read more information and apply by visiting the website below:

http://speakyourmind.thestar.com/


Thanks,
Luke Bailey