Canadians have every right to celebrate our special day
By Lethbridge Herald on June 30, 2023.
Tomorrow is July 1, the day we celebrate the founding of the country we call Canada, the country we call home.
As every year, many will feel there is nothing to celebrate due to injustices done to Indigenous peoples through the conduct at residential schools and ongoing discrimination towards them.
The LGBTQIA+ community is still being discriminated against by some in our midst and like our Indigenous friends and neighbours rightfully deserve to be respected.
But is discrimination as widely spread as we are being led to believe?
Have Canadians not come to a better understanding of minorities and apprecation for others in this country?
Are the majority of those who aren’t part of the Indigenous or LGBTQIA+ communities biased and prejudiced in their opinions and actions?
As journalists our job is to question everything and everybody – nothing and nobody is above that.
We often have to walk on egg shells when it comes to handling certain issues and stories because we risk ourselves being accused of racism and bias, accusations which most often are blatantly false and inflammatory.
Nobody in this world is above questioning or criticism, just like nobody is below praise and acknowledgement for their contributions to society.
People of many different races, sexualities and religious beliefs have played important roles in the development and growth of Canada for which we have every right to be proud to call our home. We have many reasons to celebrate Canada Day.
Those who insist injustices are daily being perpetrated by every element of Canadian society are perpetuating a falsehood. People with political and social platforms need enemies to retain in power and to push their ideologies and beliefs. Some will do so without any recognition or acknowledgement they are not being fair and truthful with their followers.
Power is about control. From religious and political leaders to social justice advocates, the loss of power is a real possibility if they can’t control the narrative they want broadcast regardless if there exists any truth to that narrative.
We are in a dilemma here – our country has become so angry that speaking out for fairness can subject a person to accusations of intolerance and worse.
We in the media know that all too well. Many media outlets have quit pasting their company logos on vehicles, some journalists may feel compelled to hide in the background while covering events because there exists a false idea we are biased no matter what we write or broadcast.
This country will not continue to flourish – it can’t – without journalists. We are the conscience of our communities whose job is to hold all – not some – but all – accountable for their actions and their words.
But some in our country feel they are above that. This notion is patently false.
If this wonderful country of ours is going to progress, we need to understand that nobody is above scrutiny.
We need to recognize and celebrate the contributions of all Canadians and on July 1, we can do that by coming together as a community to rejoice in all that is great and beautiful about Canada – which too often we are expected to feel embarrassed and ashamed about. We have no reason for either.
Compare Canada to other countries around the world and you will see how enlightened, how progressive and understanding Canadians are. This is worthy of celebration. Not just on Canada Day, but every day.
20-19
I remember the ranks 20 years ago of why it is great to be Canadian . . . Today when Canada Day comes we now told to repent for the sins of our grandfathers and great grandfathers.
Several times a year we now we Indigenous attacking us on their days that never seem to end such as the Red Dress Day, the Orange Shirt Day, the Reconciliation Day, the MMIWG Day and a March for this and that, yet we are not allowed to celebrate Canada Day, a day when all Canadians could stand together as one and celebrate . . . today it seems non-Indigenous are not allowed to celebrate special days without being crucified for mistakes we didn’t make!
I am tired of it! Fed up! Should we dig up all the terrible things done to the early settlers in this area only 150 years ago . . women and children included. No one is without sin here!
We have paid out or assigned to be paid out over $50 billion in the past few years to compensate for residential schools and land claims and every year we pay over $25 billion to support the Indigenous by way of the Indian Act, not to mention provincial supports for a people that are 1.3 million of a country of 40 million.
We have paid dearly for the mistakes of our past leaders and still get condemned daily and cannot seem to celebrate our holidays that brought unity, but instead sows more division!
What about the rights of the rest of Canadians? Our military is sent over seas with junk because we are paying for sins of people who are no longer alive. The money paid out recently exceeds the military budget!
We pay over $25 billion to support the Indigenous, more than the budget of some provinces, but are constantly attacked and crucified!
Happy Canada Day! Or what is left of what was a great country!
Perfect encapsulation of the never ending attack. I want one day, I am going to take it. Take that all you special interest groups. I had nothing to do with the grievances of the past. I had nothing to do with residential schools. I don’t care what your sex practices are or what you do in your bedroom. Doesn’t need public acknowledgement. In the meantime all you special people enjoy your freedom to do as you please while our military personnel buy their own helmets and buy their own food without reimbursement and preserve your “right” to do so. Get your priorities right.
I guess I left out the fact the Danish military arrives in Latvia, kitted up with premium Canadian made small arms, along other kit purchased from Canadian companies such as night vision, battle helmets, etc., making our troops look like they came from a third world country . . . pretty bad if other nation troops also have plenty of ammunition for target practise and ours are lucky if they can fire a few rounds to sight in theirs.
But I gaurantee they will be standing proud tomorrow where ever they are deployed celebrating however they can, to be Canadian!
Yes they will.