Canada - You Have a Country You Should be Proud Of!

[guyser]

A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem.

Do they get satellite out there? And I hear they have BC Bud...is that like US Budweiser but stronger?

[Sean Hayward]

And just where exactly would a Liberal Canada be without the U.S.?

Answer: Just another THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.

That is completely false and you know it. In my opinion, many of our greatest achievements were done in spite of the US, not because of it.

guyser, you are correct that many Canadians are patriotic and show their national pride. However, there is that group of people that just don't seem to get it, and have the annoying habit of telling us that we're silly every time we celebrate Canada.

AngusThermopyle, I think you are exactly right. People who have lived their whole lives in a country as safe, prosperous and free as Canada sometimes become spoiled and can't see how good they have it. It is very unfortunate both for their sakes and for Canada.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I must weigh in here.

Canada as a nation; well it was the first nation not born in the blood of its own citizens, but the list of Canadian "firsts" is indeed long.

* The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada. In 1576 Martin Frobrisher and his English sailors gethered on a small island in what would later be the Canadian Arctic. They offered prayers and gave thanks for a hectic but safe voyage across the Atlantic. This was followed by a meal of salt beef, buscuits and peas. The very first Thanksgiving!

* The world's first wireless message was received by G. Marconi in 1910 in St. John's (NF).

* Canada is the first country in the world to propose an international treaty to ban the use of land mines, a cause later taken up by Princes Diana.

* With the launching of ANIK A1 in 1972, Canada became the first country in the world to have a commercial geostationary communications satellite network.

* The world's first park north of the Arctic Circle is Auyuittuq (NT). It is also Canada's newest park.

* The world's first steam-driven Westminster clock is located in 'Gastown", a downtown Vancouver (BC) tourist shopping area.

* Canada has the world's first fully-simulated Mars base. Located in northern Canada, the station was built to study equipment and strategies that would be used during a mission to the Red Planet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashline_Mar...esearch_Station

* A Canadian was the first man in the world to create an artificial heart.

* A Canadian was the first in the world to discover light-activated drugs.

* Canada trained the worlds first female jet-fighter pilots.

* Canada was the first to celebrate Labour Day.

[WarBicycle]

Canada is a great country, one of the best and undoubtedly something to be proud of. Those who dislike or even despise their country, well in all honesty, I feel pity for them. It must be terrible to be so self absorbed in bitterness that you cant even see the good in front of your own eyes.

As many here know I spent 20 years in the Armed Forces, during that time I traveled to so many places that I forget a lot of them now. One thing I consistently found and do remember is just how good it is to live on this continent, both Canada and the U.S. When someone whines about how terrible this country is it just tells me that they have no idea at all of what other countries are like. The result of a spoiled and pampered existence during which one has never experienced true hardship or witnessed true oppression. Thats okay though, one of the great things about this country is that we tolerate the spoiled whiners as well.

In my opinion that doesn't have much to do with pride in ones country. I perceive pride in ones country as a seperate entity from pride in ones government.

I did 3 years in the Black Watch and 22 years in the Navy.

[charter.rights]

* The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada. In 1576 Martin Frobrisher and his English sailors gethered on a small island in what would later be the Canadian Arctic. They offered prayers and gave thanks for a hectic but safe voyage across the Atlantic. This was followed by a meal of salt beef, buscuits and peas. The very first Thanksgiving!

Wrong. Natives were celebrating "thanksgiving" long before the the first European misfits arrived here. But again, I'm sure you wouldn't count that because you would think that Natives don't count....

Of course we owe our lives here to native people. Had they not provided the first immigrants with food, clothes, medicines and knowledge they would all not have survive their first winter here. Without their guidance into the interior country we wold never have discovered the vast resources that made Britain and France rich. Had they not share their territories and allowed our ancestors to settle, we would have been displaced before we even got established.

[jbg]

I absolutely endorse the spirit of the title of this thread. Canada, you have a country you should be proud of.

*******

Why is it that an American starts a thread about how good Canada is, and then a Canadian tells him how silly he is to say so? This I find extremely annoying: some Canadians seem to be so modest that they not only rarely celebrate their own country, but they also argue with anyone who dares to say that Canada is worth celebrating. This level of modesty is, quite frankly, ridiculous and corrosive to our society.

To partially answer your first question, on June 5, 1973 the shoe was reversed. Gordon Sinclair delivered a radio editorial on a Toronto Station on his regular program, Let's Be Personal in which he praised the US and lambasted both Americans and foreigners attacking the US. He said, in part (link to full text):

The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since 1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least-appreciated people in all the earth.

As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtse. Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans did.

**************

The Marshall Plan .. the Truman Policy .. all pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent war-mongering Americans.

*********

Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles.

************

There are simply times when an outsider can see things more clearly than a person living in a country, even when that outsider knows little about the country (the case with me). Even as a 16 year old left-winger back in 1973, who grew up on a diet where the likes of such sick puppies as Nixon and Joe McCarthy personifed conservativism and the Republican Party, I believed that what Sinclair said had merit. Enough that it brought tears to my eyes even then, though I would not admit that to my high school buddies to whom, at the time, anything patriotic was poison. The US has been through the anti-patriotic funk. It took the Bicentennial celebrations and ultimately the election of Ronald Reagan to remind us that the US is, on balance, a force for good. I wrote the thread entitled "This is America" (link) last summer; I decided it was time, on a Canadian board, to focus on Canada. I am sorry if I irritated you in any way.

charter.rights, your ideas are poorly conceived. You obviously hate this country, so just brood by yourself in a dark room somewhere and keep us out of it. Thank you.

He would make a good partner with Reverend Wright.

[jbg]

It is my opinion that we fly as many if not more flags than our US counterparts do. I think we dont notice them as much, hence when we travel south we do so with eyes open.

Look at the reception that the KIA get on the horrible named Highway of Heroes aka the 401.

I've noticed quite the opposite when I travel north. I see many fewer flags on private houses and businesses than I do in the US.

[Newfie Canadian]

I suppose it depends on where you're traveling to as well. In my part of the country, the Maple Leaf is fairly prevalent in front of private homes, even with Danny's crusade against Harper. I've found that Canadians are passionate about their patriotism, yet are subdued about it as well. A contradiction it seems, but true in my opinion. As for whether or not I'm proud of my country, DAMN RIGHT I am.

[WIP]

And just where exactly would a Liberal Canada be without the U.S.?

Answer: Just another THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.

I don't like the Liberals either, but Harper is trying to copy every bad idea that the Republicans have tried in the U.S.. I wish there was a better alternative, but in the meantime I'll vote for the Green Party since none of the big three represent my interests.

It seems you're implying that Canada is dependent on the U.S. for its national defence, and that of course is a no-brainer. You can blame the Liberals for killing off our Armed Forces by the death of a thousand cuts, but I was always under the impression that a Conservative government would make OUR national defence its number one priority; not doing odd jobs for U.S. military planners.

[WIP]

To partially answer your first question, on June 5, 1973 the shoe was reversed. Gordon Sinclair delivered a radio editorial on a Toronto Station on his regular program, Let's Be Personal in which he praised the US and lambasted both Americans and foreigners attacking the US. He said, in part (link to full text):

I remember that editorial. It made quite an impact - if I recall it even became a top selling record. Americans seized upon it at a time when they were feeling demoralized by Vietnam, a crumbling economy, and a president embroiled in scandal; but Sinc didn't write it to tickle American ears - he didn't even expect it to played in the U.S.. His purpose was chiefly to remind Canadians about the good things America does in the world that weren't being given as much attention, and to make the point that a real sense of Canadian identity and national pride should not be built on anti-Americanism.

[WIP]

Jesus tried that already (do unto others yadda yadda) and look what happened to him.

Kumbiya bro...kumbiya.

With all the dangers this world faces: from nuclear weapons to environmental degradation, there's got to be some way to get the point across that nuclear fallout, greenhouse gas emissions, other ecological disasters, or even pandemics - don't respect national borders. The survival of the human race will probably depend on the development of some form of global awareness!

[margrace]

I remember that editorial. It made quite an impact - if I recall it even became a top selling record. Americans seized upon it at a time when they were feeling demoralized by Vietnam, a crumbling economy, and a president embroiled in scandal; but Sinc didn't write it to tickle American ears - he didn't even expect it to played in the U.S.. His purpose was chiefly to remind Canadians about the good things America does in the world that weren't being given as much attention, and to make the point that a real sense of Canadian identity and national pride should not be built on anti-Americanism.

Yes I remember Sinclair and that editorial, it was very moving, and he also said, in the preamble I believe, that even thought some Americans did not like his politics, this was how he saw it. The main thing I heard on that piece was how generous the Americans were when help was needed in other countries.

[madmax]

I don't like the Liberals either, but Harper is trying to copy every bad idea that the Republicans have tried in the U.S.. I wish there was a better alternative, but in the meantime I'll vote for the Green Party since none of the big three represent my interests.

Big Three: CPC, LPC and BQ :

[M.Dancer]

I did 3 years in the Black Watch and 22 years in the Navy.

I did 1.5 years in the Watch and 24 in advertising.

[nothinarian]

And just where exactly would a Liberal Canada be without the U.S.?

Answer: Just another THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.

Third world country status was proudly bestowed on us by the Financial Post in 1993 after 9 years of Mulrooney rule - Liberals before them were no better;but after them (Martin)much better (in some measure thanks to Wilson GST and free trade) but also thanks to deep cost cutting

Lets hope Flaherty keeps fiscal conservatism as the main goal but with record spending and trend of US republicans embracing deficiits - as a fiscal conservative I am concerned as is normally conservative friendly Andrew Coyne

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/f...ing-budget.aspx

Deficits will bleed support to Liberals especially if their competent handling of precious conservative deficit is resurrected

[margrace]

JBG as usual, on here, when you try to make a positive point there are quite a few whose income is paid by the people who would dismantle Canada for their own ends. The more this post moves forward the more obvious it becomes who they are and what their motives are.

[M.Dancer]

JBG as usual, on here, when you try to make a positive point there are quite a few whose income is paid by the people who would dismantle Canada for their own ends. The more this post moves forward the more obvious it becomes who they are and what their motives are.

When your taoster or microwave told you this, did it offer any proof you could share?

[jbg]

JBG as usual, on here, when you try to make a positive point there are quite a few whose income is paid by the people who would dismantle Canada for their own ends. The more this post moves forward the more obvious it becomes who they are and what their motives are.

Thanks for the compliment but I'm not quite sure who or what you have in mind. You can PM me on this if you like.

When your taoster or microwave told you this, did it offer any proof you could share?

A proof is a proof.

[Sean Hayward]

I was always under the impression that a Conservative government would make OUR national defence its number one priority; not doing odd jobs for U.S. military planners.

One of the first things Harper did after being elected was to very publicly assert Canadian sovereignty over the arctic, a position which put the Conservatives in direct conflict with US foreign policy. Obviously, Canada and the US are partners and allies due to shared principles and geographic necessity. There is nothing wrong with that. If you are referring to the War in Afghanistan, our soldiers are fighting there because we believe in the cause and it is in our national interest, not because of "US military planners".

[Sean Hayward]

With all the dangers this world faces: from nuclear weapons to environmental degradation, there's got to be some way to get the point across that nuclear fallout, greenhouse gas emissions, other ecological disasters, or even pandemics - don't respect national borders. The survival of the human race will probably depend on the development of some form of global awareness!

I agree, but you don't have to give up national patriotism for global awareness. You can easily have both. Most Canadians have both, as well as a loyalty more specific to their particular region within Canada. The existence of international problems doesn't disprove the existence of national and subnational problems.

[charter.rights]

When your taoster or microwave told you this, did it offer any proof you could share?

Hey I recognize your jealous streak, but you know if you really want to hear the message your toaster and microwave have for you, you'll have to remove your tinfoil hat first. Plus, silver is so out of fashion this time of year....

Now....did you even finally fine tune that radio signal you were getting in your filling?

[Oleg Bach]

Hey I recognize your jealous streak, but you know if you really want to hear the message your toaster and microwave have for you, you'll have to remove your tinfoil hat first. Plus, silver is so out of fashion this time of year....

Now....did you even finally fine tune that radio signal you were getting in your filling?

You will have a great country once the charter is adhered to religiously...at present that only person yet to benefit by the charter of rights was Margret Trudeau..on here drunk driving charge..other than that no one has...and the charter is trampled upon daily by every court in the land. Maybe Margret's long dead husband was a visionary and a fortune telling and knew that the charter he concocted would benefit an aging Mercedes driving drunkard..as far as having a country to be pround of...like I have said repeatedly..with out justice and honesty there is no freedom.

[jbg]

Michael Bluth pointed out a serious omission from the Opening Post. Canadians opened their homes and their hearts to Americans stranded in Canada as a result of the closure of American airspace for about three days after September 11, 2001. The hospitality and generosity are unforgettable.

What more can I say?

[charter.rights]

Michael Bluth pointed out a serious omission from the Opening Post. Canadians opened their homes and their hearts to Americans stranded in Canada as a result of the closure of American airspace for about three days after September 11, 2001. The hospitality and generosity are unforgettable.

What more can I say?

There are good people everywhere but that has nothing to do with the country they are from. Canada has its good days but really there are still more bad and embarrassing days than good. Canada has a shameful record in most sectors of society, from bad policing to criminal injustices, to poor child welfare, to tyrant politicians to abhorrent religious institutions, to corruption and destruction. Those you want to pound their chests like shit flinging apes spend half of their time forgetting the truth and the other half refusing to see it and hear it. The fact is that there is far too much going on in corrupt institutions and government to sit back with a smile on one's face. When we have the majority of Canadians actually back to discussing the injustices and corruption instead for hiding thier ostrich heads in the sand then we can start admiring our fortitude. However, we have a long way to go as too many Canadians are brainwashed to really understand the oppressive state we are in where we feign election successes as we rush to work at median middle income wages that haven't changed in over 20 years, while the poverty wages have dropped and the higher income earners have gotten richer.

Canada is a fake - a ruse and a scam. They take our money and redistribute it to the wealthy and sell our resources to foreign interests at pennies on the dollar. Despite being an oil producing country we are sucked into paying high gasoline prices because someone in the Middle East with obscene wealth says we should. All the while the poverty level becomes so abhorrent that "Canada's New Government" has to fudge the figures that show where the poverty level begins. We think we are doing well and yet fill our homes with manufactured junk produced in foreign countries while our factories are closed because shareholder's profits are down.

The truth is we live in that Matrix where government and corporations suck the life out of us and our children. You think this is life. I suggest that you should have taken the red pill but we all know that far too many of you took the blue one because you are so afraid of the truth.

[jbg]

Those you want to pound their chests like shit flinging apes spend half of their time forgetting the truth and the other half refusing to see it and hear it. The fact is that there is far too much going on in corrupt institutions and government to sit back with a smile on one's face.

****************

The truth is we live in that Matrix where government and corporations suck the life out of us and our children. You think this is life. I suggest that you should have taken the red pill but we all know that far too many of you took the blue one because you are so afraid of the truth.

What is this incoherent garbage supposed to mean?