Next Tuesday, Canadians will embark on a day off for Canada Day.
It is an inconvenience for businesses to work Monday and take Tuesday off, but we are good with that. Some workplaces may even opt to turn it into a super-long weekend. Regardless, it is a day Canadians should honour and we hope everyone will do so – with gratitude.
Many communities will have a formal event to mark the event. For those with cottages or camping plans, the occasion will be a chance to enjoy friends and family.
We do hope some moments of reflection happen, whether gazing into the horizon, enjoying a campfire or even sipping some ice-cold lemonade.
We are so darn lucky to live in Canada. Strife around the globe drives home that point.
The Middle East, Ukraine, portions of Africa and elsewhere are dangerous hotspots where successive governments have made little progress in adopting a peaceful existence that is found here.
There seems to always be tormenting forces in those regions and fighting between factions, leaving the populace on edge. It is no way to live, but they carry on.
Living in this land of plenty as we do, video footage of children waiting in soup lines for rations is heartbreaking. For most families here, whoever gets the last burger or hot dog can be a tussle – while the poor people in war zones are pleading for rations of any kind.
The disparate nature of North America compared with areas involved in armed conflicts is mind boggling – desperation versus indifference.
How lucky we are …
That isn’t to say there aren’t concerns for working families, as we cling to current living standards and face economic threats from our neighbour to the south.
For the first time in a long time, Canadians can feel some confidence in their new prime minister. Mark Carney appears to be taking a leadership role and although he isn’t a Conservative, as some would wish, he is far better than Justin Trudeau in terms of moving the country ahead. Some hope has emerged.
As next Tuesday unfolds and good times ensue, let’s raise a glass to being Canadian – cheers to us!
