Canada Day 2019: A Time to Celebrate, But Also to Reflect

Hmmm,
as we approach Canada Day 2019, can we address some of our fraying edges?

There
is much to celebrate about this land we call home as it approaches its 152nd
birthday. On July 1st, our hearts will swell as we take pride in our
great nation.

We have
the second largest land mass of all the countries in the world. This translates
to the unique geography that we so treasure – from the West Coast mountains and
old-growth rain forest, the wide-open spaces of the prairies and the rocky face
of the Canadian Shield to the rugged shores and windswept beaches of the East
Coast.

We are
one of the most culturally diverse nations on the planet. In the province of
Ontario alone, over 25% of the population is foreign born.

Canada
is a secular and tolerant society. All religions are free to worship as they
wish.

We have
a global reputation as one of the world’s safest, most affluent countries with
low crime and a clean environment.

And, of
course, our very own Toronto Raptors are the reigning NBA champions!

But it
is not all rainbows and butterflies. There are ways in which we fall short as a
nation. It only takes a few minutes of web surfing to reveal them. We need to
open our eyes to these realities and commit to addressing them.

235,000
Canadians experience homelessness each year – 35,000 on any given night. 50,000
Canadians experience hidden homelessness
such as couch-surfing, sleeping in a car or other precarious housing.

1 in 7
(or 4.9 million) people in Canada live in poverty. Precarious employment has
increased by almost 50% in the last two decades.

Our
treatment of Indigenous People – First Nations, Metis and Inuit – leaves much
to be desired. Indigenous people are overrepresented in the homeless population
– 1 in 4 people experiencing homeless identify as Aboriginal or First Nations.

An
estimated 1,200 Indigenous women or girls have been murdered or gone missing –
a sobering fact that some characterize as “race-based genocide”.

Many
First Nations lack access to clean drinking water. 400 of 618 First Nations
were under at least one water advisory between 2004 and 2014.

I am
not saying that we should not be proud of our country. On July 1st,
we should sing its praises loud and clear and unabashedly wave the flag. But we
should also carve out some time to reflect on what we can do better.

Our
well-known Canadian politeness is a metaphor for who we are. But this Canada
Day, let’s commit to addressing some of the fraying edges of that metaphor so
all can share equally in it.

~  Now Available Online
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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