What the actual what? Who even does something like that? By, Mary Scheidegger Adams
Dear 77,301,997 Americans who voted for Trump (and to a few of our ownMAGA-loving Canadians),
Let's take a moment to reflect on who we Canadians actually are, as you mayhave been misled lately. We are compassionate. We are polite. We valueeducation and children, our elders and the vulnerable. We are proud, we arestrong, we are free. We quietly (sometimes not so quietly) go about ourbusiness.
See, being Canadian has never been about shouting the loudest or demandingattention. That’s not who we are. We’re the quiet ones — the ones who shovelour neighbour’s driveway without being asked, who hold the door open, who say“sorry” when you bump into us, and who believe that getting along is betterthan shouting each other down.
We believe in fairness, decency, and looking out for each other — not just hereat home, but around the world. It’s part of why we’ve always been proud to beyour greatest neighbour.
We’ve always shown up for you — time and time again.
From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Korea, from the fields ofFlanders to the streets of Kandahar, Canadians have stood beside you, foughtbeside you, and yes, died beside you during your darkest hours. When HurricaneKatrina devastated New Orleans, we were there. When California burned, we sentour finest firefighters and water bombers. And on September 11, 2001, when theworld stood still, we opened our homes and airports to thousands of yourcitizens, because that’s what good neighbours do. It would certainly neveroccur to us to ask for expressions of gratitude, let alone demand it. Who doesthat?
To be frank, it’s hard — really hard — to watch your president, a convictedcriminal who built his entire persona on insults, cruelty and division, turnthat hostility on us. We’ve been your friend, your ally, your partner — and nowwe’re treated like an inconvenient commodity at best, an enemy at worst.
Now, to the Canadian MAGA cheerleaders telling me to “mind my own brokencountry” — let's take a moment and clear a few things up.
Canada isn’t broken. Do we have problems? Of course we do — name a country thatdoesn’t! But we’re not on the verge of civil war because we can’t even agree onbasic facts. We don’t rally to round up immigrants or people who don’t looklike us, or cheer when our leaders mock the disabled and vulnerable. We don’tvote convicted criminals into office — we vote them out. We don’t cling topolitical labels like they’re our whole identity. We’re Canadian first — notLiberal or Conservative first.
We actually understand how tariffs work. We know that affordable health carefor all isn’t some radical fantasy — it’s basic human decency. We don’tfantasize about dragging society back to the 1940s. And we certainly don’tbelieve the most morally corrupt person on the planet was handpicked by God.Who does that?
We didn’t gut essential health care for millions of people with the stroke of apen. We don’t think lower taxes magically cover cancer treatments or emergencysurgeries when you’ve lost your job. We believe a country is only as strong asthe way it treats its most vulnerable — not how much it worships billionaires.That's morally reprehensible. What the actual what? Who even does somethinglike that?
We didn’t hand over the keys to our government to a bunch of unelectedcorporate tycoons and media personalities. We don’t cling to a 250-year-old gunlaw while innocent children are slaughtered in their classrooms, pretendingnothing can be done.
Canada is respected around the world — not pitied or laughed at. We believe inupholding all of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, not picking and choosingwhich rights apply based on political convenience. That's illegal, and morallyreprehensible. What the actual what? Who even does something like that?
Mind my own business? Oh, I would love to — but here’s the thing: when yourneighbour is a country of over 300 million people, and they’ve put aconspiracy-loving anti-science addict in charge of public health, that’s mybusiness. When your president tears down the economic, military, and tradealliances that keep the world stable, that’s my business.
When your leader openly talks about invading sovereigncountries — including ours — that’s my business. Oh ... that is very definitelymy business.
Dear ones, south of the border. We’re your friend, your ally, and yourneighbour — but we’re not blind, and we are definitely not fools. We’re polite.We’re fair. But we’re not pushovers. And right now? We’re watching. Closely.
Warmly, with kindness — and a whole lot of concern, Canada [image error] [image error]
“Elbows up.”
Shared from FB page of,
Mary Scheidegger Adams, BC Canada
