Oh Canada, Our Home and Imperfect Land
What does Canada Day mean to you?
Our history is not all sunshine and light, a group of pioneers pulling together to build a great nation. Except for the people those pioneers wanted to exclude.
In 2023, we are observing but not celebrating the 100th anniversary of Canada’s Chinese Immigration Act. June marked Indigenous History month, as well as Pride month, men’s suicide prevention month, PTSD awareness month, and many other events helping us assess where our society dropped the ball—or blatantly deserved a foul which wasn’t called--and how we can do better going forward. We know that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, so it is important for us to recognize where Canada failed.
But I want to give Canada the grace that we all need to give ourselves, especially those of us in the legal profession who have perfectionistic tendencies. We have been talking about striving for excellence instead of perfection and I have been thinking about whether we can embrace the idea that Canada is an excellent country, even though it is imperfect (particularly with respect to our history of how we have treated Indigenous people and individuals who were perceived to be “other.”)
Earlier this week, I was listening to As It Happens on CBC radio while driving to work. The host was interviewing firefighters from France and South Africa who were fighting fires in Quebec and Alberta. I learned that when the South African crew arrived, they came through the international arrivals gate carrying a South African flag, singing a capella, dancing, and clapping—see clip here. One of the firefighting chiefs said that the South African firefighters sing their national anthem at the beginning of their shifts. Wow!
Would we, as Canadians other than as an elite team of athletes in international competition, carry our flag proudly on arrival to a new country? Would we gather voluntarily to sing our national anthem? Would we dance and clap in rhythm?
Is South Africa a perfect country with a perfect history? Not at all. Apartheid may be in the rear-view mirror, but state-sanctioned racism was part of South Africa’s history. Yet these mostly Black South African firefighters still express pride in their country—perhaps for how it is trying to overcome its past.
Let’s accept Canada as imperfect and recognize that our politicians and cultural leaders will not be perfect either. Let’s hold them to a high standard, like excellence, which is actually attainable, as opposed to perfection which is not.
Also employing what we know about well-being for lawyers, I would like to suggest that we take a few minutes on Canada Day to think about what we are grateful for. Expressing gratitude enhances our well-being, and as imperfect as Canada may be, there is much good and goodness in our society.
Expressing gratitude can be done in informal ways. I am more of a “grateful thoughts” person than a journal writer. When I perceive negativity and stressful situations, I try to list things I am grateful for in my head. It is easy to feel defeated when we face a challenge--we descend into the vicious cycle of believing that we can’t have a positive impact or complete what is asked of us because the task is daunting, or we worry that we don’t have enough time or resources. But I find that if I engage in gratitude recognition, my belief in my ability to meet the challenge shoots up and my fears about inadequacy fade.
There are a lot of things we would all like to fix in Canada. There is inequality, poverty, sickness, cruelty—the list is long. But there are also strengths: we are a democracy (and we elected all of the governments we like to complain about), we are a leader in quality of life, and we make great music!
Right now, I am on a search for a family doctor. When I moved to Calgary in 1986, I found a doctor who was only a few years older than me. I imagined that she would be my healthcare provider until we both retired, but she retired early several years ago, introducing her patient community to a new family doctor who assumed her practice. This new doctor was much younger than me, so I thought she would be able to see me through most of my hoped-for long life. But after about five years, she opted to leave community medical practice to assume a role in a hospital.
After a few months of searching for a family doctor, I learned that the clinic where my last two physicians practiced had hired a young doctor and I was able to book a meet-and-greet after which he agreed to accept me and my three adult sons into his practice. He was even younger than the previous family doctor so I was sure we would have many years of providing medical care to my family. Alas, he lasted less than two years, opting to work for Telus Health, a private provider.
And so, here we go again. But when I have experienced medical issues or assisted family members with their medical issues, I have found the quality of healthcare to be excellent. This Canada Day, I choose to be grateful for the strength of our healthcare system—imperfect, particularly for me right now—but excellent. If you are like me and are on the hunt for a family doc who is taking new patients, check out AlbertaFindaDoctor.ca where you can register to receive emails from physicians who have capacity.
As a solicitor, originally and now in my executive director role, I do not interact directly with our judicial system very much. I was shocked to learn that week-long civil trial to occur are being booked four years into the future, and of course scheduling cannot happen until all pre-trial procedures have been completed. Is justice delayed in fact injustice? Yet, over the course of my career, a variety of other dispute resolution alternatives have developed which allow motivated litigants to conclude their matters. I choose to be grateful that our justice system has innovated in response to increasing demands.
And as a Canadian, I am not always happy with the outcomes of our elections and how our elected officials proceed to govern. But I vote in every election, and I am grateful for democracy even when I disagree with decisions that are made. I know that in another four years or so, I will have a chance to vote, and that my vote matters even when my chosen candidate or party loses.
We could go a long way down this path. I am grateful that Canada is not subject to a hostile armed incursion, and that a team of mercenaries did not make its way towards our capital city last week. The cost of groceries has increased, but we have access to food, and we have resources, like local food banks, who assist Canadians whose budgets cannot stretch with price increases. Should we do what we can to ensure that groceries remain accessible? Absolutely—we need to pay attention to the Competition Bureau’s recent study indicating that a handful of businesses control our retail food supply industry. I am grateful that we have a Competition Bureau and that this body has identified steps to increase competition and then, we hope, lead to fairer pricing. I am grateful for in local markets and farm to fork groceries.
However you choose to spend Canada Day and the long weekend—whether your office is closed on Friday or on Monday—I hope that you can embrace Canada’s imperfection for one day and celebrate Canadian culture that is meaningful for you. Next week, we can get back to being critical and actively advocating for continuing improvements with a view of making Canada excellent. As lawyers, we are in a position of privilege. Let’s be grateful that we can be change-makers—whatever that means to you--more easily than almost any other sector of our society.
This weekend, I am going to indulge myself in Canadian music, including a big band jazz event! And anyone passing my house may hear some Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Bachman Turner Overdrive emanating from my stereo. If you are looking for something different from your usual musical fare this weekend, have you checked out CBC’s Indigenous music show, Reclaimed? Learn more here.
One of my favourite episodes is called Indigenous Covers, which opens with Attawapiskat artist Adrian Sutherland’s take on Canadian Neil Young’s Heart of Gold, including lyrics in Cree. This is a great entry point for people like me who grew up on Top 40 music played primarily by white men, but who want to experience Indigenous talents. In this episode, talented Indigenous artists sing John Lennon, Donna Summer, Van Morrison, Nirvana, Elvis and Lauryn Hill. Once you discover these artists, you can explore their original music, too! Disclaimer: the focus of this program is Indigenous artists, not Canadian Indigenous artists. The cover of the Bee Gee’s To Love Somebody—one of my favourite songs ever—is performed by a Hawaiian artist. You can also enhance your world Indigenous music appreciation…. |
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