| Happy Birthday Canada |
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| Thursday, 01 July 2004 00:00 | |||
 When we owned a resort in Ontario our guests were an even mix of American and Canadian vacationers. It was my observation that our American visitors were far more demonstrative of their pride than we Canadians were and I often wondered why.
Personally, I think we live in the best country in the world and now more than ever, I am even more proud of it. I love our climate, from the temperate seasons on the west coast to the deep freezes I have experienced in Ontario. We have a beautiful array of flora and fauna, geography, wildlife and waterfront with our oceans, rivers and lakes. Our population is made up of a diverse cross-section of dozens of cultures from all over the world. We are relatively civilized, enjoy freedom of speech, live in a reasonably safe environment where murders aren't a common everyday occurrence and we aren't at war. If I am proud, then I know there are millions of other Canadians that feel the same way, yet we don't make a huge spectacle of it.
I think Canadians, on the whole, are more subdued, less flamboyant and quieter than our southern neighbours. We don't have the need to beat on our chests, brag about our accomplishments and attract attention. I think we are as proud just not so noisy about it and I like that. I admired the American pride during the 9-11 tragedy because it surely helped get them through the horror united, but sadly their "arrogance" has also hurt their image worldwide. We may not go around "blowing our horns" but we love this great country and have rightfully earned the respect from many others.
Happy Birthday Canada!
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