Well… this is a little late…but yes…yesterday was Canada’s 139th birthday! It is a little odd to me that Confederation took place in 1867 a mere few days before Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4th. I wonder if that was purposeful or was there every intention of doing that? Regardless, it is fascinating to review the past of Canada. Perhaps to the many unfortunate people under the obsession over European history (and of course I don’t mean that in any disrespect…), the fact that we are a very young country makes studying our history so exciting. The fact that we technically free from the bonds of thousands of years of nation-like history means we have the freedom and flexibility to set our own course. Sure, all Canadians have a different background and have family roots drawing upon a great history, however it is not too frequent that Canadians (hyphenated or non-hyphenated) can define their own identity.
Every part of our country continues to push for a permanent piece of that overall Canadian identity, but is there a rush? Not really … the running joke is that Canada’s got snow, beavers and maple syrup (and any other Canadian-ism you can think of…) but beyond that are a people who are thriving in different regions of the country and have an amazing capacity for growth. The only thing that holds us back, continues to be our lack of identity which is an insecurity of our own, but more importantly … the unwillingness to truly understand other regions and our own fear of taking a chance in truly collaborating to create better policies for all Canadians. Of course since we’re all in an uproar over the fact that we either are giving too much money to another region or we’re not receiving enough … we forget the bigger picture. At the same time, politicians end up following our example in order to appease the electorate. While I don’t speak much about my previous work, my brief stint at the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs and my continual study of intergovernmental relations in Canada (despite the fact that i’m no longer working in government) continues to indicate to me why there is a strong federal government in Canada. The Council of the Federation proposed and created by Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, in 2003 has yet to really form a collaborative front versus the federal government. Perhaps once we can figure out our own identity, provinces and its peoples may truly work together for one another’s benefit. Then again, I am an optimist and idealist…
So where am I going with this exactly? Well, I am doing a little soul-searching of my own. I am not sure where i’m going, but that never really bothered me. What has been bothering me is my understanding of myself … I am still unsure of who I am or rather who I should be, if that is even possible. I guess I am fascinated with Canadian history because it is literally a reflection of myself, living contradictions to the extreme, nation-wide misunderstandings and constant internal conflicts. And thus continues my identity crisis!
What keeps me an optimist? an idealist? … ideas … freedom … nature … and travelling !
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