Comments on: O Canada

By: Harold Jarche » What is America?

Harold Jarche » What is America? — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:33:01 +0000

[...] Graham Watt. I’ve posted several of Graham’s articles on this blog, the latest being O Canada, so obviously I respect his opinions. For my birthday, Graham gave me a copy of Ronald [...]

By: graham watt

graham watt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:43:50 +0000

Brian, I too get teary when I hear O Canada. But not at hockey games where half the players are from European countries. and not at similar trivial events which
evoke nothing from me. But I cried when I was in Innsbruck and some friends of mine won a gold medal in bobsled, many years ago. I get teary at accomplishment, less so at patriotic showiness. I think one of the great lessons in life is to be try and be a critical thinker, to challenge assumptions, hers, his theirs, and most importantly, my own. To unflinchingly salute the country when
it stumbles or is plain wrong is to adopt the same behaviour of parents at hockey games who see their children’s on ice behaviour as always right, and vocally
trash referees and other players.

By: Harold Jarche

Harold Jarche — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:05:41 +0000

Brian, the national anthem was never banned at the school in Springfield. For almost two years it was played at monthly assemblies and special occasions. Like many other schools in the country, the anthem was not played each morning. The statements made by Conservative MP’s in the House were inflammatory and not based on fact. It is interesting to note that the school Principal was the Green candidate in the last election and campaigned against the current Conservative MP, who is also the Minister of Veterans Affairs. This entire affair was political.

You’re right, too many people in Canada have become “brain-numbed”. The woman who brought the complaint even noted that “The Pledge of Allegiance” is no longer said in school. We don’t have a pledge of allegiance. Canada has an Oath of Allegiance, which has never been required for school children, only officials of the Crown and members of the Armed Forces.

By: Brian Ward

Brian Ward — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:22:44 +0000

Graham, you make some interesting points.

However, I can’t help thinking that the banning of our national anthem is a first step on the slippery slope towards the rescinding of all that we stand for, even though, as you quite rightly describe, we are a long way away from achieving it. As an immigrant, I am very proud of my adopted country, because I believe that, in comparison to many other countries we are leaders, if not in practice, at least in thought. I am happy to sing, tearfully, our National Anthem on any and every occasion.

In regards to us being a ‘smaller version’ of our southern neighbor, I would respectfully suggest that you read the multi-year studies comparing regions of Canada with the United States of America, conducted by Environics and reported on by their President Michael Adams…Fire and Ice would be a good place to start. As the Seattle Times put it “Adams’s findings titillate because they fly in the face of conventional wisdom; namely, that the two similar societies, inundated by the same brain-numbing, body-bloating doses of American reality TV and fast food, will grow more and more alike over time, turning Canadians into ‘unarmed Americans with health insurance,’ as they lie to say up north”

It seems that us Canadians do NOT see ourselves as pale imitations of our US neighbors after all, as the Environic’s studies confirm.