This is a long overdue, kind of controversial, semi-political, very personal, idealistic ode to Canada. Happy Canada Day!
Talk about a Toronto girl, my mom was the epitome of a polite Canadian who was the product of an Ontario upbringing in the 1950s. Taking trips to the lake, shopping at Eaton’s, and receiving a rigorous education at Victoria College, University of Toronto, she enjoyed a traditional Toronto childhood raised by two kind-hearted, foreign parents. While my mom spoke with enunciated eloquence with only a slight Canadian edge to her outs and abouts, her parents both sported thick accents from their home countries: Scotland and Germany.
Born during the Berlin blockade, my mom was truly an outcome of World War II. Her father, a British intelligence officer serving with the post-war military government in Berlin, started up a romance with her mother, a German school teacher who had escaped to the West from East Prussia. In 1951, the whole German side of my family and my Scottish grandfather sought idyllic refuge in Canada, where they were all treated with the utmost hospitality. And sixty years later, my great aunt is still in Toronto and will be the first to tell you how appreciative she is of the life Canada has provided.
While Americans cling to this ostensibly outdated notion that they’ll accept the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, Canada is the country that actually lives up to this bold vow. The golden door leads to Canada, and although it inevitably has its own issues to contend with, I can’t help but look to this friendly neighbor to the north in awe—a country that is welcoming, humble, and kind. A sweeping generalization, I know, but just look at this nation: publicly-funded universal healthcare, a continuously declining crime rate, and an attainable immigration system. Even in a post-war world in the 1950s while there was a heightened sense of unknown threat and bitterness around the globe (sound familiar?), Canada accepted my foreigner family wholeheartedly.
Comparatively, America is struggling. There’s this fabricated urgency to shut down our borders and refuse entry to those who strive for betterment. For many, the argument has gone beyond the illegal aspect of immigration and morphed into this loathing for all things foreign. It seems the abhorrent behavior of a few fringe efforts leads to national panic over entire sects of people. In Canada, approximately 41% of its inhabitants are first or second generation immigrants and that didn’t seem to negatively affect its ranking as one of the happiest, safest, and most successful countries in the world.
The acceptance of international influence and immigrants as exhibited by Canada has led to great things for its people, and has encouraged them to explore the world at large. While my mom already had a global flair thanks to her parents, living in a multicultural and diverse city like Toronto helped her ease into six years of studying and living in London. "Culture shock" didn’t even enter her vernacular when she resided in Manhattan. And moving my family across the U.S. to a whole new world in New Mexico was just viewed as an adventure.
Growing up, I always thought the world was within reach (and I still do). My mom’s upbringing in Canada influenced the way she raised me and both my (foreign-born) parents insisted we travel to better understand the world. Perhaps that led to a naivety of what’s truly within reach, but exploring cultures by going beyond the border—both literally and metaphorically—while embracing a variety of cultures makes the globe seem conquerable.
In an ever-changing integrative world that’s only becoming smaller thanks to emerging technologies, isn’t it time we accept diverse cultures, people, and ideas opposed to shunning them? Canada has embraced diversity, innovation, and openness the way America only purports to do. As a 25-year-old first generation American, I can only hope to one day see America emulate Canada and truly accept all kinds of diversity the way I know we once did. Conservative Americans need to shed this unwarranted fear and ignorance when it comes to foreign lands and people, not to mention accept and appreciate vast and interesting differences.
While my mom felt very much at home in America, Canada was her original home. She even wrote a book about it for Macdonald Educational called Canada: The Land and Its People. Now when I visit, I can’t help but feel a deep-rooted connection to Canada, and I had no issues—ethically or bureaucratically—getting my Canadian citizenship (a feat that would be a true testament to time, patience, and wealth in America).
So I’d like to end this ode to Canada with a sincere thank you. I am thankful for the chance Canada took on my family back in 1951. It led my mother to seek out interesting places and adventures, and in turn has led my brother and I to do the same. Despite a few frustrations and aggravations, America is certainly full of good people and adventures in its own right, and here’s hoping that it soon realizes that other people beyond our borders and within them are just as good and just as deserving of the adventure. While for the long-term my love (and residency) lies in America, I do have a very special place in my heart for Canada, the land and its people.
