Time Immortal

In the aftermath of the Canada Day weekend, I always find myself reflecting on…well, to be truthfully honest, I find myself reflecting on more than I want to, a problem I attribute to the tendency of my mind to wander just beyond the fringes of my control when I’m a little tired (or a little inebriated). And this Canada Day was no different.

It helps, or perhaps doesn’t help — I’ve never figured out which — that those fireworks make me just a touch sad. I don’t know why, but they make me feel quite suddenly alone. Maybe it’s the fact that the one time I’ve tried to watch the Canada Day fireworks with someone else in the past four years, they started the fireworks early because of weather considerations, and we wound up missing the show. I usually watch the Canada Day fireworks alone. In 2002 and 2004, it was because I had moved away to Rocky Mountain House, and this year it was because Grace and Anne were on their way to Leduc to sleep over at a friend’s place there before catching a morning flight to Vancouver. 2003 was the year we missed the show.

And I can reflect forever on old mistakes, because that’s just how I am. Should I have been in Rocky both those times? Maybe, maybe not. It’s hard to say. I can’t even remember why I was in Rocky on Canada Day last year, although I think it had something to do with the fact that the guy I was catching a ride back to Edmonton with wasn’t planning to leave until the 2nd, the next day. When you don’t own your own car, you kind of find yourself subject to the whims and fancies of others who are willing to drive you, and you really can’t complain about it. And I’m not complaining that Rob wanted to wait a day at all. I just question my wisdom in taking the second work stint in Rocky.

Did I need the experience? Coming off of getting fired from EPCOR, a little reconstruction of my resume was perhaps in order. So in that sense, it was a good thing. Plus that, it helped pay for my schooling, which is something else. You know, I’m not rich, nor am I from a wealthy family, and though my parents and grandparents did set up a GIC or two for me back when I was an infant, the majority of my paying for school was made possible through summer jobs and scholarships. But thanks to those jobs and scholarships, I’ve been able to avoid going into debt, for the most part (credit cards don’t count, right?). But though it helped out with the work experience picture and paid for another 8 months of my degree, was it the right choice? In the end, I can’t say it was — too much collateral damage to the relationships I cherished, to the people I loved.

But I could flog myself over that forever if I wanted to. What I’ve really gotten to reflecting on these past few days is why we celebrate Canada in Canada Day. Because that’s what we do — it’s not just a commemorative ceremony for our becoming a nation unto ourselves in 1867. We celebrate Canada, and what it means to be Canadian. Don’t believe me? Listen to any speech given that day, or any media correspondent commenting on the celebrations. But what, lately, is there to celebrate about being Canadian?

We have a minority government that for a week ruled completely without the confidence of the House, and in the end probably only survived a confidence vote by postponing it until midnight and not telling the Opposition MPs that the vote would be held then. That’s a legal parlimentary tactic under the Westminster system, by the way. At the same time, this government doesn’t even represent the will of its constituents, and forges ahead with its own vision of Canada that in many respects is at odds with what the people want. Take the recent same-sex marriage legislation: don’t know about you, but every web poll I’ve come across seems to suggest that a discernible majority of Canadians don’t think it’s a good idea, and I have to say I’m one of them. But does that stop our government? A top Cabinet minister resigns because he and his constituents oppose this legislation, but does THAT stop our government? Not at all — instead, the dissenters (who may have valid reasons for opposing the legislation, reasons worth considering) are criticized and branded as bigots, and the legislation is rammed through. This is a government that has consistently set itself at odds not only with itself, but with the people it purports to govern, and in the process they are changing the very fabric of the nation itself. And the judges of the Supreme Court are no better.

And so now, as the Americans celebrate their independence, I find myself wondering exactly why last Friday millions of people across Canada came to celebrate their nation, a nation increasingly not their own. For myself, I was already sad enough watching the fireworks, and eventually I turned and went home. There’s precious little to celebrate about anymore. The Americans have something to celebrate — that is clear. The American people have much more power in their government, and can recall elected representatives that they find have strayed from executing the will of the electorate. Remember Gray Davis?

But then, the Americans also celebrate something different on their national holiday. They celebrate their independence. They celebrate where they came from, not just what they have become. We in Canada seem to have forgotten that.