When Canadian slam poet Shane L. Koyczan told the world during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics that this land was an idea in the progress of being realized, one could wonder just how big a notion he was talking about, how long it would take, and whether it was something that would evolve without a perceptible end.
Is the idea of Canada something that is actually living and breathing, as great legal minds like to muse; moving forward, collecting wisdom along its path and removing archaic notions that once seemed appropriate for points of time long past?
Canada does move forward on the premise that adding the good and shedding the bad is a collective time-honoured pastime that has no finish line. Time does offer reflection, and that mirror shows that for every thing that must be changed there are many more that are right and just, not perfect, but at least heading on the right path, bumpy as it sometimes is.
“We do more than sit around and say ‘eh?'” said Koyczan in his own marvelous “We are More” musing.
With the nation today celebrating 147 years since its creation as a dominion, we will humbly celebrate all that is good, and while doing what comes so naturally -- sitting around and saying “eh” if we really want to.
And times are good to do just that. The economy is moving forward strongly, particularly here in Alberta. Our troops are home from Afghanistan, and receiving universal praise from not only across the country but also from every corner of the world for their unparalleled bravery and professionalism. The separatists in Quebec, most thankfully, are beaten to the ground with little chance to be a threat again, at least in the foreseeable future.
But how does this country celebrate its greatness when its inhabitants would much rather go fishing quietly on their national holiday than beat their chests and endlessly wave their gorgeous and iconic red maple leaf flags?
A few weeks ago I came across a remarkable 43-minute documentary on Youtube, produced by NBC and hosted by broadcasting legend Tom Brokaw, called 9/11: Operation Yellow Ribbon. It is a moving story about how the residents of Gander, N.L. came together to comfort thousands of Americans who were stranded during the 9/11 crisis in 2001 when all air traffic to the United States was diverted to Canada.
For up to four days, the town, which then had a population of about 10,000, fed, housed and supported thousands of Americans during a time of incredible stress and trial. What was really remarkable about this piece was Brokaw's comment that while researching his story Gander residents were wondering why it was such a big deal for an American television network and one of their greatest news personalities to be doing a story on them. After all, Newfoundlanders, like almost every other Canadian from coast to coast, were just doing what they knew best -- helping out anybody the best they could without thought of any payback.
The undercurrent of the story was a snapshot into the soul and long held notion that Canadians are not only a humble lot, but naturally prone to sacrificing their time and pieces of their hearts for others. Expecting notice is not part of the national DNA.
If that idea illustrates Canada is indeed an idea in progress, and we believe in generations beyond our own, as suggested by Koyczan, then we will know the future will grow so much more than what used to be.
It is a belief that deserves the highest celebration, quietly of course.
