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Lorna Mills and Sally McKay
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"We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse." -Arrogant Worms, "Proud to be Canadian"
It's Canada Day. I've grown accustomed to checking in with Mr. Wilson's holiday posts, but he won't be writing about this one, not being a Canadian. Our summer holidays are all strange. I suppose there are people who reflect with reverence on Queen Victoria while sitting on their sixpack in the bush on 24-Weekend. Wait a second, no I don't. Canada Day is mostly celebrated by the playing of bad, comedic songs on the CBC (like the link above) that reflect all kinds of stereotpyes we have about stereotypes the Americans have about us. There's mass driving to cottages, and face painting at lame corporate street festivals for the kids who's parents can't afford to leave town. Canadian nationalism is a limp and jiggly thing. As it should be! We are a collection of peoples getting along, mostly, with some of our social systems still in place. It's low key, but it's worth preserving. My neighbourhood today (and last night! loud) is all about Portugal winning soccer games. At the Portuguese bakery I go to daily the lady quizzes me on my heritage. I say Scottish and she beams, "We knew you weren't just pure Canadian. Are you cheering for Portugal?" I beam back (of course I'm cheering for Portugal, I like to see my neighbours having fun). I'm also happy because if being from Scottish stock, which makes my lineage about 100% old school, Protestant, Upper Canadian, counts as something other than "pure" Canadian, then not a single one of us in this country is "pure." Which is how I like it.