Why I'm Proud to be Canadian

There is so much I love about Canada, so much I appreciate about being raised here, about living here my whole life. Growing up, I was exposed to different cultures, races, and religions. I was taught to appreciate and respect each one of them for their beauty, diversity and what they had to teach us as a cohesive group of people. I am so grateful to have been brought up in such a tolerant country. Yes I use the word tolerant, even accepting, of the many differences that exist between groups of people. As we look at our history and recognize the ugly things that happened there, we need to learn from our mistakes and repair damages done, while also remembering how great our country truly is. Let's stop comparing ourselves and our country to some non-existent standard of perfection and recognize that, relative to most of the countries on this planet, Canada has done an incredible job of unifying a diverse population around a progressive set of values. Values that were lacking in parts of our history and continue to be found lacking in most of the world today. Some of these points have been discussed in my social media posts, but their importance is worth reiterating (Instagram: @unpopularthoughtscanada) . Here are some of the reasons why I am proud to be Canadian:

1. In 1793, we helped 30,000 - 40,000 African American refugees escape slavery from the Southern States, through an act titled, "The Slavery Abolition Act," which dictated that any individual escaping slavery would be free upon arrival to Canada.

2. In 2005, we were the fourth country in the world to legalize gay marriage, recognizing the need to treat all people equally under the law.

3. In 1982 we entrenched The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, into our Constitution Act. This document outlines the rights and freedoms, afforded to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Canada, offering protection from one another, and our government institutions.

4. We rank high on various global indexes: we score 98/100 on the freedom index, we are in the top ten countries in the world for economic freedom (9th), and top twenty in the world for happiness (15th).

5. Canada has historically been a major player in global Peacekeeping missions; an initiative started by one of our own Prime Ministers, Lester B. Pearson.

6. The wars we have participated in, we have done so on the grounds of liberating others and fighting for individual's rights and freedoms. From WWI's Battle of Vimy Ridge to WWII's Battle of Normandy and the liberation of the Netherlands. We joined the allied forces to fight back against the Nazis, fascism, communism and the mass murder and genocide that accompanied those political systems in the twentieth century.

These are some of the historical facts that make me proud to be Canadian. However, I would like to make this discussion more personal and let you know why this country matters so much to me. Looking around at many countries in this world, I see intolerance, violence and hatred. Religious intolerance, gender based violence, sexual orientation based violence and discrimination, caste systems, honour killings, countries where entire populations are killed, simply for being another ethnicity or race. Slavery, something that has existed throughout human history, is still actively practiced in many countries today; this includes child slave labour. Often beyond a government's ability to provide social services to their people, or due to government corruption, individuals are still dying from malnutrition, tuberculosis and many other manageable social concerns and/or curable diseases. There are children who never receive an education, who never really have the opportunity to be children at all.

These things make me grateful for the justice and social systems we have in place. Protections like our Charter rights that offer security to Canadians. A balanced approach of higher taxes to help offer services of support to our vulnerable populations. Things like our public health care and education systems. A democratic government that follows the rule of law and due process. People in power that can't throw us into jail just for criticizing them, police officers that can't torture us when we go to them for help, property rights, and protections for minority groups. These are just a few elements of our society that make it one of the best countries in the world to live in. The quality of life here far outweighs the standards of living found in many countries around the world today.

I am proud to be Canadian, to come from a country that welcomes all people, regardless of race, religious belief, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other discriminatory factor. Not only do we welcome them, we actively protect them through our legal systems and support one another in a country that fosters equal opportunity. This Canada Day, let's come together and celebrate the things that make our country great. Let's learn from our past, recognize how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. That is the point isn't it? None of us are perfect, we are each individuals with our own flaws, mistakes and biases, so how can we expect our country to be perfect, when it is only the sum of its parts? Let's come together and continue pushing ourselves towards a better future, respecting our past, learning from it, and looking forward to a better, brighter, more vibrant future.