Inspirational Radio Ads

Yesterday was kind of a crummy day. I got the feeling a lot of people thought I was a jerk, and started to think they might be right. Long stories. Anyway on the drive home I heard three different radio advertisements that bear repeating. I'll have to paraphrase unfortunately.

The first one was on CKWR from a local insurance agent simply said 'feeling stressed and unsure how to act? try reading from Bible daily' and then there was a quote from the book of Proverbs that seemed to be just what I needed.

The next ad came shortly later after I had switched to Q107. It was from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and gave a detailed description of a heart surgery operation. It ended with something like, "what's so exciting about this operation? The patient hasn't been born yet, the operation is taking place inside the baby's mother. Research from the Heart and Stroke Foundation helps save babies before they are born." Awesome I thought, very pro life and very inspirational.

Later in the drive I think I was listening to Classical 96.3, there was a Ronald McDonald House commercial. It went something like this: "Look at your finger, now look at your whole hand. You're whole hand is 40 times stronger than the individual strength of all of your fingers and your thumb added together. Families are the same way. Help Ronald McDonald House keep families with sick children together." Again I thought this is wonderful; when would I hear such a pro-family message on a major radio station? More frequently it seems.

Desperate For Good News

I was surprised (pleasantly I think) by the media's coverage of Canada's GDP numbers. I read a note from RBC this morning that said consensus was that Canada's 2nd quarter GDP would shrink by 3% and that anything worse than that would be negative to the Canadian dollar. Actual 2nd quarter growth fell far short of that and yet the media have jumped on this as a good news story:

Canada's economy grew for the first time in 11 months in June, providing a glimmer of hope at the end of a period that still marked the country's third consecutive quarter of economic contraction.

Gross Domestic Product increased 0.1 per cent in June from May, led by drillers of oil and gas, wholesalers and real estate agents, Statistics Canada reported Monday.

Over the second quarter as a whole, GDP shrank at an annual rate of 3.4 per cent, compared with a contraction of 6.1 per cent in the first three months of the year, as exporters continued to struggle to find markets amid the deepest global downturn since the Second World War.

Statscan's latest GDP figures reinforce the Bank of Canada's outlook. The central bank, led by Governor Mark Carney, predicted last month that Canada's first recession since 1992 would end this quarter and begin a long, slow climb out of the hole created by the financial crisis.

I've gotta commend the media for finding the silver lining. People really are desperate for good news and it looks like we've found it.

Also I've gotta feel for the RBC forecaster, he was right about weaker overall growth in the quarter, but he got the market reaction all wrong.

Catholic Schools Outperform

This story made the front page of the Guelph Mercury last week. Apparently Catholic students in Ontario outperform public school students by a significant margin in standardized tests. I really wanted to title the post "Catholics are Smarter" but there's not enough data to support that statement - at least not beyond grade 6. Even so the C. D. Howe Institute report was bold in it's conclusions:

Students in Catholic schools perform better than their counterparts in the public education system, believes an analyst who has extensively studied Ontario's schools.

“For reasons we don't necessarily know, Catholic schools do better in Ontario,” said David Johnson of the independent C.D. Howe Institute.

“My conclusion is that Catholic boards are better. No matter how you slice this data, the Catholic boards outperform the public boards.”

The institute's latest report on education notes 10 of the top 11 schools in the province – based on test results of students in grades three and six – are Catholic schools.

Johnson, an economics professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, noted across the province, students in Catholic schools always do better than their public board peers.

That's a pretty solid endorsement of Catholic education. Parents take note.

A Welcome Warning from the Bank of Canada

I caught this story on the radio this morning:

In a speech Tuesday, the Bank of Canada's deputy governor, Timothy Lane, said there was a real danger that the nascent recovery would be hobbled if the dollar continued to rise.

"A persistently strong Canadian dollar would reduce real growth and delay the return of inflation to target," Lane said. "If a stronger dollar were to alter the path of projected inflation … we would need to take that into account."

Finally! The rapid rise in the Canadian dollar has put a crushing burden on exporters and our fragile economy can't afford the massive drag that the dollar's rise creates. So far the Bank of Canada has avoided taking measures like increasing the money supply through quantitative easing even though the American government increased it's money supply drastically at the beginning of the financial crisis and has shown little effort to reign the money supply back in.

The Bank of Canada and our government should continue to make every effort to ensure fluctuations in the exchange rate don't wreak havoc on our economy.

My Reading List Just Got Longer

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I read this book review in the Toronto Star. James Grainger has high praise for David Adams Richard's book, "God Is. My Search for Faith in a Secular World." I hadn't heard of this author before, but he's being compared with some pretty heavy hitters.

Author David Adams Richards is regarded as a rare voice of moral and spiritual certainty in the Canadian literary scene, rejecting the postmodern ambiguities of most of his fellow novelists and earning comparisons to Hardy, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. Richards' best fiction dramatizes the struggle of those rare heroic individuals who try to live by faith, and the almost equally heroic individuals whose struggles with sin and temptation often drive them to destruction.

The book appears to tell a personal story of God's active involvement his life as well as targeting a deeply entrenched bias against religion in Canada:

Richards was raised as a Catholic, and though he fell away from the church as a young man and still quarrels with many of its teachings, he has found his way back to the faith again and again. In God Is., Richards shares his personal and theological enquiry into the nature of faith, broadly defined as the belief in a fundamental meaning and order to life, one created and sustained in the individual believer by periodic glimpses of God's love and guiding presence.

That Richards' novels of sin and faith have attracted a largely non-religious (and certainly non-Catholic) readership is proof of his talent and vision. But to make an argument, in non-fiction form, that our struggles with faith and sin define us as human beings is a pretty bold move.

As Richards argues in the book's first section, a bias against religion, especially the Christian religion, is practically de rigueur for even mildly progressive types these days. (No less an authority than Brad Pitt recently stated that he understood why gay couples would want to marry but he couldn't understand why people still needed religion.)

That bias, Richards claims, is particularly strong in the Canadian literary community, where the denigration of religious belief is a "kind of swaggering doctrine that in its own way is as rigid in its essential belief as the evangelical or Catholic dogma it mocks."

Richards is not the first to make the point that atheism or secularism requires just as much 'faith' in unprovable assertions, nor is he the first to show how decidely illiberal 'liberal' thinkers can be. However, anti-Christian bias seems particularly strong in Canada, and I wish Mr. Richard every success in battling against it.

A False Controversy

Today the Globe and Mail asks the question, 'Were Afghans Brave Enough?' as they reported claims that Taliban intimidation may call the result of Afghanistan's election into question:

Millions of Afghans braved Taliban threats to cast their ballot in a crucial presidential election Thursday as doubts surged over whether the turnout was enough to deliver a credible result.

The answer already seems clear. Yes, Afghans were brave enough. The reasons come directly from the article itself:

United Nations, American, Canadian and Afghan officials praised the election as a success, with Washington expressing cautious optimism that Afghans would respect the result.

The optimism is well founded considering that:

The violence fell well short of what was initially threatened by Taliban commanders who had vowed to deploy dozens of suicide bombers on voting day, promising death and dismemberment to anyone who dared vote.

While the threats may have been effective at intimidating some voters to stay home, John Manley's analysis seems apt:

John Manley, Canada's former foreign minister, monitored the election as part of a delegation from the National Democratic Institute. He saluted the bravery of Afghan voters. “If somebody told me I would have my right index finger cut off if I voted, it would certainly impact me. These are courageous people,” he said of those Afghans who cast a ballot. . .

Mr. Manley said in the coming days, everyone needed to take a step back: “You can't necessarily say this election needs to be perfect. It clearly won't be perfect, but the question we need to answer is, does it overall reflect the will of the Afghan people.”

There doesn't appear to be any reason to think that the result won't be accepted. The Taliban will not be able to orchestrate a popular uprising because the people they disenfranchised will be highly unlikely to join with them regardless of the result. Mainstream media should be careful about casting unnecessary doubt on the result.

The Foremost Responsibility of a National Government

Stephen Harper's visit to highlight our military exercises in the North is timely and necessary as other nations set their sights on Canada's rich natural resources. While it might seem like just another photo-op, our Prime Minister made a pretty bold philisophical statement on board the HMCS Toronto:

"Protecting national sovereignty, the integrity of our borders, is the first and foremost responsibility of a national government," Harper said.

"It is a responsibility that has too often been neglected in our history."

That's absolutely true. With all the debate about health care and social programs, it's easy to forget that government's first responsibility is our security. The Obama administration would do well to listen to that advice as well.

United Breaks Guitars: Song 2

After last month's YouTube sensation, United Breaks Guitars, Dave Carrol is back with the second song in the trilogy. It's as original as the first and definitely worth the 3 minutes to give it a listen.



I heard the original on the radio during my drive in to work and it just made me happy. I quite enjoy the sound of Sons of Maxwell and Dave Carroll. I may have to download one or more of the songs, it'll be great driving music.

Gran Torino

Gran Torino is an amazing, uplifting movie. If you haven't seen it rent it.

It's about an angry old man who first despises and then protects his Vietnamese neighbours. The characters are all very real and they all grow throughout the movie. I don't know what to say except that it's excellent, and that it has a very positive portrayal of the Church, which is rare for Hollywood.

If you follow the link to the Wikipedia article, you'll see the movie was from 2008. I found that strange because it wasn't on the Oscar pool that I filled out earlier this year. Hmm. . . that's probably another post altogether.

Steyn Makes a Good Point

I'll admit, I find it hard to care too much about the great debate on Obamacare. I will say that the level of service I received when I went to an emergency room in the US blew my mind when I'm used to waiting in line just to be ignored here in Canada. Americans are rightly concerned that under a nationalized system the level of care they can expect will steadily decrease.

What I find most interesting about the debate though is the fundamental, philosophical arguments that are being brought forward. One of the most interesting points was how becoming dependant on governments to meet all our basic needs hurts society. I read it first in a Macleans article by Mark Steyn:

A few weeks ago, Charles Murray gave a speech in Washington on “the European
model.” Please, no Carla Bruni gags. Mr. Murray is a very sober political scientist, and he eschewed such time-honoured jests.

Nonetheless, it was an arresting address, beginning with this diagnosis of “the European model’s” principal defect: “It drains too much of the life from life,” said Murray. “And that statement applies as much to the lives of janitors—even more to the lives of janitors—as it does to the lives of CEOs”—or novelists or musicians. As Murray sees it, government social policy is intended to take “some of the trouble out of things”—getting sick, having a kid, holding down a job, taking care of elderly parents. But, when government takes too much of the trouble out of things, it makes it impossible to lead a satisfying life.

“Trouble”—responsibility, choices, consequences—is intimately tied to human dignity. And thus the human dignity in working hard, raising a family and withstanding the vicissitudes of life has been devalued. And society is just a matter of passing the time.

It's true, it's in overcoming our 'troubles' that we gain both valuable experience and satisfaction.

Keep Life Jackets Optional

Yesterday the Ontario Provincial Police issued a press release calling for laws to make wearing life jackets mandatory when boating:

In the wake of a number of boating tragedies on Ontario waterways, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Commissioner Julian Fantino supports a review by
Transport Canada of legislation to make the wearing of life jackets or personal flotation devices (PFD) mandatory when boating.

A total of 23 persons lost their lives in 2008 while boating on waterways policed by the OPP and this year 20 people have perished. Only 2 casualties this season were wearing life jackets or PFDs. Since 2000, 350 people have lost their lives in boating incidents and of them, only 13 per cent were wearing life jackets.

"The vast majority of boaters are good, law-abiding people. We know that mandatory life jacket or PFD use will start saving lives immediately," Commissioner Fantino said. "It's already been a summer filled with needless tragedy for many families. Many of these deaths would have been prevented," added Fantino.

Saving lives is commendable, but I really hope this law doesn't come to pass. The law already requires a life jacket for each person in the boat. If there's any question at all about safety then most people would voluntarily put on their life jackets.

In most cases boating is a recreational activity that involves nice weather and calm water, it's more than rational to want to spend some of that time on the boat soaking up the sun and a hot, bulky life vest doesn't exactly lend itself to getting a tan or enjoying a breeze on a hot summer day. 20 deaths are 20 too many, but this must be an absolutely miniscule fraction of the number of people on the water each summer. This is one area where the risk should be up to the individual. Boaters who choose not to wear a life jacket aren't putting anyone else at risk and they are simply maximizing their enjoyment of the great outdoors. Let them be.

Canadian Government Must Not Delay Help for Hog Farmers

The American government seems poised to offer help to the hog industry in the form of loans, government purchases of pork, and help accessing markets:

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is undertaking an unprecedented effort to use the department's administrative flexibility to provide relief to individuals and businesses in struggling agriculture industries.

Vilsack has ordered USDA Rural Development and the Farm Service Agency to use all available means to help producers, processors and other small businesses who have been hit by worsening economic conditions.

"The Obama Administration is committed to doing everything it can to help families and businesses in agriculture to get through these tough economic times," said
Vilsack. "Not only is this effort critical to restoring economic prosperity in America's rural communities, it is essential to ensure that Americans continue to have access to a safe, secure, and healthy food supply."

And in addition to the loans:

The governors of nine key pork-producing states sent President Obama a letter Friday urging him to rescue an industry that's been battered by high commodity prices and worries about disease. "Today, the pork industry is facing an economic crisis that is catastrophic in nature," the governors said in the letter. They urged Obama to purchase an additional $50 million in pork for government nutrition programs, eliminate a ceiling on how much surplus product the Agriculture Department can buy and push to expand export markets, primarily to China.

Pretty reasonable really, nothing on the scale of the bank and auto bailouts. So why the vicious attack on Canadian hog farmers for doing the same thing? The Financial Post reported Friday:

Aid for Canadian hogs will read as an attack on farmers in the United States, Canada’s largest market, where producers say they’ll do what they can to stop the proposal.

“Essentially, what this does is it transfers suffering among pork producers from north of the border to south of the border, and we’re not going to stand by and let that happen,” said Nick Giordano, vice-president of the U.S. National Pork Producers Council. “We’re not going to want to wait. We’re going to scream bloody murder. We’re going to go political.”

What he means is a trade action, the kind that cost Ontario hog producers $5 million to defend less than 5 years ago. It's an empty threat. In order for the Americans to defend a duty they need to show injury and typically that involves increased shipments into the US market. However, the Canadian hog industry has shrunk dramatically in response to low prices, high feed costs, unfavourable exchange rates, and trade challenges like Country of Origin Labelling and the H1N1 impact on export markets. The Canadian Pork Council has put forward a very mild ask of the Canadian government for loans to help farmers restructure their operations and a program to help others exit the industry. The American industry looks like it will receive the same kind of help, there's no time for delay.

Newfoundlanders Fight Back

I've just returned from a vacation to Newfoundland. The Newfoundlanders have a great sense of humour - some of them certainly tell the best Newfie jokes. On the Island I found out they're pretty good at laughing at the rest of us too. Here are two examples. A Newfie told me:

A group of American tourists in Newfoundland went down to the harbour to buy some fresh lobster, but they didn't know how to cook them they asked the Newfies what to do. The Newfies said boil some water and throw in the lobster. So the Americans lit a big fire on the beach put a big pot on top and let it boil. When it was time to throw the lobsters in the Americans just couldn't bring themselves to kill the lobsters so they ran up the hill and released the lobsters in the forest.

But it's not just Americans the Newfies poke fun at. Driving through Gander I heard this advertisement on the radio:

Toronto used to be a great city . . . It used to have the world's tallest free standing structure, now it's the second tallest. . .

It used to be a clean city now they can't even handle their garbage. . .

They used to have a good hockey team, but the Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup in over 40 years. . .

Toronto needs your help . . .

Fly direct to Toronto from Gander International Airport.

Aside from the humour and the genuinely friendly people, it's a great vacation spot. There's breath taking scenery every where you go, a rich history, amazing wildlife on land and at sea and great parties. Plan a visit sometime.

Mission to Mars?

I'll admit, I have no idea about the scientific merits of establishing a colony on Mars. However Buzz Aldrin did capture my imagination with this article:

Our next generation must think boldly in terms of a goal for the space program:
Mars for our future. I am not suggesting a few visits to plant flags and do photo-ops but a journey to make the first homestead in space: an American colony on a new world.

Robotic exploration of Mars has yielded tantalizing clues about what was once a water-soaked planet. Deep beneath the soils of Mars might lie trapped frozen water, possibly with traces of still-extant primitive life forms. Climate change on a vast scale has reshaped Mars. With Earth in the throes of its own climate evolution, human outposts on Mars could be a virtual laboratory to study these vast planetary changes. And the best way to study Mars is with the two hands, eyes and ears of a geologist, first on a moon orbiting Mars and then on the Red Planet's surface.

Mobilizing the space program to focus on a human colony on Mars while at the same time helping our international partners explore the moon on their own would galvanize public support for space exploration and provide a cause to inspire students. Mars exploration would renew our space industry by opening up technology development to all players, not just the traditional big aerospace contractors. If we avoided the pitfall of aiming solely for the moon, we could be on Mars by the 60th anniversary year of our Apollo 11 flight.

Much has been said recently about the Vision for Space Exploration and the future of the international space station. As we all reflect upon our historic lunar journey and the future of the space program, I challenge America's leaders to think boldly and look beyond the moon. Yes, my vision of "Mars for America" requires bold thinking. But as my friend and Gemini crewmate Jim Lovell has noted, our Apollo days were a time when we did bold things in space to achieve leadership. It is time we were bold again in space.

Right or wrong, it's an enchanting vision.

Goldman Sachs and Caritas in Veritate

I've gotta spend a lot more time reading Pope Benedict's latest encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," or Love in Truth. When I do read it, I'll post on the encyclical again. In the meantime I think this article by Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, Vice-Chairman of Goldman Sachs International is significant. Lord Griffiths says:

Despite heavy competition from some of the world’s finest minds, it is without doubt the most articulate, comprehensive and thoughtful response to the financial crisis that has yet appeared. It should strike a chord with all who wish to see modern capitalism serving broader human ends. . .

Pope Benedict’s words are not just platitudes. They affect every person at work every day. In the City they are a challenge to management to create a culture of prudence, responsibility and integrity.

There has to be zero tolerance for misleading clients, fudging conflicts of interest and inflating valuations. However great the revenue they produce, those who deviate must be disciplined. This kind of ethos cannot be imposed by regulation alone.

From what I know about the encyclical so far, I believe Lord Griffith's analysis strikes at the heart of the message in the Encyclical. It's encouraging to know that the Pope's words are being read and understood by those at the highest levels of finance. If Goldman Sachs follows the recommendation of the Pope and their vice-chair, maybe their record earnings will be sustainable.

The Pope and Our Prime Minister

Despite the limited coverage of Prime Minister Harper's meeting with Pope Benedict, it was still an important event for our country. It was an opportunity for the Pope to talk about important life and social issues and Stephen Harper's recent comments about the meeting were reflective of many Canadian's deeply held respect for the pontiff:

"While I'm not theologically a Catholic, in my judgment the Catholic Church is a critical bulwark of worldwide Christianity. The Pope is an important moral and spiritual leader generally and for Christians generally, even though I'm not a Catholic."

Harper called Vatican City a small but important state. "It is an influential, well-connected state that is very influential in world affairs."

These comments show that the Vatican has a friend in Stephen Harper and that he respects the Pope's contribution to world politics. His comments on Vatican City are also important since there's always pressure from left wing lobbyists at the United Nations to strip the Vatican of it's status as a nation state. Finally, Harper's right about his analysis of the recent controversy over his receiving communion at Romeo Leblanc's funeral:

"People who want to cause embarrassment in religion and drive a wedge between
Protestants and Catholics" are driving the controversy, Harper told a Catholic news agency in an exclusive interview after his meeting Saturday with Pope Benedict. "That's whose agenda this is and that's not the Pope's agenda."

Those who are driving the controversy are not friends of the Church or the country.

Don't Call it a Wafer!!!!!

Today Stephen Harper responded to accusations that he took the Eucharist, but didn't consume it:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed reports that he pocketed a communion
wafer as "ridiculous" and "terrible" and said he would never do such a thing.

. . .

"First of all as a Christian I've never refused communion when offered to me, that is actually pretty important to me," Harper said.

Good for him for taking a principled stand. It's comforting to hear him address the issue directly because it actually is important. Strictly speaking he should not have taken the Host, but this issue has been badly handled all around. At most catholic weddings and funerals the priest will make a statement before communion inviting non-Catholics to come up and receive a blessing. If that didn't happen at this funeral, at least part the fault lies with the presiding priest.

I agree with Archbishop Richard that Harper clearly did not mean any disrespect. The thing that makes me angry isn't whether he received the Eucharist but the discussion around it - especially from Harper's so called defenders who have tried to downplay the issue saying it's unimportant and just a wafer. Terms like 'wafer-gate' drive me bananas. Catholics refer to the sacrament by a number of names most prominently the Host, the Eucharist, and the Body of Christ, so terms like wafer and cracker are just not accurate.

I haven't seen very much discussion on the relevant Catholic teaching. Simply put Catholics believe that the Eucharist really is the body and blood of Christ. It's not just some crazy church teaching, but Jesus' own words that form the foundation of this belief:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:26-28

The Church's teaching that communion must only be taken by Catholics who are in communion with the church, free from mortal sin, and observed an appropriate fast also comes straight from scripture:

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 1
Corinthians 11:27

It really doesn't matter to me if you believe this or not, I suppose most people don't but PLEASE be respectful. The Eucharist is important.

Finally, I wanted to tip my hat to Owen who carried the flag on this topic in the comment section of my last blog post. Near as I can tell Owen is a good Conservative, a faithful Catholic, a fellow cyclist and quite the artist. Thanks as always for your comments sir.

Sweet Justice

The way this video is making it's rounds over the internet, there's a good chance you've seen 'United Breaks Guitars' already. Tonight it's the number 2 entertainment story on news.google.ca, right behind more crap about Michael Jackson. Even the Globe and Mail is reporting on it, noting the song has become an 'internet sensation'.

The song really hit's home with the story of a musician's guitar damaged by on his flight with United Airlines. Anyone who's been frustrated with poor customer service is going to enjoy this song. I can also relate as a guitar owner, there are many times I want to break my guitar - but I certainly hope nobody else does.



One last personal connection to this story: As I watched the video I thought this is the kind of band I'd love to sit and listen to at a fair or music festival. Come to think of it I'm pretty sure I did . . . the Sons of Maxwell played the Fergus Scottish Fesitval last year and I quite enjoyed them.

Definitely watch the video, I'm sure it will have over a million hits on YouTube by the morning.

Harper's Delivering the Right Message at the G8

I strongly approve of Prime Minister Harper's message to the G8. Further stimulus is not what the world economy needs right now. CTV reports:

Earlier Wednesday, Harper urged leaders to complete the stimulus initiatives that are already underway, before committing new funds.

"My own thought is before there's talk of additional stimulus, I would urge all leaders to focus first on making the stimulus that's announced actually gets delivered," Harper said. "That's been our focus in Canada and I would urge the same priority
elsewhere."

Harper also signalled he will continue to push his message that the temptation for nations to move towards protectionist tendencies should be avoided at all costs, saying such moves could actually prolong the recession.

Harper is right. Access to credit, maintaining open markets and following through on previously announced stimulus packages what really matter. The crisis is over at this point further government spending will do more harm than good.

I Want to be a Good Man

I've stumbled upon the phrase "a good man" a few times in the last year - it was used in key moments during the movie Fire Proof and the 1970s version of the Poseidon Adventure. I'm coming to realize that the phrase really is powerful.

It hit me over the head when a friend of mine casually said, "you're a good man." I smiled and moved on, but inside I was bursting with pride. That conversation was months ago and I still feel good when I think about it. The beautiful thing about the phrase is it's a general endorsement of your entire character. In it's purest sense it's probably impossible to be truly good, I've got more than my share of embarrassing faults, but in a lesser sense of displaying integrity and generosity it's certainly something to strive for.

This song, "A Good Man" from Emerson Drive is going to be my theme song for the day tomorrow:



These are my favourite lyrics in the song:

My dreams aren’t that complicated…

I wanna be the one When all is said and done

Who lived a good life, loved a good wife, and always helped someone in trouble

On the day they lay me down I want everyone to gather ‘round

And say he was a father, brother, neighbour and a friend

He was a good man!

Yeah, me too.

Canada Day

I'm not a flag waving patriot by any stretch of the imagination. I remember the hollow concepts and faux nationalism under the Chretien government. Flag day, the CBC, and vague "Canadian Values" just don't make me all weepy. However, on a day like today it's worth reflecting on some of the things that do make me proud to be Canadian.

Our Armed Forces have served admirably in the past and present - most notably in World War II, but also in Afghanistan where our soldiers continue to risk (and sometimes give) their lives to protect our freedoms. These men and women are well trained and committed individuals, they're worthy of our respect and gratitude.

Our Parliamentary Democracy has stood the test of time. Regardless of the quality of our elected representatives, they are able to make informed decisions and are held accountable for them.

Our Committment to Free Trade is an example of how a small country can show leadership in the world. I believe the consistent and clear message from our government is essential to help fight protectionism and allow the world economy to recover.

Finally, the natural beauty of our country is indeed astounding and the truth is I like our climate. We are clearly blessed and I'm thankful.

God keep our land, glorious and free!