* A day at the beach
* Rib Fest
* Chin Picnic
* Dyke and pride Parades
Please stand as you read this …
O Canada: A love letter set to familiar music
CANADA DAY
Sean Kilpatrick,The Canadian Press
A Canadian flag is waved on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
O Canada: I am so glad we met. I have loved you and be
en faithful to you for just over 50 years. I used to think everything was perfect about you but now, sadly, I'm having some doubts.
Our home: If you're lucky enough to have one. O Canada, why don't you have a National Housing Strategy like all the other G8 countries? You must know that on any given night here, 30,000 people have nowhere to lay their heads.
And native land: The land that belongs to First Nations people. O Canada, why do you treat the real natives of your great land with such disdain, leaving half of all aboriginal children living in poverty and nearly half of their reserves without clean water?
True patriot love: Ah, love. Here's where you really shine, O Canada! You have allowed true love to become married love for gay and lesbian people since 2005. Your influence on the U.S. of A on this issue has been profound. Last Wednesday, the Defense of Marriage Act was overturned because of the gumption of two American lesbians who were actually married here by our first ever gay judge, Harvey Brownstone!
The sun sets on Lake Huron like no place in the world, and the mountains and the lakes have held us spellbound since even before your birth …
In all our sons' command: Not so much anymore. However, even with 85 per cent of Canadians being governed by female premiers, women still earn 72 per cent of what a man makes and one in three women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. Why, O Canada, why?
With glowing hearts: O Canada, although we're proud of many parts of the medicare system that keeps our hearts healthy and glowing, why are people who come here as refugees being denied access to care for their illnesses?
We see thee rise: In fact, O Canada, we have seen thee fall. Known as "Number One" on the United Nation's human development index for most of the '90s, you're sitting at number 11 this year. Once recognized for your environmental integrity and leadership, you're now being called an "environmental laggard," by your Conference Board, O Canada, because you rank 15th out of 17 developed nations on environmental performance. Where will you be on this list if the oil sands are developed?
The true north: The north may be true but are you true to the north, O Canada? While you claim sovereignty of your northern lands and oceans, you don't seem interested in controlling your greenhouse gas emissions that are melting away the ice cap, creating enormous implications for plants, animals and people throughout the world.
Strong and free: While we celebrate your Charter of Rights and Freedoms in many ways, O Canada, you must have been disappointed with the barriers to freedom during the G20 summit in Toronto. Did you ever imagine such a scene here? And instead of addressing the root causes of crime such as poverty and homelessness, prisons such as the Grand Valley Institution for Women, in Kitchener, are bursting at the seams and not able to rehabilitate inmates toward a lasting freedom.
From far and wide, O Canada: Far and wide and top to bottom, this land is beautiful but dangerous. Rivers overflow and lands flood. Winds ravage and lightning strikes. But the sun sets on Lake Huron like no place in the world, and the mountains and the lakes have held us spellbound since even before your birth, O Canada.
We stand on guard for thee. God keep our land: Whatever our faiths or belief systems, O Canada, we owe it to you to stand on guard as stewards of this great land, not pointing fingers at those we deem to be in charge but taking ownership for our part in all of this.
Glorious and free: May we celebrate your 146th birthday in recognition of the freedom you provide and offer the gift of ourselves to bring you back to your former glory.
O Canada: I still love you best.
Deirdre Pike is a lover of Canada, and Hamilton in particular. She can be reached at dpikeatthespec@gmail.com
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