steve kwan user experience designer

What Canada means to me

(July 13th, 2007 - 11:05AM)

Some belated thoughts on Canada's 140th birthday.

The other day, I was leaving the gym and I saw an older man with a big turban and a long, flowing beard. This in itself is not an unusual thing - at least not in Vancouver - but what was unusual was that he was wearing shades, a leather jacket, and was sitting at a stoplight on a Harley with ape-hanger handlebars. When the light turned green, he floored it and peeled away, his long beard flapping behind him.

I thought this was a funny sight, and I'm not sure that a turban is effective headgear in the event of a bike accident, but this story really represents what I love about my country. In Canada, we get to see cultures from all across the world mixing and mingling in new and interesting ways. And for the most part, we encourage it. That's not to say that we're without growing pains, but overall Canadians are a very tolerant people, and we define ourselves not by racial background, but by shared goals and ethics.

Most of our population growth comes from immigration, not childbirth. And unlike our US neighbours, we don't fight it: we embrace it. We don't define "being Canadian" by ethnicity, but rather, by a desire for peace and mutual prosperity.

Canada is, in my opinion, a great example to the rest of the world. It's what a country should be. And especially with the horrible things happening in the United States, Canada is quickly becoming a role model for other nations.

Happy birthday, Canada.