Oh Canada!

It's so gratifying to see all of the proud red and white and the maple leaves gracing the profile pictures of my friends on Facebook today. We may not have the "rah, rah" of our neighbours to the south, but don't mistake that for anything less than a fierce pride in living in what we think is the greatest country on the planet! The winter Olympics in Vancouver was a turning point for our country I think. We proved to the world that for a land as big as ours and as sparsely populated as we are for our size, we can hold our own on the world stage. Canadians were united in our pride for this land and it was a thing of beauty. It made my heart swell to hear our anthem being played as our athletes won medal after medal. We are facing another turning point in our history. We have just elected a majority government that intends to make some big changes to the fabric of this land. What will our country look like in four or five years? What will our reputation be like? Will we still be "the greatest" country in the world? Our current leadership has drafted a bill that allows unwarranted internet taps. They are also negotiating a trade agreement known as CETA with the European Union that will allow for access to goods and services currently provided by the public sector - things like garbage collection, road maintenance and our water. Our governments could also be sued by European corporations if they think a decision will affect their future profits. Is this the Canada we want? If you haven't heard about these issues, please educate yourselves. They have the potential to change our nation for generations to come. When you sing our anthem and say those words "...the true north, strong and free", what does that mean to you? How do we as proud citizens insure that we stay free? (Here are links to some information on these issues. Keep in mind this is not the whole picture. I encourage you to seek other information and to learn as much as you can before making up your own minds.) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/tabatha-southey/ottawa-to-contract-out-spying-but-who-cares-its-only-the-internet/article2075104/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQPh_YSnkVI