It’s Canada Day.
It would seem a day dedicated to celebrating your country would mean more than it seems to here.
Certainly in the nearby United States July 4, their Independence Day is easily the most significant non-religious holiday in their country, and by a significant margin.
While certainly appreciated as a day off for many Americans it is also a day of much flag waving as they celebrate their country.
Here, perhaps in typical Canadian fashion, we head to the lake, light up the barbecue, eat a hot dog, and focus on the day off.
Flag waving has never been a Canadian trait to any great extent.
Perhaps that comes from living too close the United States.
So much of our world is so deeply entwined with that of our much larger neighbour.
Our television is predominately American. Even a Canadian broadcaster such as the CBC relies heavily on American content.
Even when there is a show made in Canada it is often a somewhat generic production, rather than being uniquely Canadian. It is down to open potential sales south, which is good business, but makes it more difficult to recognize ourselves on TV as anything other than American-light.
We don’t have many pro sports that are ours to focus on either. Yes there is a National Basketball League of Canada, (NBLC), but Canadian sport media generally ignores it in favour of the National Basketball League, (NBA), even though there are eight Canada-based teams in the NBLC and only one in the NBA.
The Canadian Football League fares better, but far too many Canadians blast the league and favour the American-based NFL.
And the list goes on.
Our radios are dominated by non-Canadian music, our bookshelves by non-Canadian authors.
We are left struggling as a country to define our cultural heart.
There is more to Canada than the birthplace of the Caesar cocktail and poutine, although it is hard to define what the more is for many.
What makes Canada special should be something we each define as individuals, finding that which makes us proudest to live in this great country.
But in terms of July 1, we should all focus a bit more on thinking more about celebrating the country, and a bit less about it being just a day off work.
