Canadians will gather this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, and perhaps this year the time afforded to reflect on what we have is more important than any recent year.
Our country is one where we have much to be thankful for.
We have grown to be a country which is known to be one of tolerance and understanding.
The freedom to celebrate one’s faith is one of the areas where we have created a country of tolerance.
If you look in this paper you will see a page dedicated to churches in our city. The list of faiths is a long one, and while they may not all interpret their faith exactly as the others, they are accepted.
And the list of faiths tolerated could be far longer. In Canada we are allowed to pray to a god we choose to have faith in, or we can choose not to pray at all. We have come to understand the importance of affording each Canadian the freedom of faith and what that entails.
Given the fear-mongering which is currently being promoted because of hoped for political gain because we are in a protracted federal election, religious tolerance and understanding is something we need to pause, remember and give thanks for.
We cannot tolerate incidents like the attack on a Muslim woman in Quebec recently. We, as Canadians, are better than that.
It’s the same thing in terms of culture.
We have made mistakes through the years, the internment of Japanese Canadians and residential schools being two glaring examples, but we have grown from there, or at least we should have.
That is why we have a country which relishes our multi-cultural roots.
In Yorkton we see that rich diversity celebrated on a regular basis, whether through the recent Cultural Days events, the Scottish celebration of Robbie Burns Day, the annual First Nations Powwow, or multiple Ukrainian dance events.
We are not a country where we force assimilation to some generic average of being Canadian. Instead we relish diversity and what each culture can bring to our country.
Again this is something to be remembered and to give thanks for. You can be a Canadian and you can also pay homage to your roots.
And finally, back to the election we are in. That too is something to give thanks for. We live in a democracy where we have the right to vote. That is not the case in many countries. Repressive regimes have forced many to look to Canada for a better life and that is important to remember.
We have a country made more diverse, stronger and indeed better because of wave after wave immigrants looking for a better life. Each has added something to the fabric of our nation, and for that we must always give thanks.
