Canadian, eh?

I am a citizen of two countries.

I was once told, “You are privileged to be a citizen of two wonderful countries?” My reply was, “Yes, but I also have the responsibility to file income tax for two countries.”

On this Canada Day, I celebrate the wonderful country of my birth. Rather than write some lines of my own acknowledging my country, I have chosen to pass on, with some editing, the following story about Canadians.

"You probably missed it in the local news, but there was a report that someone in Pakistan had advertised in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed a Canadian - any Canadian.

An Australian dentist wrote the following editorial to help define what a Canadian is, so they would know one when they found one.

“In case anyone asks you who a Canadian is . . .

A Canadian can be English or French, Italian, Irish, German, Ukrainian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, or Greek. A Canadian can be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani, or Afghan.

A Canadian may also be a Cree, Métis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or one of the many other tribes known as first-nation Canadians.

A Canadian's religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in Canada than in Afghanistan. The key difference is that in Canada they are free to worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no religion, each Canadian ultimately answers only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

A Canadian lives in one of the most prosperous lands in the history of the world. The roots of that prosperity can be found in its resources, ingenuity, and (italics my addition) the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which recognizes the right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

A Canadian is generous and Canadians have helped just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

Canadians welcome the best of everything, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services, and the best minds.

But they also welcome the least - the oppressed, the outcast, and the rejected.

You can try to kill a Canadian if you must as other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world have tried but in doing so you could just be killing a relative or a neighbour.

Canadians are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom.”

Canada, true north strong and free.

I love my country.