History / 11 posts found
It’s O.K.To Be a Patriotic Canadian
Canadians are famous for saying they are sorry. It’s a national trait. Along with politeness, we consider apologizing to be one of our most important national habits. But it may have gotten out of hand. What do I mean? We need to stop saying we are sorry for being patriotic. We should be proud of being Canadian, and not just proud but deeply proud. There are peopl…
Now the Red Ensign is Racist?!!
All nations have symbols. They ground us in our history, traditions and culture. They educate us in the fundamentals of nationhood. Canada is no exception. We have our own time honoured symbols. The most important, of course, is the maple leaf. It is universally recognized as the symbol of our nation. Hockey is our sport. Few people are better at it than us. Th…
How I Learned to Love Canada
For a long time I did not like Canadian history. Ironically, I ended up teaching it. I was a Social Studies teacher and teaching history was part of my job, but I did it begrudgingly. I found Canadian history dull and, unlike some of my colleagues, had very little enthusiasm for it. Compared to European history, with its colourful narratives and “Captains and K…
What the Queen Meant to Us
I was in England during the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second. Although the circumstances were solemn and sad, one fortunate aspect was that I was able to see, first hand, the depth of patriotism and love of nation demonstrated by the English people, and the U.K. as a whole, and the love they had for their monarch. As a Canadian though, I had to ask myself …
What Churchill Means to Us
There are many kinds of heroes. Some are anonymous, living ordinary lives without recognition or fame. You may know someone like that. They are heroic because they inspire us through their exemplary conduct, self sacrifice and character. If we are lucky they are family members, relatives or friends. If not, then we can always dip into the well of history to f…
In Defence of Sir John A.
Sir John A. MacDonald, the architect of Confederation and father of Canada, has suffered greatly in the last few years. His statues have been toppled and beheaded, and his image has been covered in red paint, a symbolic gesture indicating that he was responsible for the genocide of aboriginal peoples. Schools named after him have been re-named. All of this s…