Canada Day 2022

 

Canada Day 2022. It’s hard to know how to celebrate this day. Last year we were shocked and saddened by the discovery of children’s graves at residential schools.

For an immigrant like myself, the biggest emotion we feel as a Canadian is the pride of belonging, as I wrote in this previous post – Where is Home?

When you come from a place that never accepted you as one of its own, to a country that receives you and bestows citizenship, rights and freedoms, it forever earns a special place in your heart. So on Canada Day you are filled with pride and love to be able to call this country yours.

But then there is also the knowledge of how this country was built, the shameful legacy of stolen lands and stolen children, the trauma still being carried today and that will be borne by future generations.

How does one celebrate Canada Day? It’s hard to know. Perhaps with just one small understanding of a fellow Canadian? Perhaps with unlearning long-held stereotypes? They say it’s never too late to learn, but it’s also never too late to unlearn.

The world has been full of dark news recently. It’s not a world I imagined our children and grandchildren living in. We all thought future generations would be living easier, more fulfilling, more enlightened lives. What happened to that future? What will the future of this country look like?

A simple “Happy Canada Day” doesn’t seem to suffice, but here it is anyway, "Happy Canada Day to you and yours, wherever you are. May the days ahead be brighter."