I am Canadian. What does this mean?

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I am Canadian.

What does this mean? 

Many things, including this. 

It means my home country is part of the Commonwealth and of La Francophonie. It means I live in a constitutional monarchy: The Prime Minister leads the country, though the monarch, currently King Charles III, is the head of state; the Governor General, currently Mary Simon, is the monarch's federal representative in Canada. 

It means that, while English is my mother tongue, I also speak French as the country's other official language. However, these two languages are far from the only two I hear in my city, neighbourhood and on my block. Canadians come from all over the world, resulting in a vibrant diversity that is as wonderful as it is sometimes challenging, but it is always deeply resonant of the country and its spirit. 

I am Canadian. 

This means I live every day with the privilege of my birth and the knowledge of the urgent need for Reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of this land. 

I am Canadian

Today, this means that King Charles III is opening the new session of Parliament by reading the Speech from the Throne that tells of the government's plans for the coming months. History, pomp and circumstance all coming together in a display of generations of tradition that reflect both our past, rooted across the ocean, and our present, unfolding in real time through elections, and brought alive by ordinary individuals, like me, in civil society and through civic institutions. 

Being Canadian is complex, because the world is complex. I think that, by and large, we see ourselves as hopeful, generous, flawed, kind, expansive, creative and tough. Our geography is huge, while our population is (relatively) small. We are learning to hold our own against much bigger countries -- especially so since January 20, 2025.  

I am Canadian -- always proud, sometimes confused, occasionally confounded. In both official languages. 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Photo by Aslı Yaren Peker on Unsplash

Comments

  1. DanielleMay 27, 2025 at 5:56 AM

    Just WOW !

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnnMay 27, 2025 at 6:03 AM

    I am American. I wish I were Canadian

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 27, 2025 at 6:47 AM

    From Celia: well said, I wish I could sit with you to watch the opening of Parliament. What a combination of French and English. Fr= parley - to
    Speak. Eng. = opening - " speak freely here. Yes I'm Pushing it a bit, but I know you get it. And here I am stuck in the middle. What's the R&J line - "let us be friends, give me your hands".
    What great friends I've made via JRW.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ShannonMay 28, 2025 at 12:42 PM

    I can totally appreciate being moved by the King and Queen’s arrival here in Canada. I sat and watched a video clip on CBC news as well. I was interested to see what happened and how it would all unfold.

    My first thought was, wow! what a big plane for two people. But I guess they come with an entourage but still what a big plane. The other thing I thought was, I wonder why they don’t stay longer and actually visit some of the beautiful places found across our country. Why the rush to return home?

    As a Canadian, I acknowledge and appreciate that I am privileged to live in such a beautiful country with the freedoms that we have. I’m extremely grateful to be a Canadian and I feel an immense sense of responsibility filled with hope.

    ReplyDelete

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