It’s Good to be Canadian, Eh?

With Canada day looming in the near future, my mind is set on thinking about my social plans for the day. Chances are I won’t be doing anything exciting and blog-worthy (last year I hung out with friends and played board games), but “being Canadian” is something that I figured could be the theme of this week anyways! It’s not often that I feel particularly patriotic; instead I usually have intense feelings of dislike towards other countries. Apparently I’m better at disliking things than liking them… Regardless, I am actually rather fond of being Canadian. I can’t stand studying Canadian history (SO dull compared to the hundreds of years of European history I have yet to master), but there are some things that make me proud to be Canadian.

First and foremost, are the people who hail from our great nation. We can lay claim to the likes of Jim Carrey, Mike Meyers, and Rick Mercer. Is it coincidence that some of the world’s funniest people are from the Great North? I think not! We also have classic rock group Rush, singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado, and the gorgeous (and highly talented of course) Adam Levine of Maroon 5, who is making waves in the music industry through his role on The Voice.

As many problems as our country’s social system has, we do have a few things going for us. A public healthcare system that is subsidized by the government, as well as a school system that actually works. Growing up I always knew how well off we had it in Canada: when we got sick our parents didn’t go bankrupt, and our education was never an issue. I personally attended both public and private schools in my day, and I have to say that the public school systems do a damn good job.

On a global scale, Canada has a pretty good reputation. Most countries get along with us, and we don’t wantonly declare war on other nations. Yeah we got mixed up in some of the Middle East drama, but that wasn’t really our fault; we were just following along with our American neighbours (thanks for giving in to the peer pressure Conservatives Party).

But most of all, I love being Canadian because of the stereotypes. Maple syrup? HELL YES, I’ll have it on almost anything! We live in igloos? I find that amusing, if not exactly accurate. We all have pet beavers? Well, I don’t have a pet beaver, but I’ve seen a fair few, and my dog is pretty damn big compared to most. I really do love Tim Hortons. Though not because it’s a Canadian company, it’s because they have the best donuts and I have a major sweet tooth. I totally do enjoy ice cream in the winter (or anytime for that matter), and I do occasionally say “eh” at the end of my sentence.