The Birth of A Nation

One hundred and forty one years ago today a new nation was born. That new nation has grown over the years, fought in two world wars and has made a name for itself over the course of those one hundred and forty one years. That nation is of course Canada. We have come a long way since our forefathers forged this nation of ours.

Now our neighbours to the south will be celebrating their "Independence Day" this coming Friday. One thing will be common between both nations, fire works. We all seem to love watching fire works. But I digress, the reason why it is important for us to remember the birth of our nation is not to get a day off from work, but to remember how the nation was forged. Back in 1867 Canada became a sovereign nation after trying to break away from the British rule. Unfortunately our rebellion was short lived because of poor planning and fear of the crown. But with diplomacy we earned our sovereignty.

But that was just the beginning of our nation. When our Nation was first formed I believe Toronto was still going by the name of York. Some time during that period I'm not sure of the exact dates York became Toronto. In any case Colonial America was now split into two separate Sovereign nations; the United States of America and Canada. Here in Canada we still are subjects of Queen Elizabeth II but we are a nation that is governed by ourselves. We elect our government differently than the Americans but every democratic system differs from country to country.

We have had many differences from other nations and we currently have one of the strongest dollars on the Foreign exchange markets. We all don't know how long that will last, but we will enjoy it while it does. Our nation's military have been laughed at by both our citizens and our neighbours. At one time back in the late 1950's we had the most advanced interceptor in the world, unfortunately politicians railroaded that program. Our current government has been bolstering support for our well trained troops, some of our pilots are considered the best in the world. In one hundred and forty one years we have come a long way.

Our beer is still considered one of the best in the world. Of course not all Canadians are drinkers but for those who are; try telling them that our beer sucks. Our favourite past time is hockey. If we're not playing hockey we are watching it, and a lot of us Toronto Maple Leaf fans are wondering when management will finally put together a Stanley Cup Team. Speaking of the Stanley Cup, many years ago when Lord Stanley was Governor General for Canada, he donated the Cup to the then small National Hockey League. For all of you Ottawa Senators fans out there who laugh at the 41 year drought of the Maple Leafs, the last time Ottawa won the cup was well over Eighty years ago.

Canada is becoming a well respected nation throughout the world. Not only is our National Hockey team feared on the national circuits, as well as THE team to beat. We have been working hard to better the name of our nation on the world stage. Our troops are helping to rebuild Afghanistan and unfortunately we lose a few soldiers now and then. Thankfully we haven't heard of any loses lately but we are doing our part on the national stage. We also made history when our troops were successful at capturing Vimy Ridge. Not that long ago at the anniversary of the turning point in the war, the Queen gave speech exonerating those who perished during the battle at the memorial that was erected for those valiant soldiers who lost their lives in the battle. The capture of Vimy Ridge was considered the turning point in the war because other allied troops had made attempts to capture it, but the Canadians came in and captured it in six days. We also lost over 6000 troops but we were successful and had gained international recognition.

The recent rise of our dollar has seen many manufacturing plants move back down to the states, with our dollar trading at par or better with the US greenback it is more expensive for US corporations to manufacture goods in Canada. Of course this means that Canadians now have to step up and rebuild the manufacturing sectors but this nation was forged on the backs of hard working citizens. We have seen many different governments throughout the years as well as a province attempt to separate. In my opinion it's because the make themselves so hard to please. But we will move forward. Our National Space Agency is in the middle of a recruitment drive to help our Nation stay at the forefront of robotics in the endeavours of space exploration.

In short we do things a lot better than some nations and a lot worse than other nations. We have our faults just like every other nation but the coming months I would hope to hear more about Canada on the world stage, not just as a Nation of peace keepers but as a technologically advanced Nation. Together we stand and divided we fall. Tonight we will be out watching fireworks to celebrate the birth of our Nation. To me it will have a new meaning after learning so much about our heritage as a Nation this year. I have learned more this past year about Canada this year than I did during history classes in High School. If you are Canadian and you have made it this far into my post, please post your thoughts on why Canada is such a great nation in the comments section. Let's all stand up and tell the world that Canada is here to stay! Oh yeah, and please enjoy the fireworks safely, they are dangerous and spectacular at the same time. Happy Canada Day Everyone!

Image 1: Canadian Flag - Wiki Media Commons
Image 2: Writing Prompt #3 - Morgue File