March 12, 2025
I would like to make one thing perfectly clear.
Canadians have always been patriotic.
We have always held a great love for and pride in our
country. We have always taken a full-hearted yet quiet pride in the
accomplishments of our fellow citizens. Some of them are known world-wide. Michael
J. Fox; Celine Dion; Michael Bublé; Ryan Reynolds; and the co-discoverer of
Insulin, Dr. Frederick Banting, to name the ones that come to mind.
We have always been the first to reach out when there
has been a sudden need to be filled, wherever that need arises around the
world—or in our own country. During the recent, many and varied natural
disasters that have taken place south of the 49th, Canadians have
given aid in record amounts. One need only check with the Canadian Red Cross to
know that is so.
Americans have always known that if they are somewhere
overseas, and there is no American Embassy at hand, they can go to the Canadian
Embassy or Consulate and find the help they need.
In 1979, when Americans were being held hostage in the
Embassy in Tehran, the Canadian ambassador sheltered six American diplomats and
got them free of that very volatile situation, and back home safely. That
ambassador’s name was Ken Taylor, and President Ronald Reagan awarded him the
Congressional Gold Medal for his heroism.
More than twenty years later, at another moment of
crisis for America, when the airways were closed down, one small town in
Newfoundland said yes and accepted 38 planes on 9/11, carrying 6,579 people.
That act doubled the size of the town of Gander. Quick shelters were provided
to house those seeking it, yes, but also Canadians opened their own homes to
those stranded during a perilous time. And that didn’t just happen in Gander,
but in other provinces throughout the country, too. In total, over 250 flights
carrying approximately 45,000 people found refuge here in Canada for that
heartbreaking week.
And—this is important—no one, absolutely no one charged
a penny for the above services. And when many tried to give money to those who
had offered a safe harbor, meals and clothing, the answer was no. Not just no,
but said with confidence “no, you’d have done the same.”
We are patriots and we are humanitarians, and we are
quick to help where we can.
Our patriotism runs deep. We don’t need fireworks or
parades, or grand shows, (though we have them on our nation’s birthday, Canada
Day) to prove our mettle in this area. For Canadians, pride of country is as
natural and as pure and as instinctive as is breathing.
And yes, it’s true, we are polite. And yes, we are and
have always been good friends with our neighbors to the south. Many individual
Canadians not only have very close American friends, but members of their own
families. In fact, I have several very good friends who live in such diverse
locations as Utah, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas.
But no, we are not pushovers. And we don’t, to a
person, care very much for bullies. Those of us who are Christian don’t wave
our Bibles; we live by them. We not only know the commandment to love our
neighbors as ourselves, we practice it.
And we don’t much like the prattle that has been
directed our way lately by the current prominent voices in the U.S.
We’re an intelligent people. We don’t hold individuals
responsible for the sins of others. If you’re coming to Canada for vacation,
you’ll be welcome here. We don’t play “gotcha” games.
I know a lot of you, my dear American friends, have
been very angry with the behavior of your loudest spokespeople in recent weeks.
We know you don’t agree with what is being done or said. And we know that
you’re concerned that we might be all alone in the world now that your government
seems to be turning you away from us.
But don’t you worry. We are a forgiving people, a
people who believe in redemption and second chances. When the time is right,
we’ll do what we can to mend the damage that has been done to our relationship.
It may take time—after all, we learned when we were children that broken trust
takes time to mend. But I assure you it can be mended.
And in the meantime, we do have other friends. We’re
liked in Europe and Asia, and my goodness! We are a member of the Commonwealth
of Nations—an organization of 56 independent countries. You may have heard of
it. And guess what? Our King is the head of it.
So please, dear friends, do what you can to fix things
in your back yard. We wish you the best, and we have faith that before long you
will be back to your former charming and reasonable selves.
As for us, we’re going to be just fine. And in the
words of the late, great Gordie Howe, elbows up.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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