Path: utzoo!censor!geac!jtsv16!brian From: brian@jtsv16.UUCP (Brian A. Jarvis) Newsgroups: can.general Subject: Re: What does it mean to be a Canadian? Message-ID: <1034@jtsv16.UUCP> Date: 30 Jul 89 18:30:26 GMT References: <615662921.9256@myrias.uucp> <568@UALTAVM.BITNET> <609@philmtl.philips.ca> <1458@apss.apss.ab.ca> <1989Jul27.235845.24886@tmsoft.uucp> Reply-To: brian@jtsv16.jts.com (Brian A. Jarvis) Distribution: can Organization: JTS Computer Systems Ltd., Toronto Lines: 94 In article <1989Jul27.235845.24886@tmsoft.uucp> ead@tmsoft.UUCP (Elizabeth Doucette) writes: >In article <1458@apss.apss.ab.ca> jhp@apss.ab.ca (Herb Presley, >Emergency Planning Officer) writes: > >> ... >> >>If you really want to know what it means to be a Canadian, get in your car >>sometime and travel the Canadian highway system. Stop at Moncton, Sherbrooke, >>Lachine, Portage la Prairie, Biggar, Lac La Biche, Golden. Get out of your >>car, talk to the people, smell the fresh air. Listen to the sounds. See the >>mountains, the great lakes, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Canada will no >>longer be qualified, but will be who she is, a great country filled with great >>people and places. > >You said it very well. I have visited every province and hope someday >to get to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. We really have a >beautiful country. The problem is, most people don't appreciate it. > >A poll published in MacLean's magazine stated that ~60% of Canadians >believe that we should have a common currency with the United States. >That sucks, quite frankly. You can be sure that WE would be using >THEIR currency. > >Too many Canadians, it seems, are too complacent. Everything is taken >for granted. In fact, people bitch because they want more, but don't >want to pay higher taxes. OK, I agreed down to here. Bitching *is* the national pass-time. Every- body wants everything for the good life, but precious few are willing to pay for it. And anything we personally don't want to do instantly becomes the government's responsibility. And then we become absolutely livid when some naive politician actually asks us to *pay* for it with taxes. Imagine! The gall of him! >Maybe we can start a discussion on what it means to be a Canadian, to >each person. Do we care? What are we willing to do about it? How >many people would rather sit on their butts, watch American >television, or rent American movies, or listen to American sports and >go to the U.S. to buy cheaper clothes or other goods, rather than >support their own economy. I don't see the connection here. I don't think being Canadian has anything to do with watching politically correct TV programs or sports events. Given a choice between food on my table and culture on my television, I choose the food every time. No one yet has convinced me that millions spent by the CBC and other agencies on TV programs or movies benefitted Canada more than direct social spending already in place. As for going to the U.S. to buy, damn right I will. And it has *NOTHING* to do with a [un]willingness to support Canadian industry; if we can't compete, then pack up your bags and find an industry where we *can* compete. I have no sympathy for textile industries or grape farmers; if we can't do it well enough to keep our markets within the U.S. and Canada, then we shouldn't be doing it. >Are we willing to start our own businesses and work long hours to make >it work? Or, do we all want to work for a company where we can work >35 hours a week, get lots of vacation and full benefits. (Our economy >will not be healthy this way). Of course I realize that a lot of >people work long hours, but a lot of people don't. Back into agreement mode again. Yep, precious few are willing to take risks involved in starting one's own business, but then again, look at the geographic distribution of the population. The best chance for a business to succeed is in large market areas ie. large cities. The large cities usually aren't the ones with the major unemployment problems, at least, not compared to the rurual areas ie. rural NFLD vs. St John's, Kirkland Lake vs. Toronto and so on. > How many people >are angry at the number of immigrants who buy up real estate? I'm not >talking about the billionaires from Hong Kong who already have money. >I'm talking about immigrants who bust their asses, working very long >hours here in Canada, to make a better life for their families. Is it >realistic to be angry at someone who does something that we are too >lazy to do ourselves? No sympathy for the angry residents here; for every purchase, there was a seller. If Canadians don't want to sell land/companies/resources to foreigners, THEN DON'T SELL! God, trying to get that through some people is absolutely impossible. >Elizabeth Brian =============================================================================== __ __ Brian A. Jarvis, / ) ...jtsv16!brian / ) J.T.S. Computer Systems Ltd., /--< __ o __. ____ /--/ Downsview, Ontario /___/_/ (_<_(_/|_/ / <_ / ( o My dog, Goof, still says "Hi!" "Lord, defend me from my friends; I can account for my enemies." - D'Hericault ===============================================================================