The Canadian Way

“I don’t understand,” said the man from New York,
“How you really believe your ideas will work.”
“But they will,” I protested. “Let me have my say.
It may not be easy, but it’s the Canadian way.
To build a great nation, you need input from all.
If it’s us-versus-them, that will be our downfall.”

“We’ve got fishermen in the Maritimes, miners in Quebec.
We’ve got builders in Ontario, along with high-tech.
We’ve got farmers in the prairies, Alberta’s gas and oil,
BC has got lumber, the Arctic’s great spoils.
It’s not one against the other, together we succeed,
It’s not a zero sum game, we give each other what we need.”

“You’re too diverse,” he said, “of that there’s no doubt.
You should build a big wall, to keep the foreigners out.”
“But we’re a nation of immigrants,” I said with disdain.
“We don’t want a big melting pot, so we’re one and the same.
We believe in diversity, in land, people and culture.
We cherish our differences; we’re not white marble sculptures.”

“Spend more on your military,” he advised to succeed.
“You need a strong army, to take what you need.”
“But we’re a nation of peace keepers; we must all get along.
If we’re constantly fighting, we’ll never grow strong.
We’re all in this together, that’s what we believe,
We know we’re not perfect, so don’t think us naïve.”

“We’re explorers, inventors – not takers, you see.
We gave the world insulin, the telephone – and Gretzky.
We shared Anne Murray, Leonard Cohen, and Michael Bublé,
The Group of Seven, Emily Carr, even Cirque du Soleil,
The Tragically Hip, the Guess Who, and others who rhyme;
We gave you Java, basketball, the world’s Standard Time.”

He said, “you’re too liberal. Why should the rich have to pay?
For free healthcare, education, public pensions – no way!”
“It’s not free,” I corrected. “We just all pay our share.
We support all our citizens; it only seems fair.
If I’ve got your back, and I know you’ve got mine,
Then our country grows stronger, together we shine.”

“We must work with each other, and with nature, to endure.
We’d rather live richly, than be rich, that’s for sure.
Security without dependence, regard for one’s fellow man,
We have trust in each other, we believe in the plan.
We believe in democracy, everyone has their say.
We believe in each other – It’s the Canadian way.”