51st State, I Think Not

An open letter written by my father, Geoff Leckey ...

A Canadian on those differences

An insider’s guide to why 91% of Canadians don’t want to be American

22 things Americans can’t say

We have universal health care. No-one in Canada sits in pain in a hospital parking lot staring at the door wondering whether to go in because they know it will cost them at least $10,000 and possibly financial ruin.

We have gun laws. No-one in Canada sends their children off to school wondering if this is the day they won’t come home because of a mass shooting. No-one goes into a grocery store wondering if this is the day a fellow shopper will blow his top and grab his gun. We have nutcases, too, they just don’t have guns.

We have a non-political civil service. Canadians like the fact that their public service practices genuine non-partisanship, and that it enacts the agenda of whatever government is in power without bias - and also without fear when they need to speak truth to power, because they will not be fired just because a new political gang has taken over. After all, that doesn’t change what the truth is, does it?

Money does not buy elections. Political parties receive reimbursements – from the government - for some of their election expenses, and there are strict limits on how much individuals can donate to them.

We have a six-week election period. For 254 out of the 260 weeks of a five-year mandate, our politicians….govern.

We have a political system that serves us pretty well – it’s not perfect, but better than all the others. It tends to work against tribalism, and to make entrenched hatred and distrust less likely to take root. It can feel a bit dysfunctional at times – until we look south.

We have freedom of speech. No Canadian fears arrest or deportation for attending a rally.

We have freedom of thought. No Canadian university fears reprisals for not thinking the same as the government.

Speaking of universities, we can afford to go to university. Tuition fees are a fraction of those in the USA, and even if you have to take out loans for all four years you will not be crippled by unpayable debt for the rest of your life. Our universities are not run as big businesses to enable the elite to perpetuate the elite. Oh, and in world rankings they are up there with the best.

We have maternity leave. Every Canadian woman who gives birth is entitled to maternity leave, her job is protected, and she receives maternity benefits throughout.

We have values, and we live by them.

We respect the treaties we sign, abide by the agreements we make, and keep our promises.

We know that diversity is a strength, equity a point of pride, and inclusion a not-quite-realized aspiration but we’re working on it.

We have judges that are non-political and non-elected.

We have independent, arm’s-length electoral boundaries commissions that make gerrymandering practically impossible. Electoral boundaries are drawn and redrawn based on objective criteria, with public consultation, and the commission members represent different parties, are chaired by a judge (who, you will recall, is non-political) and they all have to agree on a final report.

We do not fear that Canada will ever slide into fascist dictatorship because of the limits on the power of any one person but also because it is the very opposite of what Canadians want.

We have a culture and an identity. And it is not just defined by “We’re not American”. You can’t pin it down, but you feel it as soon as you cross the border. It has something to do with tolerance, canoes, lumberjack shirts, ice hockey, and niceness.

We have pride – it’s there, it just isn’t overweening. It is quiet, so you might think it was dormant, but when riled we are like a bear you have wakened from hibernation.

We are bilingual: two languages have equal status. While we may complain about one another once in a while, we are secretly just a wee bit proud of how French and English get along together.

We welcome immigrants. It’s how we all (well, almost all) got here, but we are the past and they are the future.

We respect the indigenous peoples who were here before the Europeans, and we protect minorities of all kinds.

We know we are all equal: women and men, black and white, billionaire and pauper, religious and atheist, regardless of ethnicity. The US Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal, we say: “Women, too”. When scientists told us we are all 99.9% the same in our DNA despite different skin colours, we said: “Ha! Knew it all along”. Canadians believe the penniless mother arriving with her children from a refugee camp in Somalia has as much dignity and value as the President of the….well, as anybody.

In conclusion…..

The US Declaration of Independence enshrines the right to the pursuit of happiness. The Canadian Constitution Act promotes “peace, order, and good government”. Theirs sounds like more fun. But what happens when you actually get peace, order, and good government is you end up with happiness.