Canada Proud

My upbringing in Canada made me the person I am. I will always be proud to be a Canadian.

Jim Carrey

My homeland's foreign policy of late has had me to the point of saying I would turn in my passport, but this trip to the capital has re-inspired national pride with this morning's marching band and bagpipes stirring my blood, with the afternoon's long walk along the Ottawa River breathing in fresh air filled with the scent of trees in the absence of strewn rubbish, with the visit to the War Museum reminding me of our past peace-making missions recognized globally with a Nobel Prize, and finally with this evening's sound and light show on Parliament Hill that speaks to all the principles that I have always thought make Canadians Canadian, renewing my faith that those principles are still alive.

Mosaika's laser show is a must-see for its spectacular artistry and thoughtful presentation of history and culture that have formed each of us. The show concludes with the national anthem, which (quite uncharacteristically) I sung along with, tears welling in my eyes. After years of living overseas, careful not to use the word "about" for the risk of exposing my nationality, tonight I could cheer that I am proud to be Canadian.