TORONTO – Canadians have never been as demonstrative as their southern neighbours in displaying their patriotism. Until now. 

We are different. Unlike our southern neighbour, we have short election campaigns, simple voting ballots, gun control, a very majestic horseshoe Niagara Falls, and needless to say, a lot of water. Canada has 20% of the world’s fresh water.

Ten years ago, I was fortunate to be asked by the Canadian government if I would be agreeable to have my photo amongst other dignitaries and celebrities as part of the human maple leaf in the Canadian flag. This was a patriotic moment for me.

This year’s Canadian flag day saw a surge in patriotism. February 15th, 2025  was celebrated not quietly as before but, rather, loudly. Canadians have become a flag-waving lot  Understandably so. Our identity is being threatened with annexation as the 51st state of the United States of America using tariffs as the excuse. And we don’t like it. We’re using every means to fight it, from social media outlets to Canadian celebrities talking against it. We’ve become more aware of what we have as a nation and our pride is boundless.

It’s true we are a young nation. We don’t have an army of soldiers who go out there and fight but we offer support to the American soldiers who are out there fighting for justice and peace. Our firefighters are first to respond to any wildfires in the US. And, in the Iran hostage taking in 1979, our embassy gave sanctuary to the US embassy staff who sought protection from the angry Iranians. At one point during the 1970s, we had the biggest contingent of UN Peacekeeping Force fielded in conflict areas. We are a compassionate country. We don’t turn away refugee claimants. We allow them to make their claims in court. In this aspect, we are really different from our southern neighbour.