From flanders field... - Memorial Day 2007

Today thousands of Canadians across the nation joined millions of others worldwide to pay their respects to those who served and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. At 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month we paused for a moment to honour our brave soldiers with the reaffirmation that we will never forget.

In Flanders Field - Lt Col John McRae, MD (1872-1918).

Saluting the unhyphenated Canadian

Oftentimes when different groups come together to do tasks such as nation building their diversity is celebrated. This is necessary as differences need to be respected and valued as they are very important to the task at hand. Today from workplaces and schools to government and other areas of civil society there is an unusually great tendency towards emphasising our differences and often ignoring that which we share.

This must be a cause for concern among Canadians, as it is the ties that bind, the common goals we share that will determine the ultimate success of this nation. I am still trying to find an example of a group that succeeded at something which fully satisfied their differences. Canada needs leadership which will move beyond cheap political rhetoric and unite the country on the things common.

We now need to look beyond the hyphenated variety of Canadians and work with the common goals that unites.