I am proud to say that I am Canadian and I am also a huge patriot, which is unusual for Canadians. We are a quietly proud people, and don't try to ram our Canadian-ness down other people's throats. Personally I think we have alot to learn from Americans in this regard. I admire Americans for their patriotism, however I also find that they are patriots because they are patriots, where Canadians tend to be somewhat cynical about the whole thing. However, I do see the quiet pride that Canadians have. Europeans and others that I meet think that we are the same as Americans and while we are similar, we are not the same. There is a joke, Q: "How can you find a Canadian in a crowd?" A: "Keep bumping into people until someone apologizes."

Peter Gzowski had a competition to have a definition for "As Canadian as..." like the American Slogans "As American as...Apple Pie...Baseball" and the winning slogan was "As Canadian as possible...under the circumstances" This nicely defines what I like about Canadians... and partly what I don't like about Canadians.

I am often astounded when Canadians get caught up in "foreign" news such as the Rodney King affair, the O.J. Simpson trial, or J.F.K. Jr dying in a car-crash. It is news from a foreign country and I am surprised how people feel about that. I respect and genuinely like Americans, and feel that we have a lot to learn from them. In part I believe they ARE the Greatest country in the world because they SAY THEY ARE, and I admire that. I admire that they can ignore all of the flaws and still BELIEVE in themselves. I think we have alot to learn from them.

Why am I a patriot??? I believe Canada to be the greatest country in the world because we are a hybrid of the British Ideals, the French ideals, the Native Peoples ideals, the American ideals, and the ideals of the newcomers whose multi-cultures have made this a better place. I believe Canada is made up of immigrants, and I respect and tolerate them. I wish that they would all embrace Canada and leave their foreign disputes and loyalties behind them, however. Many new Canadians are even more patriotic than old Canadians, because they are here by choice, while others are here by birth.

Why am I a patriot??? Stompin' Tom Connors who wrote "If you don't believe your country should come before yourself, you can better serve your country by living somewhere else"; Terry Fox who had a dream and went out and did his Marathon of Hope; the Tragically Hip, who remain an enigma to the US of A; Paul Henderson scoring the winning goal in '72, which still sends chills down my spine; Vimy Ridge, which helped define our nation in World War One; the documentary style of the NFB; Lt. Colonel John McCrae and his poem "In Flanders Fields"--and the immigrant who paid thousands of dollars to purchase his medals for a museum; Tom Thomson's small sketch paintings.

Why am I a patriot???Seeing the northern lights after jumping into DZ Anzio with 3 Commando, Canadian Airborne Regiment; Autumn in Algonquin Park; watching the loons practice formation flying with their young in preparation for heading south; skiing in Mont Sainte Anne; watching the Toronto Maple Leafs win their next Stanley Cup; seeing Doug Gilmour and Don Cherry together telling stories.