In the beginning of Trump’s second term as president, many Canadians found themselves hurt and offended by his remarks about our becoming a 51st state, even though we knew it would never happen. We reacted as if our big brother had abandoned us.
But a remarkable shift has occurred since then. Actually, not so remarkable, when you consider our history.
Recent history shows us to be loyal friends, even when we disagree. We did not have to enter WW2. But we did, out of loyalty to the UK and a sense of rightness. And when we got involved, we gave it everything we had. So much that we have earned long-standing gratitude from Europe and a reputation of quiet but fearless fighters.
We did not have to enter the Korean war, but we did, out of loyalty to our southern friends.
We did not have to support Americans in Afghanistan, or even Vietnam, but our soldiers were there, fighting ferociously.
We did not have to be there during 9/11. Oh, wait! Yes, we did, because it was not about country. It was about morality. We aided our friends because it was the right thing to do.
Each time, we have not viewed ourselves as heroes, but we were. We simply decided it had to be done and did it.
It turns out, though, that friendship is not a part of economic relations with the US. And, in April, we began to realize it. We also were never the younger, smaller sibling.
We are not lesser to the USA. We have fewer people, we place more emphasis on human relations in our country than on the pursuit of money, recognize we have a duty to others before rights for ourselves, and we have a quiet pride. We are not lesser. We are different.
But our pride is not quiet, anymore. We are familiarizing ourselves with our uniqueness and our value, independent of the Americans.
We are buying Canadian, not American. But we also are buying from other countries more than ever, countries who demonstrate fairness and share many of our values.
We are recognizing not just our tangible natural resources that the world values (like minerals and clean energy), but our intangibles (like integrity and quiet allegiance to our promises).
Maybe it took an insult from Americans to make us more American. We now proudly wave our flag, but not out of a sense of misplaced and misguided superiority, but ou of a sense of being a valued equal in the world. In part, we have become proud to say that we do not share the selfish individual demanding nature of Americans, but the caring, family concepts embraced in most other parts of the world.
What helps define the new, old Canadian? Being the closest neighbour to the USA but being proud of our own unique identity. We always were strong. We just needed to be awakened to the reality of our role in the world, our value to others, our sense of worth to ourselves.
Our uniqueness also is built on our diversity. Our openness. Our differences among ourselves that almost always are settled peacefully and without permanent rancor.
Canadians, like every other nationality, will always have internal squabbles, but we have and will always look for solutions, rather than divisions.
For all of these reasons, we should be proud. Because they make us strong.