I am an artist. I am a Canadian artist. My work reflects my life in this wide, wonderful, multi-lingual, multi-racial country. Our sovereignty is being threatened by our former best friend (outside the Commonwealth of Nations) and our closest neighbour. The current leader of that country is not kidding. He wants our water, our land, our minerals, our forests -- for his own enrichmen and that of his oligarch buddies. We won't stand for it. We are doing what we can to resolve this peacefully, because that's how we roll...but don't kid yourselves. We will do what we need to do to protect our sovereignty, and we have some good friends who will help.
Meanwhile, though, our citizens are buying Canadian, cancelling trips south of the border, being a bit rude (booing the American anthem at sports events)....and so I offer you this from my daughter, who is a talented photographer. These are her images of Canada -- and she's travelled coast to coast (but not up to the north...yet!)
I grew up in southwest Quebec, 16 miles north of the border with NY State and not far from Vermont. That country was alwsy similar too and different from us here in Canada -- but we always got along. The turn being taken now has shaken our friendship, our trading, tourism and military alliance. Our trust has been compromised. But rest assured, we are a strong and creative people and we will not be cowed.
WE. ARE. CANADIAN. Deal with it. Turn up the volume and enjoy the scenery, eh?
