Around 2017, also known as Canada 150, I (and many others) started to think more critically about Canada Day and what we celebrate. Over the last few years, I have been more likely to wear orange than red on Canada Day, to show solidarity for the Indigenous peoples who have experienced that 150+ years very differently.
This year, I have been doing a lot of thinking about culture. Over the last month or so I have been reflecting a lot on the parts of me that I sometimes don't fully embrace. I have been thinking about how growing up in a resource town surrounded by bush shaped me, and the differences between that and the farm-style "small town Alberta" childhood I hear from others.
Yes, I grew up in an environment where people held some really problematic views. And I am still unlearning that. But I also grew up with resourcefulness and the ability to make due with limited options available. I grew up with awareness of and respect for the forest and the critters in it. I knew more about bears as a ten year old than many adults in the city ever will. I learned that your name and reputation are important, and that you need to work hard to ensure they have value. I learned that you have to find ways to work with the people around you and be in community with them, because the next closest folks are down a long and isolated highway. And I learned that, at the end of the day, we can survive scary things.
We have a dark history to explore, and there are folks who want to take us in a dark direction. But, today, I embrace that there are also things that I love about having grown up in this country. And I can both honour those things things and work to address the harm that Canada has caused.
I leave you with a song that puts it well. The songwriter collaborated with Indigenous artists and is donating proceeds from streaming to an Indigenous not-for-profit working on cultural preservation.
