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This is in response to a very racist and poorly written “I Am Canadian” rant I received via the internet. I was born here in Canada, but I am a minority in Vancouver, Richmond, Banff, and Toronto, however, without all the other ethnic groups in this beautiful country, I would probably not be living here at all. I was born in 1986, and yet I am responsible for the mistakes that my ancestors made when they arrived in Canada and stole this land from the peaceful inhabitants. Although the natives who live in Canada today were not directly affected by those actions, they suffer everyday from mistakes made in the past. And despite the fact that I personally did not make these mistakes, I must do my best to make things right. Because that is the way the world works. And if you don’t like it, go crawl under a rock. I am allowed to skydive, bungee-jump, and smoke, but I am not allowed to ride in a car without wearing a seat belt. I should be glad that the Canadian government is trying to prevent me from being killed by a drunk driver instead of by taking my own stupid risks. Not everyone wants to take the risk of dying every time they ride in a car. All the money that I make up until the middle of July must go to pay taxes to support an official language that I have the opportunity to learn to speak for free in public schools, and the cultural celebrations such as Folklorama that has been named in the Top 100 Most Popular Events by the American Bus Association. Now ask yourselves, is this because we want to celebrate our multitude of cultures or shun them? Although I am sometimes forced to live on Kraft Dinner, and I don't have a pot to pee in, I can still sleep well, knowing that I have a country to sleep in thanks to all the refugees who have come here over the years. Did you know that Canada would have a very hard time surviving without immigrants? Apparently not. And although they are constantly trying to separate, Quebec is only trying to preserve their language and culture which is being lost due to those who refuse to see their side of the story. Ninety-five percent of my nation's international conflicts are over fish because the fishing industry is one of the largest industries in Canada and brings large amounts of money into this country every year. I believe that the government is doing us a favour by making us pay two hundred percent tax on alcohol. Let’s rejoice that the government is trying to discourage us from ruining our livers and dying of alcohol poisoning! And yes, I will be happy when that crazy person next door is not allowed to own a gun due to their history of violent behaviour. Thank you for having gun control. I am thankful that I don’t walk around everyday in fear of being shot. When a friend, family member or I become terminally ill one day, I will be thankful for all those tax dollars I paid which now insure that I have health care when I need it the most. We spend billions of dollars on tobacco and cigarettes that literally have a death label on them, and yet we still buy them. Do you still want to complain about spending money on a painting? My National Anthem has two versions, one in both official languages; and I know every single word to both of them. And no, I do not live in Quebec. I was also taught that all my ancestors were racist bigots. And I have learnt from their mistakes and vow never to repeat them; hence the importance of history.
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