MAUREEN MCTEER
To most Canadians, Ottawa is the national capital. But to me, Ottawa has always been home. My earliest memories were of the pond in the park by the canal at the end of Third Avenue, the street where my father’s family lived for decades. My ideas of an ideal city were shaped by my life here, and so what I wish for Ottawa now, and in the future, relate back strongly to those beginnings.
My first wish is that Ottawa will continue to be a comfortable and welcoming place for our families to live and prosper. That legacy of cohesion and courtesy was a key part of my own upbringing and it stood us all in good stead. While it may seem rarer, even under threat some days, I believe it will continue to be an essential ingredient for a city such as Ottawa, made up of people and cultures from every corner of the world.
My second wish is broader, but stems naturally from the first. As our nation’s capital, Ottawa should be seen and enjoyed by all Canadians. When living in Washington, D.C., a decade ago, I discovered that every Grade 8 American student in the country made a pilgrimage to their capital to visit the seat of government on Capitol Hill and their district’s elected representative. They also saw all their capital’s monuments, museums and galleries, and significant special sights. That does not happen in Canada, and my wish is that it soon will.
Students should come to Ottawa as part of their secondary school education, to witness first-hand our Parliament and how it works. They should marvel at the spectacular theatre, dance and music at the newly renovated National Arts Centre, and leave one of their own creative art works at the National Gallery of Canada. They should be awed by the exhibits at the museums of nature, of Canadian history, and aviation; and then spend a few hours looking up their family history at Library and Archives Canada. Sharing these exciting experiences in our national capital will help build our sense of pride in our shared history, and add a real sense of enthusiasm for all we have achieved in the past, and all we can create, both individually and together, in the decades ahead. Maureen McTeer is a lawyer and author.