on Being Canadian-Celebrating 150 Years

Canada turned 5 years this year. eing a Canadian living in a foreign land away from Canada on Canada ay, yet trying to feel part of the celebration, is hard. ll I could muster up was to dress up in my red and white. I started seeing my Facebook feed flooded with pictures of people dressing up in red and white and celebrating Canada day all across Canada. In some ways it was really heartwarming and nice to see so many Canadians of 3akistani origins participating in Canada ay festivities, kids painting their faces with the maple leaf, wearing Canada day t-shirts and hats. It shows the love 3akistani immigrants feel towards their adopted homeland. If we look around the world, Canada is one of the few nations providing some level of sane leadership. Whereas, hate rhetoric is consuming our neighbours down south in the 86, and 8. is dealing with a 3rime 0inister who promises to tear up human rights legislation in an effortf ft tot fightfi ht terrorism.ti With hate crime on the rise across the globe, but specifically so in the two nations termed leaders of the civili ised world, Canada often provides a ray of hope. 6o, it comes as no su urprise that 3akistani-Canadians fe feel so patriotic towards Canada. ny of my friends in /ondon know h his well that I can be the poster child when it comes top raising Canada. I have lived in 5 differ

nt countries and travelled through m many, but nothing beats how I feel about Canada. I credit my upbringing in Canada for the large part of who I am as a Canadian. 7o defend democracy and uphold the principles of democracy to use my voice to speak against atrocities to stand up for eTual rights for everyone, to stand up for truth and fight for Mustice to protect people s rights to freedom of their faith and freedom of speech are all values that have been deeply entrenched in me because of my years in Canada. It is those very values that also make me view Canada day with cynicism. 7he reality of our Canadian history is less than perfect. Canada is not the utopian homeland my nostalgia would have my friends in /ondon believe, but Canadian history like any nation is messy. 6he has her own skeletons in the closet and needs some soul searching and making amends. s we celebrate Canada day, we need to recognise and honour the foundations of destruction of our indigenous population on which Canada is built. We need to un- der standdtd th that tnott everyone view si Canada day with the same level of fervour and patriotism because Canada day brings up a different set of reality for a large segment of our population. ctions of our original settlers and Canadians have caused physical, emotional and psychological damage to nd and rd generation native Canadians. 7his lesson in history is for all of us-how today s actions can leave life-long impact on generations to come. 7his brings me to my ne t point-why this lesson teaches us how important it is to be engaged politically and demand Mustice and good governance from our elected officials. 3olicies made at the /egislative and 3arliamentary assemblies has the potential of leaving a legacy that can either make or ruin generations. ritish Columbia saw a change in governance after the elections of th 0ay - a change that was years in the making. 7oo many decisions made by the /iberal overnment and Christy Clark left many ritish Columbians poorer and worse off today than ever before. ritish Columbians sent a clear message on th 0ay that the years of Christy Clark are no longer what ritish Columbians want Canadians chose hope and inclusion when they rid of 6tephen arper s oppressive regime of years. 7his is democracy at play. It may not be perfect, it may not be the best model, but it is a model that allows us an opportunity to e press our voic- es andd electlt th those we se eb besttt to represent our interests. Whilst, we may have chosen progressive governments and voted for hope over hate, we have to recognise the dissenting voices amongst us, we have to open our hearts and our ears to the plight of the indigenous communities of Canada.s3ak is tan iCanadians, we have a special role to play. We cannot Must ask for our rights as minorities, but we must work towards understanding the plight of the indigenous. Our first step should be to educate ourselves on the topic, and if we are able then to Moin hands in activism and work towards a more egalitarian society. bove all, we must engage in the political process of the country that we now call home. We may be unable to undo the inMustices of the past by our founding members, but we have an opportunity to right the wrong by bettering the lives of the indigenous people of Canada. Canada may not be perfect, but it is the one country that I most closely relate to in terms of my values. It is those values of Mustice, eTuality and democracy that makes me take an obMective look at our history, but also our present-to call out where and when we fail to adhere to those high standards and if we continue to do that, then our romanticised utopian view of Canada will become reality. appy 5 th Canada-7rue 1orth strong and free. 0y hope is that we continue to be a beacon of hope and progressive values for the world.