I prefer to be a caring and responsible citizen

Re Canadians moving into tough- love mode Opinion, Nov. 4.

In his article, Richard Gwyn cites some attitudinal changes in Canadians’ mood that seem to have led him to conclude that, “ Canadians these days are extraordinarily confident about the country and themselves.” Amongst the indications that Canadians are now “ confident about themselves and their country,” Gwyn mentions the questioning of natives’ choice to live wherever they wish in Canada, General Rick Hillier’s pronouncement that Canadians were going to Afghanistan to “ kill . . . the scumbags who detest our freedom” and Premier Dalton McGuinty’s reversal of his plan to extend official recognition to Islamic sharia law.

In essence, what Gwyn is saying is that adoption of militarist, macho, right- wing, intolerant attitudes is what Canadians needed in order to be confident of themselves and their country.

I respect natives’ choice to live wherever they wish and believe that Canadians — through our governments — owe them a duty of utmost care; I prefer a peacekeeping rather than a killer Canadian military and I prefer official recognition of sharia arbitration tribunals rather than bury my head in the sand while Muslim women and children suffer anachronistic and unfair, underground sharia rulings and practices.

If that makes me fail Gwyn’s self-confidence measurement grid, a caring- and- responsiblecitizen measurement grid might serve as my safety net.