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By Kathy Michaels
Last night my roomie perched on the couch, took the remote hostage and with his mouth slightly agape he watched US politicians draw their battle lines and set down their vote over universal health care.
“It’s a historic moment,” he said, when 219 came up the lucky number. “Americans are now going to be civilized. The world will now be happier. Unicorns are making a comeback.”
Well, I’m paraphrasing liberally. But he was remarkably starry eyed and taken with the process that could lead our southern neighbours away from their survival-of-the-fittest mentality, into a more Canadian-esque one-for-all and all-for-one health care system.
As a one who’s had a lifetime taking universal health care for granted, I can only say good on ‘em, it’s about time. It’s a wee bit ironic that this is happening as we watch our public health care system erode, but there’s no use in sullying their moment with such thoughts.
Besides, what really concerns me is how this is going to impact this country’s image. This whole thing looks a lot like they’re pinching some Canadian good-will thunder in a time where we need all the positive press we can get.
Canada used to be looked at as an under-populated nation of friendly, tree-huggers. While we knew it was a somewhat farcical view, we perpetuated it by peppering conversations with thank-yous and pleases a-plenty, knowing it carried weight on the international stage. Travellers of varying destinations loaded up on Maple Leaf flags to paste to their backpacks and Canucks were always welcomed with open arms.
Since St. Obama took office, however, the truth north has started to look a bit like the shifty neighbour, painted in the international media as global smoggies and, worst of all, mean.
Here are a few examples for those who haven’t been scarred by events of recent months:
Heading into the Copenhagen summit, a Guardian columnist dubbed us a “petro-state,” bent on scuttling international climate change reduction goals. We were called out for letting foreign corporations exploit our natural resources, and mess with out landscape because an economy-first mindset helped us during a global recession.
Then there was the own-the-podium kerfuffle. Some said it was too much pressure for Canadian athletes, and it smacked of poor sportsmanship completely at odds with our national image.
This week, B.C.’s well-buried history of racism was revived when a Taiwanese housewife was turned away from Canada by border agents at Vancouver International Airport. What’s been called an international incident basically boiled down to one woman being turned away from the airport for no good reason. Her tale of being “threatened” has lured others who had the same experience out of the woodwork and besmirched the reputation of those who guard our borders.
I’m sure I could dig up more, but isn’t that enough?
If the international press is right, we’re morphing into a nation of dirty poor-sports with some serious border issues. Sounds a bit like somebody else I’ve spent my life not being, and if you need a hint, it’s not the North Americans who eat poutine. They prefer freedom fries.
Worse yet is that Canadians are going on record debasing their Tommy Douglas roots themselves. Instead, they’ve highlighted a desire to be more John Wayne like. In a random survey of 1420 Canadians 18 and over, an Ekos poll released last week revealed that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is seem by more Canadians as smarter than Stephen Harper, but his intellectual sophistication may work against him and the electorate is more comfortable with Prime Minister’s Macho image.
Strange sentiment for a country of people who once turned their noses up at the likes of George Bush. It all marks a frightening cultural shift that I can’t wrap my head around and I’m not sure that the best PR minds in the world could right this ship.
If Canada as I know and love it fades away, however, at least I know a place where the value of intelligent decisions is on the rise.
Tags: Obama, Tommy Douglas, universal health care
