“Where are the Canadian carrots?” Kathie asks. “They’re still in the ground” I reply. As for lettuce, we can access local supply from Okanagan Falls back home, while on holiday options were more limited. We snatched some American cucumbers from the stalls by the store entrance but later exchanged them for some Canadian veg we found after a brief search. I can imagine a new reality TV show here; see how many Canadian products each contestant can find in three minutes; the highest total gets the win. (Remember Supermarket Sweep; as a kid I loved that show; how gross.)
No longer a game show, grocery shopping has become a political exercise, an existential zeitgeist to push back not against Americans as a whole, but to the racist, narcissistic, and cruel administration of Donald Trump and associated mad (mostly) men. For sure, no one wants to pick on farmers or the agricultural sector, but nationalism rises to the surface as shoppers cruise the aisles of their local grocery store.
If I drank bourbon I could add Kentucky whisky to my boycott list. We did this with South African wines years ago. Now we can do the same with all sorts of US purchases — including vehicles, clothing, household goods, and luxury items — many have now eliminated US travel from their holiday planning. This is hard on families living both sides of our shared border; each and every day however it feels like out countries share less and less.
Apart from the alleged effectiveness of boycotts, the question remains: Does our protest somehow define us as Canadians in a new and demonstrative way? This Canada Day, are we in fact more unified against a common foe than a year ago? If we are against the new America what are we for in its stead? Are we once again transplanted Europeans? We have been in this colonial place before and it didn’t go well, especially for Indigenous peoples. Does a new alignment with Europe, a land far away from us on the west coast make us smile?
Americans draw inspiration and identity from the Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies from England on July 4, 1776. Such regime change led to constitutional government, a historic bill of rights, and a series of constitutional amendments, all now vulnerable to ignorance if not elimination. Canadians have no revolution in our colonial history; just a dance step between French and English alliances. Must we always attach ourselves to another national jurisdiction? Can we stand proudly on both feet with confidence and pride?
In one sense Trump is right; Canada has depended on the US though his calculations regarding trade deficits are incorrect, deceitful, and avaricious. Our historic partnership has benefited both countries profoundly over time. He has nudged us in a good direction. His attempt to bludgeon us to death (cue: La Cosa Nostra) however is, well, un-Canadian.
So what about Canadian identity in and of itself? What makes us smile, about ourselves? The late CBC journalist and radio host, Peter Gzowski spent much of his working life asking this very question: What makes us “Canadian?” Beyond maple syrup, bacon, the Toronto Blue Jays, and comedians Bob and Doug McKenzie, are we simply meek and mild, easily coerced and manipulated by princes and powers? Or is our real power in politeness? Is our alleged modesty a strength or a weakness?
If abundant natural resources – west coast rainforest waterfalls, lush Ontario Algonquin maples, swirling maritime whales, and Saskatchewan grassland prairie dogs come first to mind for many of us, why do so many endure daily traffic gridlock, live far from the earth in eighteen story condominiums, hiding in basement caves playing endless video games? One need not preclude the other. In other words, here in Canada, it’s all here. Economic constraints notwithstanding, we have freedom of choice here, greater than most world nations.
In the experience of freedom we find our greatest difference with the present US administration. We value freedom, respect, compassion, and intelligence. With Charlie Angus and other resisters, I will continue to fight for this freedom, for all, at all times until I draw my final breath.
“Canadian eh?” You bet. How Canadian is that? Very.
A Canada Day video message from Charlie Angus
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Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 
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