Canada Day

It’s July 1st, which means it’s time for everyone in Canada to reflect a little on what it means to be Canadian. Though this introspection is a year-round event for Canadians, Canada Day is a special day where we take the job a little more seriously and decide to dedicate 99% of our cultural brainpower instead of the usual 50%.

And who better to examine what makes us Canadian than Douglas Coupland? Though many have tried to capture the essence Canadien, from Farley Mowat to Spirit Of The West, none is as qualified as Coupland, a writer whose depressive characters mirror the outlook of most Canadians when examining their own culture, to document our collective malady. With his latest release, Souvenir Of Canada, Coupland examines the imagery that we all grew up with, imagery that takes us back to the romper rooms of our friend’s basements. The images might baffle outsiders, but most Canadians will find them comforting, like little treasures found in the bottom of a junk drawer.

Most Canadians I know (or at least the ones on the news I pretend I know) always complain that Canada has no identity of our own. This attitude permeates Canadian society, so much so that at one time the Government of Canada spent $10 million giving away flags to make Canadians feel more patriotic. Though the 15-watt stereo of Canadian culture is often drowned out by the leaf blower of American media in our back yard, I would argue there are a multitude of cultural gems that Canadians overlook far too easily.

There are the urban myths of Canadian vs. American beer, the flag patch we’ve all worn while traveling overseas, and, of course, the CBC. There’s pretty money, The Goal, and, when all else fails, Joe Canadian. We may not have a lot of people or power but, as Coupland’s book reminds us, we have beautiful memories of times that were ours, and ours alone.

Happy Birthday Canada. We may not always give you the credit you’re due, but there isn’t anywhere else that we’d want to live out our lives.