Wednesday, February 11, 2009

In which I find a sense of myself, lose it, but still try to articulate it (aka My Love Letter to Canada Continued)

Yeah, long title.

I have found a country whose general sense of politics agrees with my own.

I came to this discovery this morning while talking to one of my Canadian Studies profs. It was one of those flashing moments where, in that instant, I could have explained everything to you, and then lost the exact details, but....it has something to do with the fact that strict/loose readings of the constitutional documents and judicial review don't exist in this country.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms only seeks to define civil liberties to the extent that they can exist in a "free and democratic" society...so whether the text of the documents is, in essence, banning gay marriage/abortions/whatever...those debates don't happen like they do in the States. (If you've ever heard me say that I don't think abortion and gay marriage should be political issues, that's exactly what I mean.) It's just assumed (or so I think the train of thought went) that individual choice is part of a "free and democratic" society...I can't articulate it like he did, but for a moment, life made sense in my head.

Then I got distracted by a bug on the wall or something and lost everything, but I've never experienced a moment of clarity when it comes to politics, and that finally happened today.

Actually, I was talking about multiculturalism after skating with a friend yesterday, and he said "You know, I don't quite get why they make such a big deal about it. Why can't everyone just be nice to each other?" I agreed with him fully, but at the same time figure that not everyone thinks that way...but this idea of "hands off, leave it alone and just be nice" seems to pervade here. And I like that. Very much.

My quest to have a really kick-ass answer to the next person who asks me "Why Canada?" continues...

3 comments:

  1. I recognize that I comment on your blog too much - but I 100% agree with what you mean. So much of what I love about Canada is there's no debate over what I agree with/believe in. Like recycling is just done, health care is just considered a basic human right, etc. etc. It's so wonderful.

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  2. They just get it here, don't they?

    One of these days I might find something bad to say...I doubt it, but it could happen.

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  3. For the record, I have NEVER doubted or questioned your choice to study abroad in Canada. This is probably because I AM Canadian and therefore wildly approve. However, I love that you love the true north, strong and free. Carry on and enjoy yourself...but we sure miss you back here at AU!

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