I want to reassure anyone reading this series of posts that I am not a treasonous ingrate when it comes to living in Canada. I do not love this country. I do not hate Canada, either. I certainly do not love its governments or institutions. I don't hate them. They simply do not, er, resonate with me? Right now I am listening to the radio, CBC, our national broadcaster, and there is a piece right now about a Chinese mining company with interests in Canada using slave labour in Eritrea, that little country bordering Ethiopia that also has a growth industry in exporting refugees. Yes, it's that bad. Given how bad life can be for ordinary people in a lot of other countries maybe I should feel at least a little grateful for living in Canada? I don't have to love this country, this myth, this beautiful fiction. But I could do a lot worse than live here.
There are other countries where I wouldn't mind emigrating to. I did mention Costa Rica, and yes I speak Spanish fluently. Perhaps Mexico or Colombia? There would be trade-offs. Perhaps somewhere in Europe? Spain, where I know the language, without the Castilian speech impediment? Great Britain, where I also know the language without the BBC speech impediment? How about the Netherlands? Scandinavian countries? Maybe Germany, where I neither know nor want to learn the language. Even though half my DNA is German (the other half is Scottish), I speak English with a light Scandinavian accent (don't ask why, I certainly can't figure it out) and Spanish with a Brazilian Portuguese accent (ditto!) But German? If hell had an official language it would have to be German!
Whoops, this just in! After listening a little more carefully, it turns out that it isn't a Chinese mining company employing slave labour in Eritrea, but a Canadian company. Canada the hypocrite! This isn't to let China off the hook, a country legendary for its cruel and inhumane treatment of its citizens, and here is Prime Minister Junior (Justin time) all set to be Beijing`s Canadian blow boy. Just what this country needs, while Vancouver has been made unliveable to everyone but the wealthy thanks to Chinese foreign real estate investment in this city. Nothing against the Chinese people, by the way, for all you thin-skinned liberals who want to squeal Racist!!!! I like the Chinese people and have generally had very positive experiences with Chinese-Canadians. As for the millionaire scum trying to buy up my city, I don`t give a rat`s ass what their nationality. They are millionaire scum regardless their passport. That they happen to be Chinese is very unfortunate and hugely unfair to other Chinese people given the number of covert bigots we still have in this country who are always eager to lunge at a vulnerable target.
I could do a lot worse than live in Canada. Did I say that this is an incredibly beautiful country despite the horrible climate? Our cities are clean and mostly liveable and human and equal rights are enjoyed by all but the poorest and this is my single great sticking point with this country, besides the military. Poor-bashing is still widespread in this country and despite the measures being taken, too little too late, by our federal, provincial and municipal governments to alleviate homelessness, your average Canadian is very slow to change and those are the ones who are most likely to demonize and stigmatize us, the poor.
No, I don't expect to be any less stigmatized for being poor in another country, perhaps more. But I am a poor person living in Canada, making me among the least equal of Canadians. I have been systemically marginalized all my life because of this. The scars are deep and I am never going to forgive this country for what I have suffered. I will try to forget it and move on. But I am never going to love Canada.
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