CANADA IS GREAT

or How To See The World and Stay Mostly Above The 49th Parallel

I know many Americans who don’t have passports.

They are mocked.

Not by me… well, maybe a little bit by me but I get it.

The United States of America has a version of almost every type of landscape and culture within its borders that makes leaving it for another country seem a little pointless.

So, again, I get it.

We Canadians like to think of ourselves as more worldly.
More global.
We are largely welcomed almost anywhere in the world.
We travel.

But allow me to swivel your perspective (it’s okay, I’m a professional and I’ll be gentle).

I’ve been travelling across Canada this month for a project I’m working on with Payroll.ca (you can click that to see a video of me and my son, Gregor in the intro video).

We’re stopping in most of the major centres from west to east.

My takeaway has been this…

Canada is amazing.
It is vast.
It is distinct in each region.
It is different in each region… while still being, graciously, Canadian.
The people are amazing.

One of our poorest character traits as Canadians is to dismiss anything Canada has to offer until it is celebrated elsewhere then we become annoyingly patriotic.

Here’s the reality…
We don’t have to wait for some other place to tell us our place is cool.
Our place is cool.
Occasionally cold, but still cool.

We’re still getting comfortable with this notion, but I’d implore us to, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, be a little more like our American friends and explore home.

Canada is great.
Go see it.

But also get a passport.
Not having a passport is insane.

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(Pictured: Author is forced to consume a delicious cocktail he had made for a video with the need for his passport.)