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OUR VIEW: Time to celebrate our great country

We say: Are we just too humble about our own successes?

Are you proud to be Canadian? You should be.

Today we celebrate the 149th birthday of this great country and make no mistake, Canada is pretty great.

From our natural beauty to our industry, arts and culture to relative economic stability (as compared to many other countries in the world) Canada seems to have it all.

Despite claims by Americans, Canada is a true home of the free. Our country has a positive world-wide reputation for political rights, civil liberties and freedom in general.

In fact, the rest of the world sees Canada as a great place to live.

The inaugural “Best Countries” report – revealed earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland – named Canada as the second-best country in the world to live in, just behind Germany.

The U.S. finished fourth.

So with all these positive global reviews, why is it that some Canadians are lackadaisical about celebrating our home?

Let’s face it, America’s gusto for the Fourth of July is clearly more enthusiastic and ingrained into their culture.

Are we just too humble about our own successes?

Whatever the reason, it’s time we took more pride in ourselves and started looking at our country through the eyes of the world.

Here in Campbell River, Canada Day festivities are being carried out across the city. There is live music at Spirit Square and Robert Ostler Park, which is also the site of the Canada Day market, there is a skateboard competition at the Sportsplex, and cake and a pancake breakfast at Frank James Park. The Canada Day parade takes place at 4 p.m. downtown and fireworks will light up the sky just before 10:30 p.m.

Put on your red shirt, grab a Canadian flag and sing the national anthem – new words or old words, it’s your choice.

Let’s show enough pride and make enough noise so the world knows how proud we are.

Happy Canada Day.

-Black Press