What a great country!

For the second time in as many days, I actually cheer Globe and Mail columnist Jeffery Simpson's thoughts on our great country.  "No country has handled continuing mass immigration with as little social and political disruption as Canada," he writes.  "There are no backlash parties here -- no National Front, no UKIP, no anti-immigrant parties, no battles about immigration as in the United States. 

"Canada accepts more legal immigrants per capita than any other country," Simpson states.  He goes on to say that we are an experiment, where people of different backgrounds and languages can live together in harmony -- not perfect harmony, but remarkable harmony nonetheless.  He's right.  But one ethnic group that's not buying in is the aboriginal community.  Why?  Because they don't identify as "Canadian" (my words, not Simpson's). 

"Scarcely a week goes by without some non-aboriginal leader apologizing for past practices toward aboriginals.  What good all these apologies will do remains to be seen," he says.  In my view, apologies are not going to accomplish anything, save more digging on the part of aboriginal leaders. 

"One secret of pluralism's Canadian success is that no group that has arrived here during the past century or more has demanded, and received, special treatment.  So that whereas we place multiculturalism on the high altar of national symbolism (and allow people to self-identify, as individuals and collectivities, as being from there or there), within a remarkably short period of time, by world standards, people integrate."

This is why people who integrate cannot understand why first peoples claim special privileges, based solely on longevity of occupation.  It just doesn't make sense to integrated Canadians?  The reality is that it is the French- and English-speaking citizens who are by far the largest two groups -- the founding peoples of Canada.  And yet, any differences between the two have not been enough to split Canada.  Two referenda, constitutional battles, political fights, linguistic psychodrama, demands and backlashes have not managed to break this wonderful country up.  And they never will.

"Canada has flourished by any reasonable measure, offering its people an enviable standard of living, social peace, respect for law, robust public institutions and a sense of civility for which we should be grateful and that we must never take for granted."

It's a beauty way to go, say true-blue Canadians Bob and Doug McKenzie.  Amen.