Canada More Proud Than Ever!

As the world learns how strong and free Canada truly is, its people rejuvenate national pride. Social media is flooded with proclamations of how adults demonstrate strength, clarity, consideration, inclusivity, and poise in citizenship, leadership, and relationship-building. We’re taking the higher road.

An example is this week’s move to by the Canadian Government to halt the Digital Services Tax, which taxed all tech companies, not merely American ones, in order to resume trade negotiations and bring Donald Trump’s administration back to the negotiating table. While some Canadians were livid, many political reporters explained that in lengthy, all-encompassing negotiations, ‘give and take’ along the way is required to eventually be successful. The bottom line is it’s a strategic play. South of the border, though, Karoline Leavvitt announced that Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney “caved” with a smirk on her face. (Someone needs to slap that girl!) Of course the Trump team would brag about this as a win. We’re taking the higher road.

In rebuttal to Trump’s quips about making Canada the 51st State, Mike Myers, Canadian comedian and icon, appeared on SNL wearing a ‘Canada is Not for Sale’ t-shirt suddenly motioned and mouthed “Elbows Up”…a brilliant act inspired by the memory of hockey great Gordie Howe that instigated a national movement. Canadians are not offensive, but will react in defense. We’re taking the higher road.

Today is Canada Day, the national celebration of the 158th anniversary of our confederation. We are a sovereign country, part of the British Commonwealth, and despite some groups who threaten to separate, mostly united in our quest to remain the True North Strong and Free. We have an abundance of natural resources, creative people who are willing to work hard, free health care, minimal gun violence. In past we have relied upon the U.S. for military defense. Now we’re building up our own. In past many of our trading has been North/South. Now it’s East/West and across the seas. In past we’ve purchasing arbitrarily regardless of where it was manufactured. Now most Canadians are vehemently reading labels, researching and sourcing products made in Canada or anywhere but the United States. We’re taking the higher road.

We’re not saying we are better. We still love everyone. We don’t have a need to slander others. We apologize when we’re wrong. We’re trying to reconcile with those we’ve damaged. We understand we live on native land. We admit our weaknesses and the wrongs of our forefathers. We are taking the higher road.

With great pride, I say

Happy Canada Day!

What Keeps Us Young

I live on a street of small houses mostly built 75 to 100 years ago. Its residents are eclectic: seniors who’ve lived here for ages, young families who’ve purchased their ‘starter homes’, and because we live near a university, transient students in rental homes. There are often curb conversations about how busy the younger folk are. Occasionally we seniors chime in with what we handled (just as much, if not more) at their age, but most often we just listen and empathize.

I can remember when I was in my thirties and my Dad would telephone every Friday evening shortly after 6 o’clock (because that’s when the rates went down) to update us on what was new with him and my mother. I distinctly recall one that went something like this, “Well, nothing much is new here. The TV repair man came on Wednesday.” We were in fits of laughter. Can you imagine living a life where the most important news is that the TV repair man came?

Many of the seniors on our street are like my parents. With the exception of grocery shopping and garden tending, they literally sit in their houses all day long and watch TV. Many of them don’t cook – they either order out or snack. They don’t belong to any clubs. My husband and I shake our heads and just don’t understand it.

We think we’re busier than most people our age. My husband gets up every morning and goes to the river to talk to the fishermen and, in nice weather, spends most of his day outside with our dog and the vegetable garden. I go to yoga twice a week, try to go swimming once a week, walk the dog daily and sometimes join my better half outside. And, we’ve been involved small local issues such as going to council meetings for things that others complain about but do nothing.

I think we’re more social too. We’re one of the few older couples that socialize with the younger ones. This morning, for example, the young couple two doors down brought their two-year-old over to visit in our yard. They stayed for about 90 minutes and it was a joyful start to a Sunday. A child’s laughter is one of the best sounds on earth and this kid is always smiling and laughing. The father (he turned 32 yesterday) asked me this morning if Henry (age 75, he and his wife live 4 doors down) was okay because he hadn’t seen him in months. I replied, “Ya, he’s fine. He was out mowing his lawn a few days ago.”

That’s what initiated this blog. It hit me that other than the widow across the street (who is much like us) we don’t see the people our age out and about. It’s like they retired and gave up. What a shame.

Perspective

So, what got me thinking about perspective? While sitting at my computer one day last week, the background TV was on an episode of Life After People on Story Television and they were specifically discussing what would happen to Detroit’s buildings 40 years after a population disappearance. They kept mentioning how the harsh weather extremes would affect the buildings. Now I live in Canada directly across the river in Windsor. I guess if one lives in the United States, Detroit’s weather might be considered harsh. But in Canada, we think of Windsor weather as being mild. We’re basically the southernmost area of Canada. Canadians retire here because of the wonderful weather. It’s all a matter of perspective.

A homeless person might see someone with a small house and a job as rich; whereas a corporate mogul with a large home might see that same person as poor. It’s all a matter of perspective.

We have a little 12 pound dog, to whom we give elk antlers to chew on rather than bones. They are his treasure that he constantly moves around the house to new hiding spot under throw pillows, behind various things, or in amongst the shoes in a closet.

The other day he left it in plain view on a chair in a bedroom.

We laughed at his choice…until we realized what he would see from his point of view.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

If Putin could see the Ukraine from the viewpoint of a Ukrainian parent who’s lost their son/daughter, perhaps he would stop his horrific war. If Netanyahu could see the Gaza Strip from the eyes of an injured child in a hospital with no supplies, perhaps he might change his actions. If Trump could…well, never mind. I don’t think he has an ounce of empathy to see anything differently. If a person cannot see a different perspective, their understanding of a particular issue is limited and therefore incomplete.

Many years ago I had the great fortune to attend a two-day seminar given by world-renowned strategic thinking expert, Edward de Bono. His concepts are simple, but you could hear a pin drop for two days straight because the ideas and explanations that came out of his mouth were nothing short of brilliant. The man who created the term ‘lateral thinking’ told us stories of how inventions often occurred from error, and the error caused the inventor to think “what if?”, or look at the problem from a different perspective. Edward de Bono led large corporations and government agencies through perilous events and wrote 85 books – the most popular of which is Six Thinking Hats. The concept is simple enough for children to use and yet captivating enough for adults. It’s easy to remember. Each hat has a different colour, representing different perspectives. I highly recommend Six Thinking Hats and his other books.

Sadly, Dr. de Bono passed away a few years ago. Nevertheless his ideas are relevant today, if only people were aware. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Well Played, Prime Minister!

In his first press conference since winning the Canadian election, yesterday Mark Carney offered straight talk. No fanfare, no bravado, just direct plans for Canada’s future.

As he often does, our Prime Minister provided a hockey analogy saying that Canadians play opposite each other on many different teams, but when it comes to the Olympics they come together and play as one team. When asked if he’d form a coalition with the NDP, he simply replied, “No.” When Poilievre’s quest for a seat in Parliament was raised, he indicated he’d move quickly to trigger a bi-election to enable the Conservative Party Leader’s place at the table. The new government is already acting on some of the main campaign issues of other parties (cutting taxes, removing GST on new home purchases, extending dental care, growing the military, and toughening the bail laws to ensure criminals stay in jail) demonstrating the Liberals are taking action on what is important to all Canadians regardless of how they voted and reinforcing Canadian unity.

Mark Carney is showing us a new style of government: one where if the Federal Government works with Provinces and puts forward motions in the House of Commons that benefit all Canadians, there will be no need for needless debate, coalition or lobbying – one where Members of Parliament will vote to support what’s right for Canada. Is this real or am I dreaming?

When the topic turned to the United States, Carney declared, “We can give ourselves more than the Americans can take away.” He claimed his upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump will focus on tariffs and broader issues. When pressed for more details about his conversation and upcoming meeting this Tuesday, he quipped, “I don’t want to negotiate in public.” When will reporters and the rest of the media realize that this is the intelligent and respectful approach? It’s almost as if some reporters are looking for dirt to make fun of the U.S. Administration, or more specifically, Donald Trump. We know Trump respects strength and this is what he’ll be dealing with next week. Let’s see what happens.

Our Prime Minister has some tricks up his sleeve. He plays his cards close to his chest and some of them are exceptional. One move I’m truly impressed with is his accepted invitation to His Royal Majesty, King Charles III, to deliver the Speech From The Throne at the Opening of Parliament the end of this month. Brilliant! There is no better way to signify that Canada is indeed a sovereign entity and will never, ever become a 51st State. I hope not only Trump (Royal Flush played – green with envy, I’m sure) is watching, but also Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and Premier Danielle Smith take note as well. Regardless of what some politicians think, Canadians want to work together, and Mark Carney is leading the movement to keep Canada united, strong and free!

Do Most Couples Talk?

Finding your soulmate later in life has both challenges and rewards. The challenges include being set in your ways and carrying baggage from previous relationships and life in general. Without sounding too corny the benefits can be summed up in the Streisand/Adams song:

“I finally found someone
Who knocks me off my feet
I finally found the one
Who makes me feel complete“

Meandering through the bad and the good involves much observation and discussion, so my late-in-life partner and I talk to each other…a lot. Many of our conversations involve how we differ from other couples, or to be clear, how we’re finding other couples differ from us. We talk about everything and we’re discovering that many couples, well, don’t.

A typical example would be I text the wife or husband of another couple about an upcoming event that we’re all planning to attend – and let’s say it’s about something minor but nevertheless important, like shall we travel in one car. I tell my partner we’ve decided to take one car and he says, “Great, we’ll all go together”. Yet shortly before the event, the half of the other couple that I did not text will ask me, “What time are you guys leaving, so we can follow?” They hadn’t discussed it with each other! This happens all the time – with most of the couples we know. They just don’t seem to talk to each other. We find it strange. (Or, are we the strange ones?)

Another oddity we’re discovering is the number of couples that don’t spend much time with each other. They don’t have any joint hobbies, they don’t watch TV or shows together, they sit in different rooms. We have different hobbies, but we spend lots of time together, eat dinner together, and sleep together. Heck, lots of couples have separate bedrooms and bathrooms. (Are we weird?)

Maybe it’s because we met each other late in life and sometimes feel like we missed out, so we want to take advantage of every moment we can. We met in our early 60s and now we’re in our early 70s. There may not be too many years left!

When I took interior design courses many years ago, one teacher used to joke about “newly-wed teak”. She explained that in the early 70s everyone bought chrome, glass and teak furniture and then ten years later wanted to get rid of it. She’d say, “One should not make lifelong decisions in their early twenties because you’re bound to change your mind!” Maybe this applies to choosing a mate? Many of the couples to whom I have referred got married when they were in their early twenties. Perhaps their choices would have been different if they’d waited until they were more mature. I know mine certainly was!

Everyone is different and I have no qualms about how others choose to live, I’m just curious. I only know that finally I’m happy with my choice of partner. We spend a lot of time together, talk a lot, laugh a lot, tease each other, go to bed at the same time, and look forward to growing old together. Otherwise, what’s the sense of being a couple?

Get Over It, Canada!

So, Mark Carney remains as Prime Minister. Anyone who knows me knows that’s what I was hoping for. Actually, I would have been happy if the Liberals had won with a majority, but I’ll take it. Kudos to the man who wants to play hardball with Trump. But that’s not all. Carney wants to build a new Canada, one that’s not dependent on any other country. Canada will be fostering trade within its’ borders as well as overseas, increasing its’ military, and maintain strong relationships with its’ friends and allies. To accomplish this, we need to work together.

I’m so disappointed in the Canadians who are mouthing off. I saw a Facebook post this morning saying, “April 28, 2025 – the day that Canada died.” How childish! If that’s how you feel, go live in the U.S. Mind you, the post came from Alberta, so I’m not surprised.

Seriously though, I understand that many Conservative, New Democrats, Block Quebecois and Green Party followers voted Liberal because they felt Mark Carney was the best person at this time. I said months ago that if some of the other parties had changed their leader, they might have had a better chance.

What’s done is done. Now, rather than fighting in the House of Commons, let’s see if we can work together to get through this turmoil. Please let’s put our Elbows Up and show the world how wonderful Canada truly is – True, North, Strong and Free!

Canada’s Election – Final Thoughts

Thank you Donald Trump for making Canada’s election an easy choice. Many Canadians typically vote based one party’s platform over another. Many Canadians (including me) historically have changed from voting for one party to voting for another based on the economy, the world situation, and other factors. This time, however, the only question is: Which leader will be the best to deal with the unpredictable actions of the current President of the United States?

CBC’s At Issue Panel last night, claiming the parties’ platforms seemingly agree on most major issues, agreed that the current Prime Minister, Liberal Mark Carney, will likely win the election…maybe with a majority. He’s got my vote. He’s got the best background for the job of steering Canada through a possible recession, and I like him. And, I will defend him.

Newly positioned as the Prime Minister after Justin Trudeau stepped down, Carney was criticized for traveling abroad to meet with European and Asian leaders before/without meeting with the U.S. President. Rumour has it (it’s been suggested by some reporters, but not verified) that Carney orchestrated the E.U. and Japan to sell off U.S. Treasury Bonds which ultimately led Trump to put a hold on tariffs. Personally, if true, I think that was a brilliant move and proof that Mark Carney is clearly the man to help not only Canada, but also the world to deal with Trump specifically with regards to the world market.

Before connecting with Trump on the phone, Mark Carney had said “I look forward to having, at the appropriate time, a discussion between two sovereign nations that is comprehensive and not targeted at one issue.” He made it clear that the conversation should be respectful. Immediately after the call, both leaders described it as productive. Considering all of Trump’s quips regarding speaking with other world leaders, I consider that a ‘win’.

Yesterday, Trump decided to bring up the whole 51st State concept; which led to Canadian reporters re-questioning Carney about their March telephone conversation. Really? Carney retorted that he chose to summarize the call by indicating that it had ended positively rather than giving blow-by-blow details. Did we really want Carney to get into a “he said/she said” type of report? Yesterday, Carney did say, “the President says a lot of things” implying that a lot of what Trump says is bravado. Exactly!

Literally and figuratively Carney has Trump’s number. Carney keeps his cards close to his chest to play them when needed. I want a Canadian leader that doesn’t need to blab every detail of his playbook, one who focuses on results. I don’t want a leader who has to put others down to feel self important. I don’t want a leader who changes his mind every day on strategy. And, that, my friends, is Mark Carney.

Canada’s Future Depends on the Election

For any other election, in any other time, with anyone else as President of the United States, I wouldn’t be writing this; but this is different.

Under other circumstances I would review party policy, look at the candidates’ voting history, and perhaps even vote for the party rather than the leader; but this is different.

I’m not a political writer. I typically write about people and relationships; but this is different.

Canadians go to the polls on April 28th, 2025. This might be the most important election in Canadian history.

In Canada’s federal elections we vote for our local Member of Parliament and the Leader of the Party with the most votes become the Prime Minister. In theory, and under normal circumstances, the concept is that one should vote for the person who can best represent you and the issues that are most important to you in Parliament. This time, however, we must vote for the party leader who is the best to lead us through the next four years. Why? Because our next Prime Minister must have the intelligence, experience, and fortitude to confront Donald Trump’s wacky ideas and unpredictable actions.

Although we have sixteen registered parties, I will only comment on the top four: The Liberal Party of Canada lead by Mark Carney, the Conservative Party of Canada lead by Pierre Poilievre, the New Democratic Party of Canada lead by Jazmeet Singh, and the Bloc Quebecois lead by Yves-Francois Blanchet. In fifth place is the Green Party of Canada with co-leaders Jonathan Pednault and Elizabeth May. I actually like Blanchet. He’s a strong leader, but the problem is he’d look out for Quebec first and maybe even Quebec only. I don’t mind Singh. He and Trudeau made a good team, but as I said these are different times and I don’t see him as Prime Minister. So, that leaves us with Carney versus Poilievre.

Mark Carney is not a politician. Many are referring to him as a businessman. I wouldn’t for two reasons: First, after reading his book Value(s), I’d say he’s a cross between an economist and a finance expert. Parts of his book read like a textbook from a university macroeconomics course, but in other sections his explanations, rationales and ability to mesh dissimilar concepts into one forward-moving idea are nothing short of brilliant. Second, Donald Trump is a businessman…not my kind of businessman, but nevertheless a businessman. I would never, ever, place these two men in the same classification. Mark Carney’s background includes a plethora of experiences that match perfectly with the challenge of steering a country through a possible recession and transforming it into a leadership position world wide.

Pierre Poilievre, on the other hand, is a life politician. He’s never held a regular job outside of politics. I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough for me. He’s not strong enough for these times. He keeps denying he’s like Trump, but the similarities keep creeping in. An example, he’s not letting any reporters travel with him on the campaign. What’s that all about? He wants control over what they see and hear. Sound familiar? I’m finding it difficult to think of good descriptive words…hmm…smarmy?

One last thought. I believe Trump respects Mark Carney. Notice that since Carney took over the leadership of Canada, we’ve not heard many references to Canada becoming the 51st State or comments about Carney being “Governor”? Trump seemingly respects strong leaders, or at least leaders who’ve had impressive backgrounds. (As an aside, I wonder if that’s one of the reasons he rode roughshod over President Zelenskyy – because he had been a comedian.) I would have loved to have been listening in on the one conversation between Carney and Trump had, whereafter tariffs on Canada have seemed to be halted.

There is no question in my mind. Prime Minister Mark Carney is and will be Canada’s saviour.

Family Stories – Truth or Fiction?

I knew from a young age that Maritimers were tellers of tall tales by sitting around the kitchen table in my grandparents’ Lunenburg waterfront home listening to my mother and her siblings tell detailed, interesting stories. I understood some of these were yarns as a result of my father’s occasional debunking remarks. I also caught on to my father’s disapproval. While I now appreciate these tales were for entertainment purposes, my reaction has been and is to call “Bullshit”. I am my father’s daughter, honest to a fault.

My mother loved to capture an audience. I remember one story, which remained consistent for many years, of her having danced with Philip Mountbatten at a military New Year’s Eve party in Halifax toward the end of World War II. You see she had been an admiral’s secretary during the war. Being a young pretty blonde and since her sea captain father knew the admiral, she was often invited to Royal Canadian Navy social events. Even though he was royalty (Greek and Danish) at the time, this was before he was Prince Philip or married to Princess Elizabeth. Over the years, the narrative grew, as tall tales do, to include a midnight kiss. That’s when I started to doubt the reality of the event.

Another story of my mother’s involved two paintings that hung in our house, that now hang in mine. One is a seascape watercolour created by painter Jack Humphrey of Saint John, New Brunswick. The story is that my father commissioned Jack to paint it for my mother as a gift on their first anniversary. This I know is true because my father told me. The second painting is signed “Tela” and is of Lunenburg harbour. My mother told me she was Jack’s wife. I always believed that. She would admire the Humphrey painting, and then point to the Tela painting and say, “And that one was painted by his wife.” After my mother’s passing I researched and learned that the painting was actually by Tela Purcell, wife of artist Joseph Purcell.

I understand that tall tales are part of many people’s family history, that they are considered by many to be folklore, but I just cannot fathom why one would fabricate nonsense. To get attention? To be admired? Personality type? In my mother’s case, I believe all of those to be true. She was the social butterfly, the belle of the ball, and would do just about anything to get attention. Unfortunately this behaviour was passed along to my brother. He was wasn’t as skillful in his storytelling as most of his tales were downright unbelievable. Over the years, this made it difficult for me to bond with him because I just didn’t know who he was. It robbed me (and others) of developing a close relationship with him.

To me, it’s sad that anyone would feel the need to make up stories, that they think their own life isn’t interesting enough, that they’re not good enough. My parents and brother have all passed now. I would have much rather heard the true stories.