Sins of the Father

Canada Day 2006 in Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issues with Quebec have loomed large over my life.

I was a teen-ager during the FLQ crisis and terribly frightened

by the bombings, the murder of Pierre LaPorte, the kidnapping

of James Cross, the martial law and the knowledge that troops and tanks

were in Canadian cities.

I was just as frightened during the first Referendum when Quebecers

voted by a skinny margin to stay within Canada.

The second referendum made me angry and the endless insults and

rumblings of discontent since that time made me realize by 2012 that

I no longer cared.

I blogged about it.

I said it would be so easy in this wireless age to keep the rest of the country

together without Quebec.

And maybe it would be.

But I've changed.

In November I went to Ottawa with my brother to honour the memory of my

father and all veterans at the national Remembrance Day Ceremony.

 

While I was there I went through the Museum of Canadian History,

(aka Museum of Civilization).

 

I went in disillusioned and came out with the most astonishing understanding

of the struggles that went into building the country. 

 

I came out feeling, not so much that we owe the people from the past who

forged such a peaceful democratic nation - although that was a big part of it.

Of greater importance, I came out feeling that we owe

the people of the future.

As a result of my 'epiphany' I decided to blog about Canadian history.

To find out how it happened that we are where we are today,

with another separatist government in Quebec and too many

English-speaking Canadians fed up or not caring.

 

The great thing about blogs is that they are short and I must

say I am having a lot of fun with this project

although the underlying intent is serious.

But I think I've reached the first critical point in our story.

You and I know what is about to happen

but there is no way we can reach back in time and warn them

to be careful. 

 

To think about us.

Jeesh! 

 

New France is about to fall.