Don't Blame Canada
Calgary Sun ^ | 2006-06-16 | Stephen Lautens

In the past few weeks, I've heard some of the yapping social experts say something that really gets my blood boiling.

I heard it in reference to two recent incidents -- the breaking up of an alleged terrorist plot and a sweep in Toronto that arrested a few truckloads of gang members.

What was it the enlightened commentators said that got my goat? When it was pointed out the people accused in each case were immigrants or ethnic minorities, someone leapt to their defence to say it didn't matter if they were immigrants or ethnic or religious minorities, "they were a product of Canadian society," so somehow we're to blame.

My immediate reaction was two short words I never use around my four-year-old. I'll substitute it here with "baloney," although it doesn't have the same ring to it.

In the case of gangs, these are people who shoot at each other over drugs, turf, "respect" or simply wearing the wrong colour bandanna.

The alleged terrorists are reported to have been planning to blow up buildings full of innocent people to prove whose God is greater, and even had the ridiculous idea of cutting off the head of our PM, although you could argue that constitutes hunting small game.

Saying these people are "a product of Canadian society" is supposed to make us all feel responsible, and that if they hadn't grown up in a society that has let them down, they would never be shooting up shopping malls or mixing fertilizer in the basement.

Sorry, but that just doesn't wash.

First of all, it appears many of these people never participated in "Canadian society" in the first place.

They stayed in their own groups and purposefully set themselves apart from other Canadians, our values, hopes and dreams.

It's not as if they weren't invited or had the opportunity to absorb Canadian values. They had the chance to go to school, work and meet daily the millions of Canadians working to make their own dreams happen.

And you know, none of us is dreaming about blowing up buildings or shooting someone.

And, of course, it's tougher for immigrants and minorities. It was tough for my great grandparents, as it would be for me if I up-rooted myself and moved to a different land.

But you won't find a more welcoming country than Canada, or one that works so hard to be supportive, colour-blind or make newcomers feel at home.

You won't find a country that is better at understanding and embracing other cultures, or is more open to the big, wide world.

My Canada is certainly not perfect, but it abhors violence, preaches respect and religious tolerance, values responsibility and hard work and never picks a fight, but watch out when we're forced to.

We think education and family is a good thing, and believe there are more important things than money -- although having a little money is nice, too.

For all our challenges as a country, people are lined up to come here.

That's because we have a good thing going. We have peace, respect and opportunity -- more so than a lot of other countries in the world.

Those are the values of Canadian society, and if someone doesn't grow up with even a few of the most important ones, that's not Canadian society's fault.