Canadians, Let's Be Thankful – But Let's All Commit To The Road Ahead

Thanksgiving in Canada is always a magical time.

The leaves are turning and the countryside becomes more beautiful than any postcard could ever capture.

Families gather together for a weekend of celebration and union. For those of us whose children have left the nest – or are soon about to – that family gathering is particularly poignant.

And the NHL season has officially commenced – is there anything more Canadian to be thankful for than that? Could this finally be the year for my beloved Leafs?

Personally I always find Thanksgiving a time for personal reflection.

It is almost impossible to not be reflective at this moment in time.

Like you, I’ve watched the venom and vitriol that has accompanied the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmations. I’ve seen the highest elected official in the United States publicly ridicule a courageous assault victim – and have his audience cheer in support.

As a father of four daughters I’ve choked down my own emotions watching brave men and women take to the streets to show their solidarity with the victim. Chanting outside the Supreme Court, from the gallery of the Senate and on street corners across the country they are, in their own words, fighting for the very soul of their country

The notion that the United States is figuratively tearing itself apart is not hyperbole. The division, the derision, the frustration, the anger are all very real, very palpable and visceral.  

How can any of us watch this unfold below our borders and not take a moment to ponder and reflect?

Personally I know I’ve much to be thankful for.

A fantastic family. Friends who, in equal doses, support and challenge me. Business partners and colleagues whose energy and passion inspire me.

And I live in Canada.

By all accounts – and a quick scan of an atlas or the world news – that is a winning lottery of unfathomable value. 

So I do have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

The history (or mythology) of the First Thanksgiving is well-documented. The Pilgrims were celebrating a bountiful harvest and a peaceful alliance with the Native Americans. Mindful of sensitivities, I’d say they had plenty to be thankful for. They had food on the table and reduced concerns of being attacked by the inhabitants of the land they’d co-opted. I know I’d be celebrating if I were in their place.

Yet, for the numerous reasons our generation has to be thankful, I’m increasingly driven by the thought that we’re focusing our energies on the destination when it is the journey that we have forgotten.

Watching the spectacle unfold in the United States I wonder if the division and derision tearing them apart is even possible here in our country.

I keep coming back to one thought.

A thought made clearer at Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family.

That we’re celebrating what we have – when we should be considering what we have still to do.

Not rejoicing entirely in the work completed – but fixing our minds on the work that still lies ahead of us.

Without question I’m thankful to call myself a son of the True North, Strong and Free. I am Red and White all the way.

So it pains me to see a country that seems poised to lose or forget so much of what made us so fantastic.

It pains me more that so many of my fellow Canadians seem unable or perhaps unwilling to slow this decline.

With everything that Canada gives us – democracy, free healthcare, free education, breathtaking scenery – it is very easy to be complacent.

Yet, my friends, we cannot let our complacency become complicity.

We cannot be complacent as our political leaders – on all sides – seem more driven to be combative than collaborative. To retrench back to their side of the aisle than find ways to cross it.

We cannot be complacent as our political leaders enact fiscal policy that sharply increases our debt, significantly reduces our international competitiveness through short-sighted tax policy and reduces our attractiveness to international investors.

We cannot be complacent as our foreign policy seems motivated by a combination of “holier than thou” pronouncements and churlish exclusions to critical trade meetings if you’re not a “like-minded” country – then we sign on to trade deals that leave Canadian Intellectual Property dangerously exposed in order to say “at least we got a deal”

We cannot be complacent when our Innovation Strategy seems more focused on giving unfettered access to Canadian talent and, more worryingly, Canadian data to a host of international technology behemoths than focusing all our energies on building and nurturing home-grown Canadian start-ups. Complacent while a slew of smiling selfies of government Ministers and Unicorn CEO’s create an unrealistic and unattainable delusion that all start-ups and all entrepreneurs are just one Hackathon away from super-stardom.

We certainly cannot be complacent while Infrastructure projects critical to our economic wellbeing are routinely fumbled. From pipelines to fighter jets to government payroll systems we routinely seem to give accountability for massive initiatives to individuals that lack the experience to deliver on them – or the humility to ask for assistance from those that do have the experience. Fumbling that has burdened each Canadian taxpayer with even more debt, added more layers of bureaucracy and, quite recently, added even more months of negotiations (and costs) before the first shovel breaks ground.

We absolutely can’t be complacent as our leaders deftly and adroitly use social media platforms and tactics to distract us and quickly draw our attention away from critical issues in a tsunami of photo-ops of “smiles and socks” and 140-character platitudes and pronouncements. In fact, we should be pushing for a more rigorous evaluation of what politicians can and cannot communicate on social media. For one is it verifiable and accurate? I’d be enormously thankful for that.

Please don’t misinterpret my message or my intent.

Our society is going through massive transformation. Canada is not immune or able to ignore those forces.

Neither should we.

Canadians are a resourceful, resilient and resolute group. Just ask any long-suffering Maple Leaf fan.

We have much to be thankful for – and much we have yet to tackle.

And tackle it we must.

The issues above will not going away and the velocity of change will not slow down.

Again, watching the US neighbours descend into such palpable fury and division should send each of us a very clear wake-up call.

I would ask that you take a moment this Thanksgiving to decide how you’ll use your courage and conviction to tackle these issues.

How we focus the spirit and strength that make us all Canadian – citizens of this fantastic country – to fight against these issues. 

We cannot let our complacency turn to complicity.

We are – and we deserve – better.

Each of us.

And, all of us.

Enjoy your well-earned rest and turkey my friends.

See you Tuesday.