It was a phone call I was not expecting. On the other end of the line was Kim, the owner and funeral director of the local funeral home in Elmvale, with whom I have conducted a few funerals over the years. She calmly, yet firmly mentioned that the funeral in the chapel was ready to begin, and where was I. I stammered, “I am so sorry Kim, I didn’t realize…I’ll be right there.” I raced downstairs, pulled my suit out of the bedroom closet and laid it on the bed. It was then I looked in the mirror and saw how scruffy I looked. I need to shave, I don’t want to be both late and scruffy. It will only take me two minutes. I raced up to the bathroom, praying I wouldn’t nick myself shaving. On the way I stopped at the calendar by the phone, where I always write down meetings, appointments and events. Whose funeral was this anyways? Not knowing, I was feeling so helpless having things so out of my control. I always spend hours and hours preparing a funeral message. I’ll talk to family members to learn more on the deceased to make the message as personal as possible. But there was no funeral written on the calendar. I felt sick. It was then I just happen to glance out of the window by the calendar. It was pitch black outside. Then looked back at the clock on the microwave. It showed 3:32. Then it hit me, it was the middle of night and this was a very bad dream. Immediately I felt an enormous flood of relief, yet at the same time I was trembling and feeling so weak. I sat down on the kitchen chair, grateful that this wasn’t real. After a period of time my breathing and heart rate returned to normal. Then I went back to bed. There was no suit laid out on the bed. Sleep eluded me for the longest time. But eventually I did drift off to sleep. Fortunately this time there was no bad dreams.

The Bad Dream is Real

The Threat

With what is happening regarding the fate of Canada these days, it really feels like a very bad dream. But then you check with a reliable news source and realize this is not a bad dream. It is real. As worded by Mark Norman in a National Post article, “When the leader of our closest neighbour, ally and trading partner says that he can destroy us with the stroke of a pen — and repeats his willingness to do so — it is more than just an expression of perceived superiority or hyperbole, it’s a real threat. To dismiss it as anything less would be irresponsible and naive.” There has been been a carpet bombing of executive orders that is leading to the dismantling many vital agencies in America. This includes withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization. He’s ratcheted up an anti-Canadian rhetoric, uttering continual threats about annexing Canada and making it the 51st State. This was followed by an announcement of slapping Canada with a 25% tariff on on all Canadian goods. Except petroleum which would be 10% taking effect on February 4th. Despite an 11th-hour pause for 30 days in the tariff plans announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump on the evening of February 4th, it does look like it will still happen. This is real. This will actually happen. Megan McArdle wrote in a February 6, 2025 article for the Washington Post titled, “Trumps Tariff Whiplash” with this quote, “The picture that emerges from Trumps latest skirmishes is one in which the world’s greatest power threatens its allies, and the world economy on the whim of a President who can’t articulate the point of his threats. Maybe it is to tame a trade deficit, or reduce migration, or stop drug trafficking, or raise money. Or maybe it is to capture a unicorn”.

Here in Canada, Trump’s threats have caused nationwide anxiety. Yet at the same time a feeling of betrayal and a new, angry resolve that we won’t be bullied around. We forget as Canadians that real things happen in our country. It has awakened us from tepid patriotism and reminded us to the fact that we can no longer take Canada’s existence for granted. At my school crosswalk the conversation with parents is no longer about the weather. The conversation now has become much more political, about the ominous threats Canada has been receiving. While the Prime Minister of Canada has announced Canada will be hitting back with our own retaliatory tariffs, there has become a strong patriotic sentiment within the country. Canadians are rallying around our maple leaf flag. Canadians are doing what it takes to stand up for Canadian values, Canadian sovereignty and Canada’s economy. Our Prime Minister has called on Canadians to stand united and asked everyone to do their bit.  A “Buy Canadian” movement is building momentum as consumers turn their backs on U.S. products. No matter what, this is going to be a rough ride for everyone in North America. There is no economic sector immune from the effects of a trade war. It will affect manufacturers, distributors and the pocketbook of all consumers. So what can we as Canadians do?

Buy Canadian

As much as humanly possible, buy Canadian. I have been one who has read product labels for many years. For food products I want to see what the sugar and sodium levels are. If it is too high, I will not purchase it. With my dear wife being anaphylactic to wheat, I’ll religiously read labels to determine if she can eat it. I really want her to enjoy it as well. If the label reads “may contain wheat” or “processed in a facility that processes wheat”, I will not buy it. During a crises it is extremely important to watch your consumer spending. Through the years with material products, I really try to keep my purchases to a minimum. Do I really need it? Which is why I’m still using a 16 year old camera and a 17 year old Blackberry Torch. They still work fine, so why replace them. Although I have always tried to buy Canadian and support local businesses, I’ve become even more diligent to read labels carefully. It can get quite complicated as “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” don’t actually mean the same thing. Goods marked “Product of Canada” must contain 98 per cent Canadian content. Items listed as “Made in Canada” can have as little as 51 per cent of Canadian content. An excellent resource on this topic is the website Made in CA. It lists hundreds of Canadian companies under 17 different categories. Another excellent resource is Beaver Made. You type in the product, brand or company and it provide with the info if it is Canadian or not.

Travel Canada

In the last 20 years, I have travelled outside Canada’s borders only four times. In 2016 I travelled to New Zealand to attend my daughter Naomi’s graduation from teachers college. While there we spent an epic time together hiking amazing locations in New Zealand’s South Island , including the wild West Coast, and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. In 2018 I ran a trail marathon in the United States. My American friend generously hosted me in his home for 3 days and 2 nights. I took the train down. It was so much fun. Just over a year ago I returned to New Zealand to attend Naomi’s wedding and walk her down the aisle. Because of Covid, this was the 3rd date set for the wedding. It was a blessing to also meet my two grandchildren for the very 1st time. Those two weeks flew by so fast. Both of these New Zealand trips involved United States air carriers with transfers in American airports. Flying carries with it extremely high CO2 emissions compared to other forms of transportation. So I begrudge flying, but with New Zealand there is no other option.

Which was one of the reasons why I took the bus down to Mexico in 2019 to run sections of the Monarch Ultra. I was in the amazing country of Mexico for 10 days, travelling with the Monarch Ultra crew and running unregistered relay sections for the Monarch Ultra. I loved the people of Mexico so much. Unfortunately I didn’t make to the monarch butterfly sanctuary at Cerro Pelon at the end of the 4,300 kilometer relay. I needed to get back to Canada for my school crossing guard duties. I have been longing to make it to the monarch sanctuaries so badly. So when I heard through Monarch Ultra cofounder Carlotta James that 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly and Mexico is hosting a 52k race and a three day International Monarch Festival down there I was stoked. It is hosted by Nación Verde, an environmental non-profit in Mexico with whom the Monarch Ultra has been working closely with these last couple of years. They are focused on greening schoolyards, environmental protection, supporting Indigenous communities, as well as protecting monarch sanctuaries. We have been fundraising for their cause the last two years through our Monarch Race and Festival in Peterborough, Canada. The Nacion Verde festival is held at Zitacuaro, a picturesque city that lays at the base of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where millions of monarchs spend their winters. The community is doing everything they can to protect and conserve monarch butterflies. Last year, Zitacuaro planted 200,000 trees in the forest sanctuaries to provide additional habitat for monarch species. Early last December I made arrangements with my three churches to be off for the two weeks around the time of the race and festival. One of those weeks is March break, which meant I would only need coverage for my crossing guard for one week only. Everything was coming together wonderfully until the President of the United States started threatening Canada even before he took office. Because this adventure would involve using a United States bus carrier, I have decided to call it off. I have no desire to put any of my hard earned money into the pockets of that system, while their president is bent on destroying our economy. Even if I flew (which I don’t want to) it would involve United States air carriers and transfers in US cities. A growing number of Canadians are cancelling or changing their plans to travel to the United States.

Our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged citizens to spend our vacations domestically instead, stating: “Now is the time to choose Canada…It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national and provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer.” The United States Travel Association mentions “Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. A 10% reduction in Canadian travel could mean 2.0 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses.” The prioritizing of travel within Canada will help bolster our country’s economy hard hit by the tariffs.

Happy National Flag Day of Canada

Today, February 15th is National Flag Day of Canada. It is the 60th anniversary of our beautiful flag. From the website canada.ca it reads “The new maple leaf flag was made official by a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965. On February 15 of that year, it was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. Thousands of Canadians gathered as the Canadian Red Ensign was lowered and, at the stroke of noon, the new National Flag of Canada was hoisted. Prime Minister Pearson’s words on the occasion resound with hope and determination: “May the land over which this new flag flies remain united in freedom and justice … sensitive, tolerant and compassionate towards all.” A video from the National Film Board of Canada showing the original flag raising on February 15, 1965 found here.

There is such a rich and meaningful history behind using a single maple leaf as a symbol of Canadian identity on the Canadian flag. During the First World War the maple leaf was used as the cap badge worn by members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Most poignantly, it is a single maple leaf that is carved upon many of the headstones of Canadian service men and women who gave their lives in the 2 world wars. These dear soldiers gave everything for our freedom. For many, the maple leaf was a shared symbol of pride, courage and loyalty.

So, Happy National Flag Day of Canada. Previous generations have fought to protect our democracy and made sacrifices to build the Canada we inherited. This is now our time. Pledge for Canada website (which we can sign) reads, ” The threats of economic coercion from the United States, our neighbour and leading trading partner, pose serious risks to the well-being of all Canadians and to our sovereign right to determine our political, economic, social, and cultural destiny. We will meet the challenge as previous generations have done, not by bending to threats but by joining together in common purpose, across partisan, regional, and cultural differences, to look out for one another, to protect our shared interests and assets, and to safeguard our democracy.” A part of a message from former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien titled “Jean Chrétien’s Message to Trump: Canadians will never give up the best country in the world to join the U.S.” reads as follows, “I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony. We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected. This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.”

I’m proud to be a Canadian. Here are some other articles I have written on Canada.

Canada Day and Beaumont Hamel

The Story of Delmar and Isabel Kelly

Are We Losing Our True Canadian Identity?

The VR Pro Virtual Remembrance Day 21k for the Juno Beach Centre.

Ringing the Bells of Peace

Happy 150th Canada!