Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay By 1812 conflicts between Britain and France spilled over into a war between Britain and the USA, in which most of the action took place in Canada. When the war began, the US government assumed that the Canadian colonies would grasp the opportunity to throw off British colonial rule and become part … Continue reading The importance of being Canadian
Canadiana
Thank God for poverty
Thank God for poverty That makes and keeps us free, And lets us go our unobtrusive way, Glad of the sun and rain, Upright, serene, humane, Contented with the fortune of a day. BLISS CARMAN, 1861-1929
Me? Prejudiced? How is that possible?
Fady Dagher was born in Lebanon, grew up in Cote d'Ivoire and came to Canada as a young man. He was a police officer in the city of Montreal for many years and a few years ago was hired as chief of police for the city of Longueil. A couple of months ago he became … Continue reading Me? Prejudiced? How is that possible?
The vision of Robert Baldwin
I am reading a biography of Robert Baldwin, one of Canada's founding fathers. He played an important role in our history, I am very interested in that history, yet I find the book tedious. History is fascinating, yet too many historians write in a way that turns people off so that they never learn to … Continue reading The vision of Robert Baldwin
Fields of gold
Saskatchewan used to be known as “The Wheat Province” and when one talked about fields of golden grain they meant fields of wheat ripe for harvest. Wheat is still grown here, as well as other cereal grains, but a whole lot of new field crops are now grown. Crops such as lentils, chickpeas, canola and … Continue reading Fields of gold
Confused churches
Louis Riel, the 19th century Métis leader, was troubled by the things he experienced from the churches of his day. He read in the Bible about a Church of Jesus Christ that was characterized by love and peace. What he saw in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches was oppression and pride. The churches … Continue reading Confused churches
So Send I You
After the resurrection and before Jesus departed from this world, He told His disciples "As the Father hath sent me, so send I you" (John 20:21). Just a few simple words, so clear and plain that we are apt to miss their implication. The Father sent Jesus into the Jewish nation to teach and portray … Continue reading So Send I You
Weather complaints
Image by Nobis from Pixabay Have you noticed how apocalyptic weather reports have become? "Unprecedented Siberian cold blankets the prairies!" "High risk of frostbite and hypothermia." Those of us who are native to the prairies love to complain about our weather extremes. I used to tell people that when I was a boy we had days every winter … Continue reading Weather complaints
Smoked sinus syndrome
British Columbia is having a very bad year for forest fires. People have lost homes and property, a whole town is gone, several lives have been lost. Thousands more have had to flee their homes and businesses as the flames advance, not knowing if anything will be left when the fires are out. Image by WikiImages from Pixabay … Continue reading Smoked sinus syndrome
Springtime in Saskatchewan
Image by GeorgiaLens from Pixabay Spring comes with a rush here. In a few weeks we go from brown grass and lifeless trees to an explosion of green, populated by a profusion of songbirds. Last to arrive are the swallows, wrens and hummingbirds. The little guy in the picture is a Carolina Wren. They don't come here, but … Continue reading Springtime in Saskatchewan
Flatlander Faith 