O CANADA – HOW I LOVE YOU, LET ME COUNT THE WAYS……

Last week an American radio show host asked me curiously how come I chose Canada as my home. Without blinking an eyelash I said to him “I came to Canada on a visit 30 years ago and it was love at first sight. That love affair still continues and I’m proud to be Canadian.”
It also brought back memories of an article I had written many years ago in The Globe and Mail titled O Canada how do I love thee? I can still count the ways.
My memory goes back to our arrival in Canada when I first tasted the freedoms that are offered here. It was heady and inspiring. At first I couldn’t get used the idea that I, as a Muslim woman from Pakistan, could say and do as I please.
Having grown up in a culture where women were supposed to be seen and not heard, Canada became a beacon of hope and once I started on my journey of individual thinking, nothing held me back.
Ironically I have lived longer in Canada than any other country including my land of birth, Pakistan. I have seen Canada grow and change and I admit that not all the changes are positive. But this is the country where we have the freedom to express our opinions and disagree with policies that are not in sync with Canadian values.
As Canada turns 150 years, I know that there is no other country of world I would rather live in and see my children and grandchildren prosper. Prosper they have thanks to opportunities and hard work.
I travel a lot out of Canada and as soon as I re-enter Canada, I say a word of thanks for having Canada as my home. My Canadian citizenship is a privilege, not a right and for me it comes with a sense of responsibility and loyalty to this land I call home. I will battle to my last breath to keep Canada strong and free.
God Bless this land, glorious and free and those who live in it.
Happy Birthday Canada!