McFargey 🍸

🇨🇦 MET AN ELDERLY CANADIAN AT TORONTO PEARSON AIRPORT. HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT CANADA I’LL NEVER FORGET. Our flight was delayed. He was sitting beside me, wearing a faded Canadian flag pin on his jacket, reading the news on his phone. I asked him where he was going. “Florida. Visiting my grandchildren.” “Nice. Escaping the Canadian winter?” He laughed. “Son, I’ve survived 70 Canadian winters. It’s the politics I’m getting tired of.” I smiled. “So you’re not a fan of Mark Carney?” He put down his phone. “Let me tell you something.” “I’ve worked for 45 years. Paid my taxes. Raised three children. Built a business. Never asked the government for much.” “Canada gave me opportunities I’ll always be grateful for.” “So what’s changed?” I asked. He pointed toward a young family sitting across from us. “Look at them.” “Both parents probably work. They’re travelling with two kids. They’ve got a mortgage, groceries, insurance, daycare and taxes to worry about.” “Forty years ago, a family could reasonably dream of owning a home on one good income.” “Today, even two incomes don’t guarantee that.” I nodded. He continued. “Young Canadians are graduating with debt, competing for jobs and wondering whether they’ll ever afford the life their parents had.” I asked him whether he blamed the Liberal government. He smiled. “I blame governments when they make poor decisions. I give them credit when they make good ones. That’s how democracy should work.” Then he said something interesting. “These days, criticize Carney or the Liberals and someone will tell you you’re being anti-Canadian.” “Does that bother you?” He looked at the maple leaf on his jacket. “Son, I’ve been wearing this flag longer than some of those politicians have been alive.” “I didn’t need permission from Pierre Trudeau to love Canada.” “I didn’t need permission from Stephen Harper.” “And I certainly don’t need permission from Mark Carney.” Our boarding announcement came over the speaker. He stood up, picked up his carry-on and turned toward me. “Let me ask you something.” “What?” “If you love your home, and the roof starts leaking, do you stop loving your home?” “Of course not.” “You fix the roof.” “And if the people you hired to maintain it keep making things worse?” “You hold them accountable.” He smiled. “Exactly.” Then he said something that stayed with me. “CANADA IS OUR HOME. THE GOVERNMENT IS JUST THE MANAGEMENT.” “You can love your country without loving the people running it.” As he walked toward the gate, I noticed the maple leaf on his jacket again. And suddenly, I understood. Politicians come and go. Governments rise and fall. But Canada belongs to Canadians, not to whichever political party happens to be in power. I LOVE CANADA. I DON’T HAVE TO LOVE ITS GOVERNMENT. And questioning its leadership doesn’t make anyone less Canadian. It means we still care enough to demand better. 🇨🇦 #Canada #Patriotism