Wednesday July 1st 2020 marks the 153rd anniversary. The Pearson Maple Leaf Canadian flag celebrated annually as the National Flag of Canada day.
In 1964 then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson started a debate about a flag change. A committee was formed to deal with this, and in the end they chose the Canadian flag which flies today. This was designed by George Stanley. A lot of people look to the Canadian flag as a symbol of peace, unity, and a proud strong country.
As a Canadian Traveler, I quite often will have a pin with the Canadian flag on my clothing, to display my country. It’s something to be proud of, as a lot of places you go; people are quite fond of Canadians. There has been times when in foreign countries our flag has come in handy, and also been quite the topic of conversation.
I have had many other Canadians and other nationalities alike come up to me on the streets and start talking because they saw my Canadian pin or Key-chain. Our flag is most definitely a world symbol now, and people see it and recognize us for who we are. I would say that is something to be proud of as a Country.
I quite often wonder if being Canadian and being a traveler is not such a good thing. There are quite a lot of beautiful, gorgeous, places in Canada. Many of which I have not seen, and many I hope to get to see yet while I have the opportunity to occupy this planet. However if I am constantly flying to other countries, and faraway places, without having seen the country where I come from is that not a kind of bad thing? It’s kind of weird when other travelers have been to more places in Canada than I have and I live in Canada and wear the Canadian flag.
Luckily I have had the opportunity to travel within Canada what I would consider to be a fair amount. So I’m not letting it go completely and only seeing other countries. I also find though that if you ask people what they have seen in their own countries, quite often they have the same thing. That they see more of faraway lands, than their own.
Canada is the 2nd largest country by land mass in the world (3rd if you want to include Antarctica). But 37th largest if you go by population, which means we have the more area per citizen than any other country in the world. So there is a lot to see if you really wanted to see all of Canada. Another great thing is that we are one of the most multicultural countries out there. I and other people travel all over the world to see, learn about, and immerse ourselves in different cultures.
In Canada there is so many different cultures that to really immerse yourself, technically you may not even have to leave the country.
Before I started traveling, I thought the only people who had specific bars all around the world were the Irish. Now that I have been to a fair amount of places, I can proudly say the Canadians have bars in a lot of Countries as well. I have been to one in London and Paris, both with fellow Canadians. So if Canada is ever to far. Check to see if there is a Canadian pub, where they might over serve you with Canadian beer and an apology to go with it, and don’t forget the poutine.
In Canada we are known for many things. Being kind, saying sorry too much (guilty as charged), saying eh, and growing up in igloos (not seriously). We are all pretty patient, except when it comes to the weather we like to complain a lot. Which is understandable, I mean we have like two and a half feet of snow on the ground right now and the temperature is the coldest day of the year.
All in all Canada is a great place, and I’m proud to be Canadian. Even if I’m quite often traveling to faraway lands, Canada is still Home.
Remember your roots and be proud of your Canadian flag. If you are traveling wear it, and don’t be afraid to tell people where you are from.
Post by Janice Brown a writer, foodie and blogger. Welcome to my travel blog. There are so many places to learn about, enjoy and experience all over the world. Join us as we discover Canada especially my hometown and city Ottawa.