I love Canada… Day…

I think it's great how everybody comes out and puts maple leaf tatoos
on their faces, stick Canadian flags in their hats, wear red and
white…

Today I went down to Lonsdale Quay and Waterfront Park.  I
marvelled how I could eat Vietnamese sweet and sour salmon and
lemongrass chicken, alongside fish and chips, gourmet burgers, donairs
and beaver tails.  North Vancouver is much more multicultural now
then when I grew up here in the 1970's.  Farsi, Korean and
Japanese language are now as commonplace as their ethnic counterpart
stores and restaurants.

There was a tent where people were adding clay figures to clay “North
Shore mountains.”  I listened intently as MP Don Bell (former
North Vancouver District Mayor) explained to a South Asian-Canadian
teenager about why he voted for the same-sex marriage bill, even though
both he and his wife are evangelical Christians.  I watched
children of all ages and ethnicities play together in the inflatable
dragon, and in the children's play areas.  I talked with both the
Rotaract Club and North Shore Scouts Canada organizers about setting up
a dragon boat race/festival for the North Shore (typical Todd!)

But on this day, when CBC Radio was playing the highlights of Jian
Gomesi's “50 Canadian Song Tracks” – I don't think I heard one single
Canadian song.  I heard celtic music in the Celtic store and I
heard zydeco music at the Lonsdale Quay mainstage.  Last year I
heard lots of American Rock and Roll music at Canada Place. 

For once, I would love to see some Canadian Music cover bands where the
audience can all sing along to Canadian music classics such as Ian
Tyson's “Four
Strong Winds,”  Stompin' Tom Connors “The Hockey Song,” Gordon
Lightfoot's “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” Brian Adams' “Summer of
'69”, Joni Mitchell's “The Circle Game,” “Neil Young's “Helpless,” The
Guess Who's “These Eyes,” and Anne Murray's “Snowbird” written by Gene
McLellan.  Okay
contemporary songs by the Bare Naked Ladies, Shania Twain, Jann Arden,
Sara McLachlan, and Alanis Morisette.

Maybe I will have to form my own band for next year… but then I would have to play my accordion!