This Remembrance Day

Leading up to Remembrance Day this week, this author was thinking about the values of the Canadians that fought for freedom in the two world wars and how different they are from some of the craziness we see in Canada today. As a result, I thought it would be worthwhile to remember not only the brave, selfless young Canadians who went to war at great risk to themselves, but also the values they held dear. Let’s compare those values to some of the views that are circulating today, shall we? 

One important belief of our predecessors that seems much less prevalent today is that people didn’t see themselves as victims, but rather individuals that had control over their own destiny – something that is referred to as “agency” today. As a result, people believed that if they worked hard, they could expect reasonable rewards. Things as simple as regularly showing up for work on time, putting in a decent day’s work and not abusing sick days were considered basic requirements. Today, these things are often thought of as rare and exemplary. 

Our predecessors also didn’t tend to blame others for any misfortunes that befell them, as so many people do today. The leftist belief system, which does not take responsibility for one’s own actions and mistakes, was not then a factor in Western countries as it is today. Governments were also much smaller, so taxes were lower and government programs were nowhere near as numerous as they now are. Things such as welfare payments and unemployment insurance were relatively new concepts in the 1940s. Prior to these programs, people down on their luck depended on family, charities and churches for support. It’s hard to believe that all our expensive support systems today produce better results than those of the past. 

I imagine our wartime predecessors would have been shocked at such developments as tampons being provided in men’s rooms. Adults may well have enjoyed a drag performance, but the notion that such a thing would have a place in primary schools would be unfathomable. It’s also very unlikely that they would agree there was systemic racism in every institution in our society, that white people were a key cause of all these problems, and that this critical race theory was taught in our public school system as the truth. Canadian society was much more “white” in those days than currently, but racism in general was nowhere near the issue then as it has become today even though it surely existed. 

This past week, a story hit the news about a bakery in Edmonton famous for doing a large and intricate gingerbread house every Christmas. This year the bakery was planning a Harry Potter theme for the house until some radical activists weighed in. The activists said that because Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was “transphobic” the bakery should not pursue this theme. Of course, the claim of “transphobia” was false, as Rowling has merely advocated for the retention of private spaces for women, but the damage was done. Sadly, the bakery knuckled under to the bullies, with the vast majority of the population who would have appreciated a Harry Potter gingerbread house disappointed. This type of situation would surely have befuddled previous generations. So often these days, it seems like the tail is wagging the dog. 

Overall, our predecessors valued independence, taking pride in providing for one’s own family, courage and selflessness. The notion of having to depend on government was viewed as shameful. Yet today our Liberal government boasts about the fact it needs to provide some kind of subsidy so average Canadians can buy groceries. That is nothing to be proud of, as it merely creates more dependency and undermines the notion that independence is an honourable and worthwhile pursuit. Any government that promotes more dependence among its citizens only has its own partisan interests in mind, not those of the general public. 

To be fair, many things are better today than they were back in Canada’s wartime. Recognition of equality of the sexes has come a long way, as has the acknowledgment of racism and its detrimental impacts on society. More social programs to help the less fortunate are beneficial to a point but have now overreached to the extent they merely encourage dependence among those who are perfectly able to take care of themselves. And we seem to have lost many of our positive values in the process. 

During the two world wars, Canadians were willing and very able participants. It was often said that we “punched above our weight” as a relatively small country. It may surprise many Canadians today that our soldiers were viewed as particularly fierce, and struck fear into the enemy when they found out the Canadians were coming. Pretty hard to believe that now, isn’t it? In my opinion, it’s time to get our fundamental, decent and honourable values back Canadians, and stop caving to the small minority who want to undermine our wonderful country. Lest we forget.