We are so fortunate to live in this wonderful country and now with Thanksgiving this weekend it is perhaps time to think about all of those things we have in Canada.
We have lots of fresh water, fresh air and food for our tables.
We have good government, we live in a progressive land of many cultures and in this country we are free — free to work, walk, wiggle and live where we want in this incredible land that only inhabits 30-plus million people.
How fortunate we are. We have a good health system, many have jobs and a country with a gazillion beautiful landscapes.
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals.
A common image seen at this time of year is a cornucopia, or horn, filled with seasonal fruit and vegetables.
The cornucopia, which means “Horn of Plenty” in Latin, was a symbol of bounty a plenty in ancient Greece.
Turkeys, pumpkins, ears of corn and large displays of food are also used to symbolize Thanksgiving Day.
It is also a time to be thankful for all that we posses in this great country of Canada, our beautiful B.C. province and, of course, this most fantastic Cariboo-Chilcotin area.
The first Thanksgiving in this country goes back to the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher when he and his crew were searching for the northwest passage.
A minister on the trip urged all to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliverance in these so dangerous places, like Frobisher Bay.
It is good to be thankful — not only at this Thanksgiving time of the year, but each and every day.
Happy Thanksgiving to you. May your turkey dinner have lots of gravy.
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A group of prominent Canadian women, including author Margaret Atwood and former prime minister Kim Campbell, is lobbying the federal government to rewrite the lyrics to O’ Canada to make our national anthem gender neutral.
In particular, the group wants to replace the line, “in all thy sons command” with “in all of us command.”
“The words, ‘All thy sons command’ in the English national anthem suggests that only male loyalty is being invoked,” Atwood says.
“Restoring these lyrics to gender-neutral is not only an easy fix to make our anthem inclusive for all Canadians, but it’s also long overdue.”
What will they want next? Perhaps they will ask to take ‘God’ out of O’Canada?
Please, stop this nonsense. “Son” has more than one meaning and the meaning in our anthem fits all of the above. It is gender neutral.
I’m sure these feminist types would like to have everything to suit their imaginations.
Ken Wilson is a freelance columnist for the Tribune/Advisor.
