Canadian Values

There are many great and amazing aspects of Canada that sets it apart from the rest of the world. Canada consists of: people who are very kind hearted, a safe place to live, a good government in my personal opinion, and amazing view to go and see all around the country; those are just a few things that make Canada such a great place to stay and live. When you become Canadian it comes with some standards, per say, some tasks and responsibilities that you are assumed to follow. Such as, always holding the door for as many people that need it, say sorry when you did not do anything wrong, and saying thank you and please at least 4 times when talking to someone. Other parts of the world just naturally think that Canadians are polite and they are very right, but the reason we are so polite to others is because we realize how much we have in Canada to be grateful for.

When I speak about my country to anyone else I speak with real pride because I am proud of everything that we have accomplished like free healthcare; Free healthcare started for Canada on July 1, 1968, though in 1962 it was born in Saskatchewan, but was not Canada wide at this point.

Canada has very good quality of life for Canadians and the reason we have this in Canada is because everyone is equal and there are no minorities in the eyes of our government. We have very good and fair rights for everyone such as freedom of speech, freedom to be and do anything you want. Canada is a free country and that is what I am most proud of about Canada. We always, no matter what, treat people equally.

Canada is quite separate from the rest of the world being that it is special to live in Canada, also it is a privilege to live here, and call yourself a Canadian. I have already covered healthcare but that is only one of the things that separates us from other places in the world. All Canadians have the right to an education, to be able to learn about anything they desire. Where in Pakistan girls do not have the right to learn and receive and education.

Works Cited

Taylor, Doug. “The Birth of Medicare.” Canadian Demension, 3 July 2012, canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-birth-of-medicare. Accessed 10 Jan. 2018.

Tour De Stfu. “10 Nation That Do Not Let Girls Go to School.” TourDesTFU, 10 Feb. 2016, www.tourdestfu.com/2016/02/10-nations-that-dont-allow-girls-to-go.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2018.

Scotland Ancestors-- Ben Ferguson

Way back in 1812 my Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather Angus Macdonald was born. The reason I am bringing him up is because he is the family member that originally came to Canada from Scotland some time between 1840 and 1842. In the early 1700’s Scottish people started to immigrate to Nova Scotia with their families and relatives with an even larger wave of Scottish immigrants coming in the early 1800’s. Like Angus Macdonald then came to Nova Scotia to start a better life for their family. Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland. Still to this day there are 29.3% Scottish people living in Nova Scotia.

Angus MacDonald had 6 children all born in North Framboise. From that family on, the rest of my ancestors have remained in Nova Scotia until my father’s dad moved to Ontario at the age of 24.  He left his wife and three children to come to Ontario to make some money.Shortly after the rest of his family came over to Ontario. My dad was the only child of the family born in Ontario.

"Photo from MacDonald Family History"

As you can tell my extended family, even when dated all the way back to 1841, was from Canada so the direct connection to Scotland was many many years ago. No connection to Scotland but we still go visit Nova Scotia to visit aunts and uncles when we can. My nanny still has many green tartan items around the house that are a symbol of our Scottish heritage, a green tartan is a “pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours”.

“Green Tartan”

Sources

Bumsted, J. M. “Scottish Canadians.” Scottish Canadians, 27 Aug. 2013, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/scots/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2017. Ferguson, Evelyn, and Frank Ferguson. Telephone interview. 3 Dec. 2017. MacDonald, John. MacDonald Family History. John MacDonald, 2007. Stats Canada. “Population of Selected Ethnic Origins.” Stats Canada, Canadian Government, 28 July 2009, www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo26d-eng.htm. Accessed 5 Dec. 2017.

Christmas Traditions

For as long as I can remember my parents have been giving me and my sister two “presents” to open on Christmas Eve yearly. These so called “presents” have been the same for the past 14 years. It has always been a pair of matching pajamas and a Christmas book. My sister and I would have to wear the pajamas to bed on Christmas Eve and wake up in, on Christmas Day. The book that we would receive on Christmas Eve from our family would have to be read before my sister and I went to bed that night. When we are done reading, the books would go in a Christmas basket with over 20 books over all the years of this tradition. My sister and I, every Christmas morning, wearing our new pajamas, have to wake up my parents. But not the way you might think. We have to go to their room and sing them two Christmas carols. The reason behind this is that when my sister and I were younger we used to get up really early on Christmas morning to go get our presents. My parents on the other hand did not like that very much.

Although no one else in my extended family does this tradition it does not mean that other people around the world do not do this tradition. So I do not really know where this tradition came from because my family is definitely not the family that invented this tradition. If you are just looking at it from an immediate family aspect my mom Kathy would be the one who started it in our family.

My family has been doing this tradition for as long as I can remember, this tradition has created so many memories for not only my self but for my mom, dad, and my sister. Whenever I grow up these traditions will definitely be a part of my family’s Christmas Eve rituals.

These are all of the books that my sister and I have accumulated over the past 15 years. Everyone is different and every single one has been read multiple times on Christmas eve, while we are all in our new Christmas pajamas, sitting by the fire waiting for the time when my sister and I can finally go to sleep and wake up way too early for my parents.

Works Cited

Coughlin, Joseph F. “What Holiday Shopping Tells Us About Innovations in Retirement Planning & Healthy Behaviors.” Big Think, 1 Jan. 2016, bigthink.com/disruptive-demographics/what-holiday-shopping-tells-us-about-innovations-in-retirement-planning-healthy-behaviors. Accessed 28 Oct. 2017.

Ferguson, Kathy. Christmas Basket. 28 Oct. 2017.