Carney vs Crosby

  I just read something about how PM Mark Carney wasn't "really" Canadian. He was born in Fort Smith, NWT, and raised in Edmonton, so definitely a citizen. Mark (you didn't know we were on a first-name basis, did you?) played goalie growing up. Can't be much more Canadian than that! So why would some people say he wasn't truly one of us?

  Let me explain. Mr. Carney is smart. Very smart. He went to Harvard and Oxford. Can you imagine the debt he came out of those two schools with? But I digress. After completing his studies, he went on to be quite famously the first non-British citizen to be named Governor of the Bank of England. He also worked for Goldman Sachs and the United Nations. So yes, he worked and lived outside of the country for many years. To be fair, most Canadians knew him from his days as the head of the Bank of Canada. His name is still on a lot of our money btw!

  So that's the argument. He went away to school. He left the country to work. Didn't stay here. Not Canadian enough. Let's try to diminish him for getting the best education possible and the good jobs that led to better jobs, then to the height of his chosen career path. He's not really one of us. That's the criticism. While many conservatives agreed with this premise and expanded on it, here's how that argument got ripped apart in such a way that left these same loud voices silenced with two words...Sidney Crosby.

  Every single person in Canada knows #87. He scored our "Golden Goal" in 2010 at the Olympics. Then helped bring home another gold medal four years later. He's won the Stanley Cup three times, and each time shared it with his fellow Canadians in small towns or with large parades. Sid the Kid, at 39 we can no longer call him that, was everyone's little brother, cousin, grandson, or neighbour kid. We watched him grow up, we cheered him on, and we proudly talked about his accomplishments. All forty-one million of us agree he is Canadian. Hell, we even put him on a postage stamp in 2016!! 

  Hang on a minute...Crosby went to school in the US at the age of 15.  He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005. Since that time, he has lived in the US for more than half of each year. He pays taxes, owns property, and I'm assuming has healthcare coverage there. Based solely on years lived outside our borders, Crosby beats Carney by three years... and counting! Why then, is Sid "ours" but Mark isn't?

  Politics, of course, is the reason. It's not about who lived where or what job they had. Not even close. No one can say the jobs PM Carney had were not evidence of a successful career. Quite the opposite. But we all know politics is about changing the narrative to fit our beliefs and belittle our opponents. This is just the latest attempt by the Conservative Party to garner support. Not a very good one, in my opinion.

  Being Canadian doesn't mean you must necessarily live or work within our borders. It's about how we treat people. How we do the right thing even when it's hard. Our morality. Our dignity. Our pride in where we come from and what that maple leaf stands for throughout the world. 

  That's what makes us Canadian...not geography.

   Ang

  

  

  

Pettiness 101

   The other day we were at a local hardware store buying a door. It was a little overcast, and there was a bit of a breeze. As we were walking out with our purchase, we saw a car pull into the parking spot beside us. The parking lot was pretty empty, but with many spots available, this car still chose to park beside us. As hubby went around to the trunk, I stayed in the front, and that's when I saw it...the lady got out and hit my driver's door with hers! 

  This happens all the time in parking spots. We've all come back to our car to find a dent or a mark that wasn't there when we went in. It's frustrating and irritating, and we all swear at this unknown vandal, but we get over it quickly when there is no one to blame. Not this time! She was right there. Maybe ten feet away from me. She was looking at the mark she had made and even said to me that she had hit it and I should look and see. In fact, she went one step further, opened her door again, and carefully lined up the mark! This woman wasn't trying to argue that she had done it. Finally I could prove wrong all those YouTube and TikTok videos showing how everyone never takes responsibility for their actions. Eureka! But then...here's where this gets weird. 

  I asked for her insurance papers, like you should when there is any damage at all. She said no. I will admit I was shocked, as this was not the response I had been expecting. I mean she had already taken responsibility. Why say no? Then she said those four little words that send dread down a driver's spine, "I don't have insurance." WTH?? Who drives a Lexus without coverage? She said this not once, not twice, but three times. All while slowly walking farther away from me and the dent. 

  I followed her as I continually asked for a driver's license or the insurance info. All while digging through my purse for my phone. As soon as she saw the phone, she picked up her pace.  She was still talking, but she didn't turn around. I can only assume she didn't want photographic evidence. I did manage to get a picture of her face, though I didn't think it would help me much. 

  By this point, the driver of the only other car parked near us had asked my hubby what was up. He explained that she had hit our car and didn't have insurance. Without missing a beat, this total stranger said, and I quote, "F'ing immigrants!" Needless to say, hubby was disgusted by the reaction and got far away from this guy. 

  After taking a few photos of the car's plates, we started for home, disappointed in people yet again. But not just disappointed. Now we were angry. This woman had damaged our car and couldn't care less about it. Unlike the bumper, the door is made of metal, and as it was scraped down to it, I called the insurance company. The agent, Rebecca, was wonderful. She explained how they can track whether the car was insured or not and what the process was to proceed. 

  Now for the pettiness. The damage is very minor. IF we had come back and seen the mark, we would have been upset but probably not given it another thought and certainly would not have thought about getting it fixed. Perhaps the wind had caught the door, and she didn't have the physical strength to keep hold of it. Had she said that, we never would have faulted her for that. It could happen to any of us. But we saw it happen, she didn't apologize, and she was recklessly driving without insurance.

  A few short hours later, I hear back from the agent. Guess what? The lady lied. She has insurance. WTH?? Why say you don't if you do? Now we absolutely are getting the damage fixed. I don't care if it's a $60, $600, or $6000 claim. You need to be taught not to play with people. 

  Today I went to the collision center to get the repair estimate. I will admit to feeling petty as he looked at the damage. After giving a few details, he matter-of-factly said he would be petty too. My car is damaged through no fault of my own, and I shouldn't be made to feel like I'm doing something wrong. 

  I'm sure the repair will be a little sanding and a bit of paint. It will take about three days, and I'll need a rental car for that time. Will that be enough to raise this woman's rates? I'm not sure. Does she get penalized by her insurance company for not giving her information? No clue. I hope it is enough though, for her to be more careful and to do the right thing the next time something like this happens. 

  But that I will never know.

  Ang