An Australian Definition of a Canadian -
Written by an Australian Dentist:
You probably missed it in the local news, but there was a report
that someone in Pakistan had advertised in a newspaper an offer of a
reward to anyone who killed a Canadian - any Canadian.
An Australian dentist wrote the following editorial to help define
what a Canadian is, so they would know one when they found one.
A Canadian can be English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German,
Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. A Canadian can be Mexican,
African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian,
Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.
A Canadian may also be a Cree, Metis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or
one of the many other tribes known as native Canadians. A Canadian's religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim,
Hindu or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in Canada than in
Afghanistan. The key difference is that in Canada they are free to
worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no
religion, each Canadian ultimately answers only to God, not to the
government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government
and for God.
A Canadian lives in one of the most prosperous lands in the history
of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms which recognize the right of each
person to the pursuit of happiness.
A Canadian is generous and Canadians have helped out just about
every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking
a thing in return. Canadians welcome the best of everything, the
best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the
best services and the best minds. But they also welcome the least -
the oppressed, the outcast and the rejected.
These are the people who built Canada. You can try to kill a
Canadian if you must as other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world
have tried but in doing so you could just be killing a relative or a
neighbor. This is because Canadians are not a particular people from
a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of
freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, can be a Canadian.
Please keep this going! Pass this around the World. Then pass it
around again. It says it all, for all of us And always remember:
'Keep your stick on the ice'
