48. Canada Day Special - 11 reasons to be grateful for Canada
Every month, I send a newsletter to my email subscribers, sharing reflections, insights, and updates to the DIY Strategic Plan program.
With July 1st being Canada Day, I spent some time reflecting on the many reasons to be grateful for this country. I shared these thoughts with my email subscribers and now want to extend them to you.
In 2010, when I first moved to Canada, it wasn't entirely by choice. I had received a full scholarship from my Nigerian state government and was assigned to study at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver.
Fast forward to 2020, I chose to make Canada my home again. I returned during the pandemic after working in the USA and Australia for three years. This time around, I got to appreciate Canada more deeply.
It is easy to get carried away with the negatives and forget the blessings of living in Canada. Here are just some examples of these blessings:
Stable democratic government
Relatively strong economy
Religious freedoms
Low levels of crime
Not in an active war
Affordable healthcare
Friendliness and openness to immigrants
Access to stable power supply and clean water
Positive recognition and respect from global peers
Stable currency (the Nigerian naira is now worth 10% of its 2010 value)
Low-ish levels of inflation (compare against 30%+ annual inflation in Nigeria).
This is not to downplay some of the real issues Canada faces—whether it is housing affordability, food insecurity, and so on. But it is to put things into perspective. The truth is that Canada fares much better than most countries in the world, including my home country, Nigeria.
So to Canadian residents, I wish you a very happy Canada Day! And to my American friends, I wish you a happy 4th of July! May we continue to enjoy peace and prosperity in our respective nations.
If you enjoyed this reflection, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter, where I share more stories, insights, and updates each month. To subscribe, simply complete the form at the bottom of this page.
