Sunday morning, July 1, 2009. It’s Canada Day! Time for the annual parade to celebrate being a Canadian. My youngest daughter, Sarah,
and I have come to visit in Steveston, B.C. for the weekend with my sister Jennifer and her husband Neil. 
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A friend tells me that Canadians should not be patriotic, as its a term most widely used by Americans and has a specific connotation.
The preferred term is “Canadian pride.” I’ve always felt that we Canadians have a more reserved, underlying pride in our country.
That pride came to a surprising head during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. It seemed that there were many critics of the
Vancouver games when it started, both at home and abroad. Those critics were soon drowned out by the enthusiasm of the vast 
majority, who embraced the event. Within a few days of the start of the Games, the critics seemed peevish and shrill in the face of such
positive energy. We wore Canadian pride, uncharacteristically, on our sleeves for that short two weeks – even if we didn’t always know 
ll the words to “O Canada.”
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This Canada Day parade however, took place eight months before the Vancouver Games. It was one of many across the country,
and it lasted for three straight hours. The scope was immense – a not-so-demure display of Canadian pride, indeed. For this particular
parade blossom, who was maybe four years old, it went on too long in the hot July weather. She’s looking a little tired and fed up.
This pride thing is a lot of effort ... and why is this guy taking my picture?   Mark Heine