230 Reasons Why I Love Canada

On July 1st, Canada celebrated its 158th birthday.  As a tribute to the country I love, I have made a list of 230 special people, places and thigs associated with Canada.  I want to make it clear that my list is highly subjective.  It is impossible to please everyone.  My choices were limited to 230, so I expect to be criticized for what I have left out.  Of course, readers will have issues with some of my selections, especially some of the people I have chosen.  However, the Canadians on this list are not perfect.  Some have feet of clay.  I did not choose them because of their perfection.   I did not choose them because I approve of everything they did or said.  I chose them because of their talents, their contributions to humanity and to arts and sciences, sports and entertainment.  They are nation builders.  In many ways, they define this country.  They are quintessentially Canadian.

1,  The vastness and natural beauty of this country.  Canada's motto: A mari usque ad mare " From sea to sea."

2.  The foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta

3.  Lighthouses

4.  Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

5,  Hockey and all the great Canadian hockey players 

6.  Indigenous peoples of Canada

 7.  Maple trees, maple syrup and the maple syrup festival in Elmira, Ontario                       

                         

Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, Elmira Ontario

8.  Octoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

9.  Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario and the Shaw Festival

10.  The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

11.  Frederick Banting and Charles Best, the discovery of insulin

Frederick Banting

Charles Best

12, Terry Fox, athlete, humanitarian, cancer research advocate

  13.  The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

14.  The Chateau Frontenac and historic Old Qucbec (Vieux Québec), UNESCO World Heritage Site in Quebec City

15.  The St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Seaway, laker at the seaway at Montreal

16.  The red soil of Prince Edward Island and P.E.I. potatoes

17.  Atlantic Canada seafood

18.  Lucy Maud Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables and Green Gables Heritage Place, L.M. Montgomery's National Historic Site in Prince Edward Island National Park, Cavendish

19. Stratford Festival, Stratford Ontario

20,  The CN Tower, Toronto Ontario

21.  The St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Ontario

22.  The Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario

23.  Parks, national and provincial, especially Gross Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Jasper National Park, Alberta

Gross Morne National Park, Newfoundland

Jasper National Park, Alberta

Wildlife in Jasper National Park

24.  Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the TIFF Lighthouse

25.  Ed and Anne Mirvish and the Mirvish theatre district, Toronto, Ontario

Toronto's Entertainment Dictrict (King St. West)

Toronto's Entertainment District at night

26.  Inuit art

27.  Signal Hill and Cabot Tower,  St. John's Newfoundland

28.  L'Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland - Viking Settlement

29.  Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

30.  The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario

31.  Kensington Market, Toronto, Ontario

32.  Mount Royal Park, Montreal, Quebec

33.  Canada's democratic institutions and parliamentary system of government.  Parliament Hill and the Parliament Buildings and Peace Tower in Ottawa, Ontario

34.  Byward Market, Ottawa, Ontario

35.  The Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Grey Cup

36.  The Canadian Human Rights Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba

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37.  The Red River, Winnipeg, Manitoba

38.  Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia 

    

39.  Fortress of Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

40.  Niagara Falls, Ontario

41.  The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, St. Mary's Ontario

42,  Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, Ontario

43.  Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, basilica, Quebec

44.  Montmorency Falls, Quebec

45.  The Niagara Parkway and Queenston Heights, Ontario

Niagara Parkway

Queenston Heights

46.  Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia, immigration museum

47.  The Tragically Hip and Gord Downie (rock band)

48.  Gordon Lightfoot, singer-songwriter, musician

49.  Shania Twain, singer

50. The Guess Who (rock band)

      

51. Bay of Fundy and Fundy National Park, New Brunswick

52. Banff and Banff National Park, Alberta, including Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, Columbia Icefield

Banff National Park

Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Columbia Icefield

53. The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) or the Es and Princes' Gates, Toronto, Ontario

Princes' Gates - arch at entrance to CNE

54.. The prairie wheat fields of Saskatchewan

55. Fans of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders

56. Canadian Music Hall of Fame, National Music Centre, Calgary Alberta

57. Multiculturalism and diversity, immigrants

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58. Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and Bluenose II

59. Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Toronto

60. Toronto Islands 

61. Halifax waterfront, Nova Scotia

62. SkyTrain, Vancouver, British Columbia

63.  The Maple Leaf flag, the official flag of Canada since February 15, 1965

64.  Tommy Douglas, politician, premier of Saskatchewan, NDP leader, advocate of universal healthcare

65.  Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, scientist, engineer

66. Emily Carr, artist

67.  Acadians of Canada

68.  Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

69.  The Fabulous Five - Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Irene Parlby

Nellie McClung

Emily Murphy

Irene Parlby

Henrietta Muir Edwards

70.  Viola Desmond, Civil and women's rights activist businesswoman, challenged racial segregation at movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia by refusing to leave a white's only area of the cinema.

71.  Bonhomme and the Quebec Winter Carnival in Quebec City

72.  Newfoundland comedians - Rick Mercer, Mark Critch, Mary Walsh etc.

Rick Mercer

Mary Walsh

73.  Summer McIntosh, swimmer, Olympic medalist

74.  Tom Longboat, long-distance runner

75.  Oscar Peterson, jazz pianist

76.  Anne Murray, singer

77.  Joey Smallwood, brought Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949, first premier of the province, now officially known and Newfoundland and Labrador

78.  Stanley Park and Lion's Gate Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia

79.  Leonard Cohen, singer, songwriter

80.  Sandy Hawley, champion jockey

81.  Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

82.  Spinnakers' Landing, Summerside, Prince Edward Island

83.  The Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta

84.  National Film Board of Canada and animator Norman McLaren

Norman McLaren

      

85.  Canada Health Act

86.  Christine Sinclair, soccer star

87.  National Anthem - O Canada and Callixa Lavallée, composer of the music for O Canada

Callixa Lavallée

88.  Ned Hanlan, rower

89.  Foster Hewitt, hockey broadcaster

90.  Hayley Wickenheiser, hockey

91.  Thomas D'Arcy McGee, politician, journalist, Father of Confederation

92.  Norval Morrisseau, Indigenous artist

93.  John Peters Humphrey, author of the original draft of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

94.  Gastown, area of Vancouver, British Columbia

95.  The Eastern Townships, Quebec

96.  Agawa Canyon, Ontario

97.  Manitoulin Island, Ontario

98.  Klondike National Historic Site - Whitehorse, Yukon

99.  Lester B. Pearson, 14th prime minister of Canada, winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize        

100.  The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg, Ontario

Franklin Carmichael

Arthur Lismer

Francis "Franz" Johnston

Lauren Harris

A.Y. Jackson

J.E.H. MacDonald

Frederick Varley

Tom Thomson

101.  James Naismith and the invention of basketball

102.  David Suzuki, academic, science broadcaster, environmental activist

103   Rick Hansen, "Man in Motion," Paralympic track and field athlete, activist and philanthropist for the disabled

104.  Marshall McLuhan, professor, philosopher, author, media theory

105.  Pierre Berton, historian, writer, journalist, broadcaster

106.  E. Pauline Johnson, poet

107.  Norman Bethune, surgeon who served in the Spanish Civil War

108.  Marc Garneau, astronaut and politician

109.  Chris Hadfield, astronaut

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110. Canadaarm

111.  Gordon Pinsent, actor

112. (Johnny) Wayne and (Frank) Shuster, entertainers, comedians

113.  Margaret Atwood, author

114.  Pierre Trudeau. 15th prime minister of Canada, patriated the Canadian constitution and established the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

115. Toronto City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto mayor Nathan Phillips

Nathan Phillips 

116.  Fathers of Confederation

Sir John A. Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, and Sir George-Étienne Cartier-Étienne Cartier, statesmen, Fathers of Confederation

s

Sir John A. Macdonald

             

117.  Donald Sutherland, actor

118.  Christopher Plummer, actor

119.  Stephen Leacock, writer, humorist

120.  Morley Callaghan, writer

121.  Robson Street, Vancouver, British Columbia

122.  Butter tarts

123.  Mary Pickford, silent film actor

123.  Marguerite Bourgeoys, religious sister in the colony ofNew France, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal

124.  Joni Mitchell, singer-songwriter

125.  Celine Dion, singer

126.  Bryan Adams, singer-songwriter, musician

127.  Alice Munro, writer, won Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013

128.  Mordecai Richler, author

129.  W.P. Kinsella, novelist and short story writer

130.  E.J. Pratt, poet

131,  Lincoln Alexander, lawyer, politician, first Black member of Parliament in the House of Commons, Lieutenant Govenor of Ontario (1985-1991)

             

132.  Chief Dan George

133.  Maureen Forrester, opera singer

         

134.  April Wine, rock band

135.  Triumph, rock group

136.  Michael Ondaatje, writer       

137.  Jean Drapeau, Montreal mayor

138.  Science North in Sudbury, Ontario

139.  David Foster, musician, composer, arranger

140.  Lampshades  of Avenue Cartier in Quebec City     

      

141.  Joseph E. Atkinson, newspaper editor, publisher., philanthropist.  Owner of the Toronto Star.

142.  Al Waxman, actor

143.  Ken Taylor, diplomat, educator and businessman, known for his role in the "Canadian Caper" during the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran

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144.  Canadian universities, especially McGill University in Montreal, the University of Toronto and Laval University in Quebec City 

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

University of Toronto

Laval University, Quebec City

145.  John Diefenbaker, 13th prime minister of Canada.  His government secured the passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights, granted the vote to First Nation and Inuit people and opposed apartheid in South Africa.  In 1962, the Diefenbaker government eliminated racial discrimination in immigration policy

146.  Laura Secord, lived in Niagara region of Upper Canada, warned British forces of American attack during War of 1812

147.  Norman Jewison, filmmaker

148,  Lorne Greene, CBC broadcaster during World War II, known as "The Voice of Doom," actor

 

149.  High Park, Toronto, Ontario

150.  Donovan Bailey, sprinter, Olympic gold mealist

151.  Wilder Penfield, neurosurgeon

152.  Joseph-Armand Bombardier, inventor, businessman

153.  Okanagan Valley and Okanagan Lake, British Columbia

154.  Stompin; Tom Connors, singer-songwriter

155. Whale watching

156.   Sir Wilfrid Laurier, seventh prime minister of Canada, first French speaking Canadian PM

157.   Louis Riel, founder of Manitoba, Métis leader

158. Jean Charest, lawyer, politician, premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012

   

159.  Farley Mowat, writer and environmentalist

160.  Rita MacNeil, singer

161.  Michael "Pinball" Clemons, CFL player, executive

162.  Jean Chrétien, 20th prime minister of Canada

163,  Magnetic Hill, Moncton, New Brunswick

164.  Stephen Lewis, public speaker, politician, broadcaster, diplomat

165.  The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay,  British Columbia

166.  Mona Parsons, Canadian actor, nurse and resistance fighter in the Netherlands during World War II

167.  Trans-Canada Highway

168.  Sarah McLachman, singer, musician

169.  William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th prime minister of Canada 

170,  Rush, rock band

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171.  W.O. Mitchell, author

172.  Ginette Reno, singer

173.  Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ontario

174.  Northrop Frye, literary critic, literary theoroist

175.  Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario, concert hall

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76,  Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, Governor General's Residence

177.  Thérèse Casgrain, feminist, activist, politician

178.  Robert Stanfield, politician, premier of Nova Scotia from 1956 to 1967, leader of Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1967 to 1976.  As premier, he introduced hospital insurance in Nova Scotia, advocated for the rights of Black Nova Scotians greatly increased funding for education. 

179.  Canadian Arctic

180.  Roberta Bondar, astronaut

181.  Louise Arbour, lawyer, prosecutor, former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, former United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights

182.  Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney), writer, conservationist

183.  Barbara Frum, journalist

184.  Ellen Fairclough, first woman to serve in a Canadian cabinet, John Diefenbaker government, advocated women's rights including equal pay for equal work

185.  Robert W. Service  ("The Poet of the Yukon")

186.  Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, British Columbia

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87.  The Snowbirds (military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force)

188,  Agnes Macphail, first woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons, social reformer

189.  Expo '67, Montreal, Quebec

190.  The Queen's Plate/King's Plate, Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race, first run in 1860.  It is the oldest continuously run race in North America.  Takes place at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

191.  Roger Ducet, singer

192.  Gabrielle Roy, author

193.  Bilingualism

194.  Environmental initiatives

Ozone layer

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.  International treaty agreed upon September 16, 1987 to phase out substances responsible for ozone depletion.  Entered into force January 1, 1989.  Revisions and adjustments agreed to in 1990 (London), 1992 (Copehagen), 1995 9Vienna, 1999 (Montreal), 1999 (Beijing), 2007 (Montreal), 2016 (Kigali), 2018 (Quito).  As a result, the ozone hole over Antarctica is slowly recovering.

The first climate change conference held in Toronto on June 27-30,1988 and chaired by Stephen Lewis.  It was called the Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security..

195.  Roméo Dallaire, poltician and military officer, commander of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Uganda

196.  Margaret Laurence, author

197.  Nunavut, Inuit self-government, flag 

The flag of Nunavut was officially adopted on April 1, 1999. The colors blue and gold symbolize the riches of the land, sea and sky. Red is a reference to Canada. The Inuksuk symbolizes stone monuments which guide people on the land, and also marks sacred and other special places. The star is the Niqirtsuituq (North Star), and the traditional guide for navigation. The North Star is also symbolic of the leadership of the elders in the community. The Flag of Nunavut was designed by Andrew Karpik from Pangnirtung.

198.  Barbara Ann Scott, figure skater, Olympic gold medalist 1948

199. Île d'Orléans, Quebec          

200.  Watson Lake and Sign Post Forest, Yukon

 

201.  Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia

202. Citadel Hill, Halifax, Nova Scotia

203.  Colourful wooden houses, St. John's, Newfoundland

204.  Province House, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, site of the 1864 Charlottetown conference which led to Confederation

205. Northern Lights, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

206.  Whistler, British Columbia

Skiing whistler mountain

207.  Greektown, Danforth Ave., Toronto

208.  Saint Denis St., Montreal, Quebec

209.  Montreal delis

210,  Alaska Highway entrance sign, Dawson City, British Columbia

211.  Port Perry, Ontario and Lake Scugog

                     212.  Glenn Gould, classical pianist

213.  Karen Kain, ballet dancer, National Ballet of Canada

214.  Denys Arcand, filmmaker

216,  Neil Young, singer-songwriter

217. Bob Rae, diplomat, premier of Ontario 1990-1995

218.  Alex Trebek, television host

219,  Ernie Coombs, children's entertainer, "Mr. Dressup"

220,  Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario

221.  Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

222.  Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology,  Alberta

223.  Chinatown, Toronto, Ontario

224.  Totem poles, Duncan. British Columbia

225.  Kananaskis Country, Alberta

226.  Stephen Leacock House and Museum, Orillia, Ontario, located on Old Brewery Bay

227.  Alexander Graham Bell summer home in Baddeck, Nova, Scotia

228.  Prince Edward County, Ontario

229.  Peter Gzowski, broadcaster

230.  Gander, Newfoundland (hospitality to people stranded during 9/11)

- Joanne

Who is Dr. Erika McEntarfer and why was she fired?

 

Dr. Erika McEntarfer (pictured above) is an American labour economist.  She served as Commissioner of Labor Statistics from 2024 until her dismissal on August 1, 2025.  McEntarfer, 52, graduated from Bard College with a bachelor's degree in social science.  She also holds a doctorate in economics from Virginia Tech.  Before becoming an economist in the Census Bureau's Center for Economic Studies, McEntarfer was posted in the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Tax Policy.  She became a senior economist at the Council of Economic Affairs in Joe Biden's administration.

McEntarfers has an impressive background in economics,  She was highly qualified for the position of Commissioner of Labor Statistics when then-President Biden nominated her in July of 2023.   In January of 2024, her appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate in a bipartisan 86-8 vote.  At the time, her nomination was supported by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both former senators, representing Ohio and Florida respectively.  

Dr. McEntarfer performed her job without incident until she ran afoul of Donald Trump.  She was summarily fired because she told the truth, and it was not what Trump wanted to hear.  So, he shot the messenger.  She was blamed for his administration's failings.

What exactly did McEntarfer do to upset Trump, you may wonder?  Well, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which she heads, released data that was unfavourable to the Trump administration.  The agency published a report showing that the unemployment rate in the United States had risen to 4.3%. for the month of July 2025, a slight increase from 4.2% in June.  However, employers had only created 73,000 jobs in the month of July, falling far short of the 109,000 forecasted by the White House,  The BLS also revised the employment statistics for May and June by more than 250,000.  

Trump was furious  In a social media post, he claimed that August 1st's jobs report figures were "RIGGED" in order to make the president and Republican lawmakers "look bad."  "We need accurate Jobs Numbers," he posted, "I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY.  She will be replaced by someone much more competent and qualified.  Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate.  They can't be manipulated for political purposes."

William W. Beach, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics during Donald Trump's first term in office, is strongly opposed to Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer.  He contends that it sets a "dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau."

According to Arin Dube, an economist at the University of Masschusetts-Amherst, "Firing the Commissioner . . . when the BLS revises job numbers down (as it routinely does) threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions, and all American government statistics.  I can't stress how damaging this is."

There was an immediate backlash from Democrats over the firing.  They accused the Trump administration of politicizing economic data.  In a floor speech soon after Trump's post, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "What does a bad leader do when they get bad news?  Shoot the messenger."  David Axelrod, a top aid to former president Barack Obama, mocked Trump for firing McEntarfer over an abysmal job report.  "From now on, all job numbers will be coming from a guy who says he's 6'3 and weighs 215," read the caption Axelrod posted beside an unflattering photo of Trump in his golf attire.  

Donald Trump's firing of Dr. McEntarfer is not only concerning.  It is frightening.  It is so Orwellian in nature, right out of the 1984 playbook.  It appears that Trump intends to turn the Bureau of Statistics into a propaganda machine for his regime.  The removal of McEntarfer is consistent with his authoritarian agenda.  Alarm bells are ringing,  American democracy is in grave danger.

- Joanne

Blue Jays have really surprised me

I am amazed.  I am pleasantly surprised.  Frankly, I didn't see this coming.  It is hard to believe that the Toronto Blue Jays are in first place in the American League East and it's almost the end of July.  I never expected them to play this well.  I was resigned to another lost season.   I thought that they would finish fourth or fifth in their division.  As of today, however, the Blue Jays have the best record in all of Major League Baseball.  Despite yesterday's loss in Detroit, they have 63 wins and 43 losses.  

There is still a lot of baseball to be played.  Anything could happen.  Nevertheless, I am truly enjoying the moment.  This marks the first time since 1992 that the Blue Jays have held the league's best record this far into the season.  That was the year they went on to win the first of two consecutive World Series.  I have fantastic memories of those years, so forgive me if I'm being premature. Excuse me if I'm dreaming of a championship.

It seems as if the Jays are playing under a magic spell.  Almost everything appears to be going right for them.  Their rivals in the AL Least haven't been outstanding.  The Yankees haven't been playing well defensively.  Now they have lost their star slugger, Aaron Judge, to injury.  On the minus side for the Jays, however, catcher Alejandro Kirk has suffered a concussion.  He took a foul tip off his mask during Saturday's 6-1 win over the Tigers.  He has been placed on the 7-day IL.  

The Jays have been on fire.  They are the hottest team in baseball.  How long will it last?  Will the spell be broken?  Let's be realistic.  They have to cool down at some time.  They can't win every game, but they are capable of winning their division.- if things go right for them. They have to be careful of the Yankees.  The Bronx Bombers can never be counted out.  They have just acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies to bolster their infield defence.

I have been highly critical of Blue Jays' GM Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro.  Despite the team's current success, I will never be their biggest fan.  The Jays have been winning in spite of them, not because of them.  I'm not saying they don't deserve any credit.  I'm only saying that I disagree with their strong emphasis on defence rather than on offence.  Both are necessary ingredients for a winning team.  However, in the final analysis, I think offence trumps defence.

The Jays were unable to compete in 2023 and 2024 because they traded away sluggers such as Teoscar Hernandez.  The Jays started winning this year when players such as Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes started hitting well.

The trade deadline ends on Thursday.  The team could use some bullpen help.  However, I think the number priority is to sign Bo Bichette.  He'll be asking for a great deal of money, but they would be foolish to let him go.  He has a .281 batting average.  Through 103 games, he has recorded 13 homers and 65 RBI.  Bo has stated that this year's Blue Jays are the best team he has ever played for.  He wants to stay.

The Jays begin a 4-game series in Baltimore tonight against the Orioles.at Camden Yards. Will they continue their winning ways? 

- Joanne

A Open Letter to Americans

 Dear America,

Yesterday was a bleak July 4th in the United States, as your country slips deeper and deeper into the authoritarian abyss.  Each and every day, Donald Trump chips away at fundamental democratic rights.  It's very disconcerting that over 70 million Americans voted for him.  Some Trump voters claim that they didn't get what they expected when they supported him.  The writing was certainly on the wall, but they didn't see what was coming.  Some just didn't think Trump actually meant what he said.  They soon discovered that he meant every word of it.  Some were brainwashed by Fox News and social media.  They were fed lie after lie. Despite Trump's record of bankruptcies, they thought he would handle the economy well.  Instead, he imposed tariffs that threaten to upset the economic stability of the world.  These tariffs are expected to send the economies of some countries into recession, including the United States itself.  Make no mistake, Americans are already paying the price for Trump's foolish tariff policy. 

Time and time again, spineless Republicans and corporate media have allowed Trump to get away with things that no other politician has dared to say or do.  He spews hate.  He makes racist remarks and misogynistic statements.  He is the worst bully in the world.  This man is not fit to lead the most powerful country on the planet.  He is ill, mentally and physically.  His cognitive decline is obvious.

I am writing this from Toronto, Canadas.  Like many of my fellow Canadians, I have no desire to travel to the United States.  Nor do I have any desire to buy American products.  I do not blame the American people.  I blame the Trump administration.  I have lived in Canada all my life and I have never seen an American government so hostile to my country.  I have never seen an American leader insult Canada and Canadians the way that Trump does.  I have always known that there is a difference between Canada and the United States.  It pains me to hear that our border is artificial and that Canada should be the 51st state.

On July 1st, Canadians celebrated Canada Day.  Here is what our prime minister, Mark Carney, told the crowd in Ottawa that day.  "Canada, because Canada is more than a nation.  We are, and we always will be, a confederation, a sacred set of ideals and ideas built on practical foundations.  That we know we're not always perfect, but we always strive to be good.  We do things not because they are easy, but because they're right.  That we see kindness as a virtue, not as a weakness.  Most importantly, we know that our strength lies in our resolve to work together as a country.  It relies on our unity."

Prime Minister Mark Carney

Can you imagine Trump saying anything like that?  Never!  Not in a million years.  Trump thinks that kindness is a weakness.  He hates anyone who opposes him politically.  He divides Americans in so many ways.  He continually polarizes.  He builds walls, not bridges.  He hates Democrats and Latino immigrants.  He objectifies women.  He is a malignant narcissist.  Deep inside, like every bully, he is psychologically weak.

There is an unverified quote attributed to Erma Bombeck, a popular American humourist that seems quite ironic and very relevant in 2025: "You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who pile by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness/"  

Erma passed away in 1996 at the age of 69, after a kidney transplant.  She died during the presidency of Barack Obama, so she did not live to witness the Trump era.  The beloved author and columnist would have been shocked to know that the current president did indeed preside over a military parade on June 14th of this year. in Washington.  It was his 79th birthday and he wanted to appear like the dictators he so admires - Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.  The horror is that the United States has the look and feel of Germany in the 1930s.

Emma Bombeck

Erma would have been appalled to see what has happened to America under Trump, especially during his second term in office.  She would have been distressed to see immigrants being hauled away by ICE agents behaving like Gestapo.  She would have been shocked that the president inspected a migrant detention centre in Florida dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."  Erma would have wanted no part of the hatred that Trump engenders.  Erma made people smile and laugh, but I don't think she would have found anything funny about a president who lacks empathy and compassion, a president who can't even laugh at himself. 

Do not lose hope.  The pendulum swings and all things must pass.

Regards,

Joanne

Why was B.C. firefighter denied entry into the United States?

Jamie Flynn

Here's another appalling story about the immigration practices of Trump's America.  Jamie Flynn, is a British citizen and a Canadian permanent resident living in Squamish, British Columbia (halfway between Vancouver and Whistler).  He is a firefighter and a Search and Rescue volunteer.  A few day ago, Mr. Flynn was denied entry to the United States from Vancouver International Airport. 

 On Thursday, June 26th, Jamie Flynn posted the following on social media about what happened to him.  

Today I was meant to fly to Birmingham, Alabama to represent @vancouver firefighters / @vanfirerescue and compete in Jiu Jitsu at the World Police & Fire Games (@bhm2025). -- an international event uniting frontline responders through sport.

Instead I was denied entry to the USA.  No reason given.  No appeal.  No answers.  

I'm a British citizen living in Canada.  

I've fought for the United States, wearing their uniform on Special Forces operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm a Canadian firefighter, a Search & Rescue volunteer, and I have no criminal record.  

I've trained for months.  I've done everything right.  And still, I'm grounded -- sidelined not by injury or lack of effort, but by bureaucracy and silence.

No one at the US border, the US consulate, or the ESTA program can explain why.  This feels like a clerical error -- but it's cost me thousands of dollars & for what?

I'm gutted.  I'm angry.  And I want answers. 

If you believe this is wrong -- share this post . . . 

"We were good enough to fight their wars - - but not good enough to cross their borders."

I am sharing this story as Jamie Flynn requested.  I certainly believe what happened to him is very wrong, and I am disgusted by how Mr. Flynn was treated by US immigration.  This upstanding citizen, a firefighter who has fought in Iraq and Afghanistan wearing the uniform of the United States, was denied entry to Trump's America.  Why was such a man treated like a criminal?

- Joanne

Trump and Iran

 
The United States is now at war with Iran.

A single person - Donald J. Trump - has released the dogs of war on one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and done it without the consent of Congress, our allies, or even a clear explanation to the American people.

Anyone who has doubted Trump's intention to replace American democracy with a dictatorship should now be fully disabused.

- Robert Reich, AlterNet, June 22, 2025

The last person in the world I want to write about, or even think about, is Donald Trump,  Unfortunately, he is wreaking havoc on the United States and the rest of the world.  He has threatened the sovereignty of my country - Canada. He is a scourge to humanity.  He is in our face every single day.  The man is totally unhinged and he is in control of the most powerful country in the world.  It is indeed a tragedy that this convicted felon was returned to the Oval Office.

I am writing this because I cannot stand idly by.  I must make my voice heard peacefully, as should all people who support democracy and the rule of law.  No one knows how this chaos will end, but it has to play itself out.

Trump took an oath of office and swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States.  He has violated his oath of office and should be impeached for a third time.  Republicans, who respect the rule of law, should be calling him out.  Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Ted Cruise are standing behind this despot. They stand behind him as he makes the world a more dangerous place by bombing Iran, demonizing hard-working immigrants and cutting foreign aid.  His cruelty is unparalleled for an American president.  His behaviour is that of a petulant child.

Mary Trump, the president's psychologist niece, and one of his fiercest detractors. has suggested that her uncle ordered a missile attack on Iran in part because his "fragile ego" was still hurting from being called TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) by critics.  She said that he felt so humiliated that he launched a military operation that could entangle the United States into a Middle East.  He wanted to appear tough and decisive.

In her The Good in Us newsletter, Mary Trump wrote the following:

It is long past time that we stop imputing some deeper or reasonable motives to Donald Trump. Despite being depraved and cruel, much like his cohort Benjamin Netanyahu, he is driven by the most primitive impulses that center almost solely around protecting his fragile ego from humiliation (about which he has a pathological terror) and himself from the reality that he is a complete fraud.

If Mary is right, then Americans and the rest of humanity are subject to the whims of a leader who shows all the signs of malignant narcissism.  His behaviour is becoming more and more erratic and unpredictable.  He should be nowhere near the nuclear button because he is a sick man.  He probably has some form of dementia, which is only going to get worse as it progresses.  Section 4 of the 25th amendment may have to be invoked.  It reads as follows:

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Sooner or later (I hope sooner), Republicans and Fox News are going to have to admit that the emperor wears no clothes.  They are going to have to admit that Trump is unable to "discharge the powers and duties of his office."

- Joanne

Suggestion for Summer Reading

It's Summer Reading Time

Today marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  It's the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  It's also the perfect time to relax with a cold drink and  a good book.  If you are looking for some summer reading during those lazy, hazy days, may I humbly suggest my two novels -  Children of Dieppe and The Missing Reporter.  They are novels of mystery and intrigue.  For further information, click on the link below to reach my author's page. 

Joanne Madden – Author

NOTE:  I am a self-publishing Canadian author.  At the moment, I am working on my third novel, The World Reporter, a sequel to my second novel, The Missing Reporter.  I am grateful for your interest and support.  Thank you very much.  I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe summer.  I know it's not the beginning of summer in places such as Australia and New Zealand,, but you cam enjoy reading during any season of the year.

Sincerely,

Joanne