"Sorry"

Canada turned 151 today and I have never been prouder to be a citizen. To my many non-Canadian friends I can only say “sorry ‘bout that.”

I learned in Grade 11 Canadian History class that “Peace, Order and Good Government” (POGG) was a phrase used in the British North America Act of 1867. This Act proclaimed the Dominion of Canada, making it a country. POGG defined the federal government’s authority to legislate in matters typically considered to lie under provincial authority. Usually it is invoked when there are disputes between the feds and the provinces. It’s still in the Canadian Constitution.

Are you still with me here? Don’t leave. Give me two more minutes of your time to make my point.

Unpacking what POGG has meant for Canada is easy. It’s legalese that boils down to “be nice to each other, stay out of trouble, respect each other’s privacy, and let the government do its thing.” It sets the tone of our national character. Now extend that philosophy further to the use of “sorry.” I still say sorry frequently. It’s a cliché by now but Canadians do say sorry a lot, in our work and everyday interactions, usually as a social lubricant rather than an apology. It’s a fine instrument for communication in a tolerant civil society. The Japanese preface pretty much everything they say with their version of it. The British don’t mean it. Americans rarely say it.

Other novelties make Canada an agreeable and unique place. They range from national policies (e.g. liberal immigration, embracing multicultural policies, bilingualism) to the wacky (e.g. Homo milk bags, Caesars, Letterkenny, Ashley MacIsaac, and poutine/beaver tails). But my contention is that POGG and sorry are the linguistic epoxy that keeps the Canadian puzzle together, and thriving.

One more thing. I read this article in April that captured the essence of how Canadians approach their governing: with a laugh and a grain of salt. “Stephen Harper spotted at an Ottawa McDonald's — possibly where a 2014 brawl involving a raccoon took place” was the National Post headline. Former Canadian prime ministers are often spotted in public walking around like an average citizen. Sometimes it is deemed safe enough for them to forgo RCMP security staff. But I laughed when I read one of the tweets the Post article quoted: “Ran into Stephen Harper at McDonalds, and everyone ignored him.”

I’ve heard firsthand accounts that Montrealers would usually leave former PM Pierre Trudeau alone as he walked home from work, too.

Says it all, doesn’t it?

Sorry for taking so much of your time to read this. 
Happy Canada Day.

From the temporary (one day only) Canadian Consulate in Nolensville, TN