We are a nation of immigrants

I am looking out through the windows of our cabin sunroom. It is overcast and warm.
The rain that was called for overnight didn’t occur. I can hear birds in the background.
The Canadian flag that has flown from our flagpole for decades hangs limp. I realize that my family and I are very lucky to live in Canada.
July 1st was once called Dominion Day. Today it is Canada Day.
My grandparents on my father’s side immigrated to Canada and took up farming in Saskatchewan. We have a photo of my grandmother holding on to two gophers as she entered their sod home.
My mother’s grandparents immigrated to Canada from Norway and when they reached Sprague, Man., I am told that my mother’s grandmother said that was as far as they were going to travel.
We are a nation of immigrants.
This past week I listened to a talk delivered by Rabbi Jonathon Sacks.
He referenced the prophet, Jeremiah, whose message talking to the Jews who were sent into exile was: “Go to new lands. Build Houses. Plant Gardens. Seek the peace and prosperity of the cities in which you settle.”
Jeremiah encouraged those Jews to interact with the world around them.
I can’t help but think of our larger cities and even our Canadian Parliament. Among its members, we see a great variety of different cultures and religions.
In Toronto, over 180 different languages and dialects are spoken. Over 200 different ethnicities can be found. Over half of the population of Toronto were not born Canada.
There are distinct cultural neighborhoods–Greek Town, China Town, Korea Town. Each brings its unique flavor of traditions, customs and food.
My grandparents, arriving from Europe, took up farming. Agriculture made up a great deal of the economy of Canada and land was inexpensive.
They resembled many other settlers and immigrants who had arrived in Canada. They brought their own customs and food and types of religion.
Our family today continues to enjoy many of those customs and foods.
My grandparents helped enhance the country. Both of my grandfathers fought for Canada in World War I. They were only new immigrants but understood their duty to Canada.
There have been successive floods of immigrants who have fled nations for a better life in Canada. Each group has added to our quality of life and many have created new products, patents, educational opportunities and medical procedures.
Each minority through assimilation has improved the lives of all Canadians.
Today, we see many of those new immigrants moving out of the larger centres of Canada into smaller communities, operating corner grocery stores, restaurants, and small businesses realizing that the future of their children will be built around the success those immigrant businesspeople have in rural small-town Canada.
We are a nation of opportunity built on successive waves of immigrants. We are a nation whose past and future relies on our ability to attract new immigrants to our country.
We are a nation of minorities and subgroups who come together and we call ourselves Canadians.
As minorities, we realize that we must work together in order to flourish.
The flag may be limp this morning, but it is a powerful symbol.
That red maple leaf in the centre of our flag continues to give hope to new Canadians and immigrants that there are unlimited opportunities in Canada.