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Seven Wonders of Canada - The Final Seven
Entry 24 of 36 | show all | print this entry |
Seven Wonders of Canada: The Final Seven!
The following Seven Wonders of Canada were selected by the following three judges:
Roberta L. Jamieson (Chief Executive Officer of the National Aboriginal Foundation)
Ra McGuire (lead singer for the band Trooper)
Roy McGregor (author and columnist )
The Canoe
The Igloo
Prairie Skies
Pier 21
The Canadian Rockies
Niagara Falls
Old Quebec City
At the end of a long process, in the great Canadian tradition of compromise and political correctness the above list was finally released on THE NATIONAL on Thursday, June 7, 2007.
http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/
Comments:
Canoe and Igloo
Yes, it is admirable to acknowledge the historical significance of our First Nations which were after all the original inhabitants of this continent, but the CANOE and IGLOO as a National Wonder?
Are these really the items which define Canada in people's minds?
The Prairie Skies
Selected primarily because of the passionate pleas of its nominator, does it really qualify as one of the Seven Wonders? I don't think so.
Pier 21
Supporters of Canada's "multiculturalism" policy would be happy with this choice.
Pier 21 is selected as an acknowledgement to the great wave of immigration of Europeans in the 1940's and 1950's.
Under this policy of "multiculturalism", the federal government encouraged ethnic groups to maintain their way of life, culture and languages. In the process a great deal of tax dollars were spent in support of a questionable cause.
Since part of our family - my father and uncle- also passed through Pier 21, it certainly has some significance for me as well.
But "multiculturalism" was neither sought nor wanted when our families came to Canada. The idea was to come to this country, find a job, learn the language and culture and try and blend into Canadian society.
For my parents, the blending was impossible since as an adult one generally does not lose an accent and they always remained "audio-immigrants".
But nevertheless, there was no expectation on our part of coming to Canada and having the government encourage cultural differences which were brought from Europe.
When we came to Canada, Germans were the third largest ethnic group. Was there an expectation to find German speaking schools in an English/French speaking country? I think not.
Nevertheless, many immigrants did send their children to "Saturday Morning School" in an attempt to maintain heritage languages within the family. This however was done without government support or encouragement.
Simple observation would lead one to conclude that with respect to that time period, Northern European immigrants assimilated relatively quickly and sought no special quarters (in both meanings of the word) in their new country. As evidence I point to the lack of Little Germanys, Little Netherlands, and Little Norways etc. in our cities during those years.
So why was the policy of "multiculturalism" so advocated by the Liberals during the Pierre Elliot Trudeau era? Was it as skeptics say, a grab for the ethnic vote which was almost 100% in favour of the Liberals, or was it perhaps a policy which would make "Official Bilingualism" more acceptable to the general population. In the interest of disclosure, I am a full supporter of bilingualism which I know would put me at odds with a lot of people.
Yes, Canada is a nation of immigrants, but so are all the other nations of the Americas.
As the immigration trends in Canada become more and more divergent from the so-called "founding nations", one has to wonder about the wisdom of encouraging immigrants to show and maintain their differences in the interest of "multi-culturalism."
To date, the wave of immigration of the "Pier 21 era" has already been surpassed by the new "Lester B. Pearson Airport era" which is perhaps of greater significance to our lives today.
So, yes, Canada is and continues to be, a nation where immigration has played a major role - but is it a Wonder?
The panel of judges thankfully also acknowledged three "no-miss" nominations:
Niagara Falls
It is unquestionably, after Iguazu Falls, which is located where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet, the second most beautiful waterfalls in the Americas and is a must on the list
see Blog: Argentina: No. 31 Iguazu Falls
The Canadian Rockies
After Niagara Falls, they are perhaps the second most well-known feature of Canada.
Old Quebec City
It is undoubtedly the jewel of Canadian cities. It also has a special place in my psyche for it was my first contact with Canada as an immigrating child.
A Better Choice?
The following are the SEVEN WONDERS OF CANADA as chosen in on-line polling done by voters from across Canada.
Bay of Fundy
Nahanni National Park
Northern Lights
Rockies
Cabot Trail
Niagara Falls
Sleeping Giant
Comment:
Bay of Fundy and Cabot Trail
Inclusion of both the Bay of Fundy and the Cabot Trail is too much eastern representation. Having visited the Bay of Fundy and cycled the Cabot Trail they are both very scenic but SEVEN WONDERS OF CANADA may be stretching it a bit.
If I had to pick one, based on its incredible tides, I would have picked the Bay of Fundy.
Nahanni National Park
As I said in an earlier blog, it is a choice which could have been a real sleeper because so few people have actually seen its beauty.
The Sleeping Giant
Speaking of a "sleeper", this one turned out to be a community project where most of the town of Thunder Bay hit their keyboards and voted for the local phenomenon with the end result being that it was the top pick.
-- one of Canada's Seven Wonders - I don't think so.
The Northern Lights
This is undoubtedly a World WONDER. Personally I would hesitate to include it on the basis that it exists in all the nations around or near the North Pole.
Final Thoughts on MY Own CHOICES:
Let's see, what were they?
Therefore this is my final list:
No. 1: Old Quebec City
No. 2: The Rockies
No. 3: The Stanley Cup
No. 4: Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC
No. 5: Niagara Falls
No. 6: CN Tower
No. 7 Library of Parliament
Comments:
On second thought, it is as fallible as all the other lists.
Uncontestable:
Rockies
Niagara Falls
Contestable:
Museum of Civilization
The choice was perhaps too peroquial since I lived in Ottawa for 35 years, but the view from Laurier Street in the City of Gatineau between the two parts of the spectacular museum towards Parliament Hill on a warm summers' night (or, any other night) was the essence of Canada to me.
Library of Parliament
Having two WONDERS almost in the same place (Ottawa area) was inexcusable. However, if you are ever in Ottawa - have a look into this wonderful era of superb craftsmanship.
CN Tower
A choice which in retrospect was too hackneyed. However, as the world's tallest free-standing tower - why not?
Stanley Cup (Hockey)
I feel so strongly about this one, I will discuss it in my next blog.
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This is one of the SEVEN parts of the SEVEN WONDERS OF CANADA series.
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Blog No. 18
Part 1: Seven Wonders of Canada -The Steeply Cut Banks of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers
Blog No. 19
Part 2: Seven Wonders of Canada - Can I Not Count to Three?
Blog No. 20
Part 3: How Did the Michelin Man Do?
Blog No. 21
Part 4: Seven Wonders of Canada - Our Choices
Blog No. 24
Part 5: Seven Wonders of Canada: The Final Seven
Blog No. 25
Part 6: Seven Wonders of Canada: The One That Got Away
Coming soon
Part 7: Seven Wonders of Canada - One Man's Treasure is another Man's Junk
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