By Peter Cantelon
Recently my wife and I were out getting some drive-thru and were shuffled off to the waiting zone. This is fine, we are happy to hang out for a bit, chat, etc. until the food arrives.
The food arrived in the hands of a woman who also delivered the biggest, most joyful smile I had yet to receive at take out.
“This is the very first time I have ever seen snow,” she said beaming breathlessly. “I’m from India and I just moved here.”
She could not have picked a better snow for a first-time experience. It was a perfect postcard. Big, giant, fluffy flakes falling so densely you could barely see. But not too cold, no wind. Just a beautiful snow globe kind of experience.
“Welcome here!”
As we left, we were encouraged and affected.
I love Canada. I love the life it has given me and my family. Sometimes I can lose sight of what I have. What we all have.
Then, in an unexpected moment, a pair of fresh eyes burst into your life to remind you of how amazing this place is.
Canada is the second largest nation on the planet by landmass. We are fourth in the world according to the estimated value of natural resources at $33 trillion behind Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. We are 10th in the world by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We are 38th in the world by population.
I guess what I am saying is, not only is there room in the inn, but there’s also resources to meet the need.
Simplistically, I often break things into binary categories. In this instance I would say that when it comes to sharing people often fall into one of two groups: those with a scarcity mindset (no) and those with a mindset of abundance (yes).
“I can’t share, I might need what I have for myself in the future…go build your own pile.” or “you’re welcome to share in what I have…I believe we can work together to build more.”
I would like to think I fall into the latter category. I like the idea that there is a newcomer out there passionately in love with snow (for now) because they have never experienced its magic before.
I think, that under the right management, Canada has more than enough resources and wherewithal to welcome more newcomers from all over the world to share in this same experience.
In many ways Canada is one of several warm, well-stocked inns along the road. Various newcomers pass down this road knocking from door to door (Germany, the United States, England, France, Norway, etc.) and depending on the day they are either welcomed or turned away.
I would like to think we are the inn that welcomes people rather than sending them to the stables because this is not a matter of “can’t” so much as it’s a matter of “won’t” when we turn people away.
It’s a struggle right now, to be sure. Housing infrastructure has not kept up with need and so the first to be turned away are the newcomers. Typically, in times of economic downturn newcomers, the different, etc. are scapegoated as the source of the problem.
Eventually, when we realize that that was a small part of the actual infrastructure problem, we might get to working on real solutions instead of blaming others.
In the meantime, as we ponder the holiday season we are in the midst of, rest happily in the knowledge there is a young woman in the region experiencing something magical and new about the world thanks to Canada saying yes to her query about whether there was room at the inn for her.
