Dear 77,301,997 Americans who voted for Trump (and to a few of our own MAGA-loving Canadians),

Let's take a moment to reflect on who we Canadians actually are, as you may have been misled lately.

We are compassionate. We are polite. We value education and children, our elders and the vulnerable.

We are proud, we are strong, we are free.

We quietly (sometimes not so quietly) go about our business.

See, being Canadian has never been about shouting the loudest or demanding attention. That乌鸦传媒檚 not who we are. We乌鸦传媒檙e the quiet ones 乌鸦传媒� the ones who shovel our neighbour乌鸦传媒檚 driveway without being asked, who hold the door open, who say 乌鸦传媒渟orry乌鸦传媒� when you bump into us, and who believe that getting along is better than shouting each other down.

We believe in fairness, decency, and looking out for each other 乌鸦传媒� not just here at home, but around the world.

It乌鸦传媒檚 part of why we乌鸦传媒檝e always been proud to be your greatest neighbour. 

We乌鸦传媒檝e always shown up for you 乌鸦传媒� time and time again.

From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Korea, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, Canadians have stood beside you, fought beside you, and yes, died beside you during your darkest hours.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, we were there. When California burned, we sent our finest firefighters and water bombers. And on September 11, 2001, when the world stood still, we opened our homes and airports to thousands of your citizens, because that乌鸦传媒檚 what good neighbours do.

It would certainly never occur to us to ask for expressions of gratitude, let alone demand it. Who does that?

To be frank, it乌鸦传媒檚 hard 乌鸦传媒� really hard 乌鸦传媒� to watch your president, a convicted criminal who built his entire persona on insults, cruelty and division, turn that hostility on us.

We乌鸦传媒檝e been your friend, your ally, your partner, and now we乌鸦传媒檙e treated like an inconvenient commodity at best, an enemy at worst.

Now, to the Canadian MAGA cheerleaders telling me to 乌鸦传媒渕ind my own broken country乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� let's take a moment and clear a few things up.

Canada isn乌鸦传媒檛 broken. Do we have problems? Of course we do 乌鸦传媒� name a country that doesn乌鸦传媒檛. But we乌鸦传媒檙e not on the verge of civil war because we can乌鸦传媒檛 even agree on basic facts. We don乌鸦传媒檛 rally to round up immigrants or people who don乌鸦传媒檛 look like us, or cheer when our leaders mock the disabled and vulnerable.

We don乌鸦传媒檛 vote convicted criminals into office 乌鸦传媒� we vote them out.

We don乌鸦传媒檛 cling to political labels like they乌鸦传媒檙e our whole identity. We乌鸦传媒檙e Canadian first 乌鸦传媒� not Liberal or Conservative first. 

We actually understand how tariffs work.

We know that affordable health care for all isn乌鸦传媒檛 some radical fantasy 乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 basic human decency.

We don乌鸦传媒檛 fantasize about dragging society back to the 1940s. And we certainly don乌鸦传媒檛 believe the most morally corrupt person on the planet was handpicked by God. Who does that? 

We didn乌鸦传媒檛 gut essential health care for millions of people with the stroke of a pen. We don乌鸦传媒檛 think lower taxes magically cover cancer treatments or emergency surgeries when you乌鸦传媒檝e lost your job.

We believe a country is only as strong as the way it treats its most vulnerable 乌鸦传媒� not how much it worships billionaires. That's morally reprehensible. What the actual what? Who even does something like that? 

We didn乌鸦传媒檛 hand over the keys to our government to a bunch of unelected corporate tycoons and media personalities.

We don乌鸦传媒檛 cling to a 250-year-old gun law while innocent children are slaughtered in their classrooms, pretending nothing can be done.

Canada is respected around the world 乌鸦传媒� not pitied or laughed at. We believe in upholding all of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, not picking and choosing which rights apply based on political convenience. That's illegal, and morally reprehensible. What the actual what? Who even does something like that? 

Mind my own business? Oh, I would love to 乌鸦传媒� but here乌鸦传媒檚 the thing: when your neighbour is a country of over 300 million people, and they乌鸦传媒檝e put a conspiracy-loving anti-science addict in charge of public health, that乌鸦传媒檚 my business.

When your president tears down the economic, military and trade alliances that keep the world stable, that乌鸦传媒檚 my business. When your leader openly talks about invading sovereign countries 乌鸦传媒� including ours 乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 my business. Oh, that is very definitely my business.

Dear ones, south of the border. We乌鸦传媒檙e your friend, your ally, and your neighbour 乌鸦传媒� but we乌鸦传媒檙e not blind, and we are definitely not fools. We乌鸦传媒檙e polite. We乌鸦传媒檙e fair. But we乌鸦传媒檙e not pushovers. And right now? We乌鸦传媒檙e watching. Closely.

Warmly, with kindness 乌鸦传媒� and a whole lot of concern,

Canada

Elbows up.

Mary Adams,

Salmon Arm