Wo he wo de zu guo (My People, My Country)

Wo he wo de zu guo (My People, My Country) celebrates significant events that have taken place in China in recent years.

7 events in fact, each brought to life by different directors and writers, courageous stories elevating community and teamwork, the ways in which people forge the backbone of any nation, and how every story, no matter how small, has a role to play in refining plot and character.

As I was watching these gifted filmmakers tell their compelling tales, I couldn't help but wonder about significant Canadian and Québecois events that have helped me to define my personal fluctuating conception of the Canadian and Québecois identity?

Here's a look at the top 7.

Presented in no particular order.

Except the first one.

The last spike: must have been strange way back when in Canada and Québec when there weren't many roads and certainly no cars or airplanes. A bunch of super tough hombres cleared a path from coast to coast over the years, however, and created Canada and Québec's first railway. I doubt many people took the train to B.C back then, it's still prohibitively expensive to travel there, but the colonies were nevertheless linked, which helped generate imagination, travel was at least possible if not probable, and various goods could be interprovincially exchanged. Not bad.

Hydro-Québec: I love living in a nation province that has no nuclear reactors, the radioactive waste generated by such means a health hazard for millennia to come. Québec had the rivers and the will to dam them up and they now provide vital clean power and energy to millions. The sale of Québecois power to neighbouring jurisdictions is quite the cash cow as well. I understand there are environmental impacts. But they're nothing compared to nuclear fallout.

Universal Healthcare: having learned about how horrible it can be to live in a country that doesn't provide universal healthcare, I'll always cherish the fact that everyone has access to medicine in Canada and Québec (brought about by a Liberal/NDP coalition I've heard!). Could you imagine working hard and saving throughout your entire life while raising a family only to find you lost everything and still couldn't afford to pay your medical bills because you got sick? It often happens in the United States. Thank God it rarely happens here.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms: whole lotta freedom worked into this document. A brilliant stroke of ethical thought, masterfully illuminating post-World War II reckonings.

The Nature of Things: I loved watching The Nature of Things as a kid and was borderline ecstatic when I realized it was still on 15 years later, and had become even more diverse and relevant. You never really know what the next episode's going to be about; it's constantly updating its playbook. Solid, hard-hitting, impacting informative journalism, freely broadcast on the CBC, as incredible in middle-age as it is during childhood, a national treasure often overlooked.

The CFL: my favourite sport's football and I love our version of the game. Only having three downs makes every first all the more precious, the wider field invigorates special teams, the 20 yard end zone adds to the excitement, and who knows when someone will win by a rouge. It would be cool to see the league expand in upcoming years as our population continues to increase. Québec City could use a team. I'm also thinking about ye olde Brampton.

The French Canadian Essay: write what you will but don't expect big things. Appreciate what you've got. Don't be afraid to share an opinion.

The Winters may be long but it's a paradise in Summer.

A wonderful country we've collectively created.

This old school Northern Canada and Québec.

Not so bad when you think about it.

Could use speed trains like the ones in Europe.

😌