Don't mind me. I'm just sitting here, chuckling to myself after watching one of those Canada Post "Heritage Minutes." I understand that these are supposed to enlighten Canadians about the country's origins and rich history, and maybe stir up a little National Pride.
This one is too laughable to stir up anything other than a giggle ... and maybe a little sympathy for the poor natives who had to deal with our brilliant founders.
It shows a group of natives greeting a group of settlers - I believe Cartier was the leader, but since I'm not sure, I'll just refer to him as "Jack". The tribal elder invites the visitors down to the village for a chat. Jack turns to a priest standing at his side and asks, "What did he say?"
The priest looks like he's doing some quick thinking and then announces that the elder said the nation's name is "Kanata," since that was apparently the only word he could make out of the elder's little speech.
One of the group standing behind Jack pipes up and says, "I think he was referring to that village down there."
The priest refuses to believe he can be wrong, even though he clearly made up his last answer. So he repeats that the elder was referring to the nation and "Kanata" is its name.
Basically, the gist of this story (as I see it) is that our country was named by accident. Our country's founders were, apparently, not only arrogant, but they also didn't have a clue. If this story is historically correct, we were one syllable away from living in the great nation of "We" or "Talk."
When looking at today's politicians, it would appear that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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