Hello Chestermere!
Happy Canada’s Birthday to all Canadians originating in this beautiful country as well as to our newest immigrants who have recently joined the fabric of this proud nation.
We spent a whole day travelling around the constituency celebrating with all of you, and we were truly moved by the different ceremonies, the unique celebrations, and by the love people felt for our country.
We celebrated with you eating together at Sunset Beach at a Langar brought to you by some of our dearest friends in our community, Narmail Singh, Bahkshish Mann, and my husband Malkeet, to the celebrations at John Peake park with our marvelous mayor, her Worship Patricia Matthews and the Chestermere City Council and our MP Martin Shields.
A special thanks to Nancy Huneault for her amazing work on putting this festival together. We had wonderful weather, great friends, and full bellies. It does not get any better than that.
This beautiful country of ours stretches across 6 time zones. The celebrations this year started out with National Aboriginal day on June 21, Saint Jean-Baptiste day-which is a celebration of French Canadian Culture on June 24th, to Canadian Multiculturalism day on June 27th, to our big finish, all together on Canada Day which celebrates the unification of the 3 separate colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada. This unification document was originally called the British North America Act, then the Constitution Act, then was renamed in 1982 as the Canada Act. This was not only Canada’s birthday, but it was also the day we became a dominion–which led to our complete independence in 1982 with the passing of the Constitution Act.
When I look at the vastness of this magnificent country, the beautiful wilderness, our incredible natural resources, our diverse people, the languages, the culture, the friendship, the politeness, the freedom…I know I am home. If you have ever travelled, and come home, you know what it is like to land here, and breathe our air. You can smell Canada, she embraces you with a warm hug, and crystal clear air. The sky is vast, and full of bright stars. The northern lights dance filled with colors of green and blue on late cold winter nights. The moon is bright, and the coyotes sing at the top of their lungs. Where in the world can you walk where there is so much space–so much raw beauty?
Canadians have huge hearts, and we wear those hearts in the open, for everyone to see. It is different than pride—it is love. Love for a nation that we have all built together—through thick and thin, through good decisions and some horrific historical mistakes. So what have we learned? We have learned that freedom is not easy. Nothing worthwhile in life is easy, but the end result is the ability to stand with all of you today in a country that is democratic, and a country that strives to be better. We are patriots that are unique, because this Canadian style of patriotism is inspiring and encouraging. Canadians welcome visitors, we invite people into this country, and we honour those who devote themselves to preserving our freedom, and spreading that idea–the idea of freedom around the world. Canadians ooze spirit, and we are resilient and trust worthy, and I am so proud to be with all of you today as a Canadian, a fellow Albertan, who cherishes every moment she is able to spend with you, my Canadian family.
On the political front, time is running out if you have not purchased a membership in the Wildrose and/or the PC party. As you know the two parties have reached an agreement in principle to form a new United Conservative Party to take on the disastrous NDP Government in 2019. You may read the agreement at www.wildrose.ca. The agreement reflects the grassroots principles that are the foundation of the Wildrose and I support it. If you wish to vote on the agreement to unify the two parties you MUST be a member by Saturday, July 8 in advance of the July 22 vote. Go to www.wildrose.ca/membership to join or renew your membership if it has expired. You must also register to vote at www.wildrose.ca/sgm. You may also call the Wildrose office at 1-888-262-1888 or call 403-700-5437 July 6, 7, and 8.
As always, we love to hear from you.
