Last updated on November 17th, 2020 at 11:32 am
I first crossed paths with Gail in 2016’s Tales from the 2.9 when a mutual friend connected us for her radio show on Newstalk 1010! I remember being nervous as heckβSarah and I areΒ huge fans (watching syndicated ‘Til Debt Do Us Part episodesΒ numerousΒ times), so every time she’s willing to work with me? I’mΒ 100% honoured.
Gail’s #Chronicle150 submission is like a love letter to Canada, reflecting on much of the good our country has to offer. We’re not perfect and we shouldn’t soon forget that, but we need to live with the hope that those full of hate are in theΒ minority… that we can have 150 years ahead filled with improvement and settle for nothing less!
Please enjoy Gail’s post below, and we’ll see you tomorrow for another day in the #Chronicle150!
Until then,
–case p.
For years Iβve been the girl that people turn to when they have money questions. But Iβm much more than Canadaβs money honey. Iβm a Mom. AΒ gardener. AΒ painter. An opinionated believer in fairness. I swear like a trucker, love to cook, and am a half-decent writer. Iβve been a wife, but Iβm done with that now. Iβve also been a daughter and a sister. Through it all Iβve learned that wherever I am now, thatβs not where Iβm going to be tomorrow. So I make the best of the great days. And when a holy storm blows up, I hang on by my fingernails because tomorrow will be better.
I am Jamaican-Canadian. Jamaican because thatβs where I was born and where all my sauciness simmered. Canadian because this is where Iβve grown into the woman I am. Canada has given me opportunities I would never have had in J A. And Iβm grateful for a country where anyone can make of themselves as much as they want to be. I love Canadaβs heart.
My Canada is a mix of people and the sound of their languages is like music I canβt play but love to listen to. The food, the faces, the friendships formed across cultures and religions. Inclusiveness. Yes, inclusiveness is what I love mostest about Canada!
And kindness. When I first arrived I tried ice-skating. Never a particularly coordinated individual, I donβt know what possessed me to try sliding around on those thin slices of steel. It looks so easy on TV! Half of my body went one way, the other slipped sideways. BAM! Bum on the ice, knee out, I was down. I beckoned to some strange man walking past. βHelp me, please,β I said. And that lovely man picked me up and carried me back to my parentsβ apartment.
I think people around the world know that Canada stands for humanity and social justice. But people may not haveΒ realised that Canada, too, has its share of bigots and racists and that those of us who are not have to shout louder and stand stronger to not be overtaken. Just because we look like a really polite nation doesnβt mean that everyone in Canada wants to get along. Some donβt like the inclusiveness that I adore. Some donβt want to share. It is the determination of those with heart who will not allow our country to be overtaken by mean-spirited jingoists.
On our 150th Birthday, I plan to celebrate Canada as the joyful, kind and thoughtful country it is for me, even as I stand on guard for inclusiveness and fairness as the Canadian way.
You can find Gail at her website or on Twitter.
One reply on “Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Financial Expert, Debt-Free Forever | #Chronicle150 #30”
OMG I had no idea Gail was Jamaican-Canadian! Love her even more now! π
I echo her sentiments on this awesome country of ours!