Tom Kertes

When I moved to Canada in April 2007 I decided that I would wait three years before taking a position on partisan politics. I’ve stuck to that, and have mostly stood on the sidelines and watched politics unfold, rather than join in commentary or protest.

One reason why I held off on taking partisan sides is because I didn’t “feel” Canadian. I thought I should feel vested in the idea of the community itself before speaking out as a member of the community. Other people in Canada deserved that from me, as they were taking positions based in part on love of place – or a deep bond or connectedness to the implications of our actions (in America, we’d simply call this “love of country” – but that doesn’t really describe the nuances for how many Canadians experience civic identity).

Three years since landing in Canada is soon approaching, and I am beginning to feel more Canadian. Recently I have written words like “like other Canadians” and I have felt passionate about “our” democracy and the potential it represents, and the importance of defending and sustaining many of our institutions as legacies worth extending and expanding. I have also shifted interest from American politics to Canadian politics, become involved in policy matters of Ontario and B.C. early education, and felt moments of national pride. Just under three years ago I knew Canada as a list of dates, names, places, facts and figures. But having driven from Toronto to Vancouver, and having also been to Quebec, Ottawa and Montreal a few times each, and having camped on the Shield and dipped my toes in the Great Lakes, the ideas of Canada have shifted to realities of Canada.

While I have lots to learn, I don’t think the words of the classmate who told me that “you are not a Canadian” actually apply to me anymore. She told me this in the context of me feeling proud to be Canadian because of our immediate response to the need for resources in Haiti, and that feeling was a real and important experience for me. After nearly three years of watching, inching in and gradually becoming part of the community life of this country, I want to continue being Canadian – I like feeling a bit proud of my adopted home, as that is one reason I choose to move here. I certainly don’t want to be pushed out or be excluded because I am originally from someplace else.

I like it here. I want to make things better for all Canadian families and children – for my neighbours and my community. I want to be part of the community life, to participate in and be responsible for the history we create together. No matter how American (and not Canadian) others may see me, my adopted home is Canada now. And perhaps that’s why it warms my heart to know that 25,000 Canadians protested today to hold our government to account and to say “democracy matters to us”.