A pre-election goodie?
September 26, 2005
By Cam Tait
I found it very interesting, curious even, when I heard an all-American sports radio station suggest that we Canadians should have a national holiday in our country every September. This national day would honour a Canadian icon: someone who left us far too soon, but someone who will be remembered forever. The holiday would be in the third week of the ninth month, when people from all over the land would participate to celebrate this hero.
Hands on your buzzers now. Any ideas? Give yourself a big hunk of Canadian lovin', smothered in maple syrup, if you said Terry Fox. Think about it, folks. Terry Fox is a national hero...a national treasure. Much like September 28, 1972, when Paul Henderson scored for Canada with 34 seconds left to give our country a 6-5 win over Russia, we remember; we remember where we were, who we were with on September 2, 1980 when the curly-haired cancer crusader was upright on a stretcher and told the country he had to go home for treatment. But he vowed he would be back to finish his epic Marathon of Hope. We remember how we felt - this bittersweet emotion that pulled our country together at a time when our politicians were threatening to tear it a part.
For those who aren't old enough to remember Terry, his legacy still lives on through books, school programs, and the made-for-television movie that recently aired on CTV. My wife and I watched it and, again, cried at the ending, remembering the sacrifice and the unfailing hope he gave so many. Terry never had the opportunity or chance to finish his run - he died in June 1980. We remember him through the Terry Fox Run, which continues to raise millions of dollars for cancer research each year.
We should be proud of what we have done. But let's do more.
I often wonder why Canadians can be so passive and humble when there's a chance to celebrate one of our own. And we are, aren't we? We really don't promote ourselves, yet we issue birth certificates to some amazing and heroic people. Terry Fox and Rick Hansen - who were great friends and brothers in arms - are two obvious examples. Not to be critical, but can you name two Americans with such profiles?
And here's the ironic part, the piece I cannot get my head around. This is the first time I heard of such an idea - a national holiday - and where did it come from? Our neighbour to the south.
Perhaps this is a wake-up call for us. Perhaps we can learn from this and be even more proud of what our fellow Canadians have accomplished. There's a very fine line between being proud and boastful.
I think we have to walk that line more.
A national holiday to remember Terry Fox is a wonderful idea. We could share the day participating in the Terry Fox Run. And we would have the time to share with our children and grandchildren the story of this remarkable Canadian and remind ourselves of the power of a dream - and the power of helping others.
As the cool winds start to swirl and winter grows closer, there are also rumours in the wind of a federal election. Are there any candidates out there who might be interested in the Terry Fox national holiday as a platform?
Cam Tait is a sports reporter and columnist for the Edmonton Journal. He covered community investments and volunteers for 19 years. E-mail Cam at cam@charityvillage.com with thoughts, suggestions or ideas.
Opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CharityVillage.com®.
