George Graham

Canada Probably Isn’t Eager to Own You, Either, Ted

Canada has evolved into one of the world’s most enlightened and tolerant countries. In my 20 years in the Province of Ontario, I saw Canada mature into a benign and benevolent nation where common sense and the common good prevail.

How unlike Ted Cruz!

Cruz could not be less Canadian. He is a windbag who struts and postures, proclaiming mean-spirited policies that would make the vast majority of  Canadians cringe. When I lived in Sault Ste. Marie, I recall hearing some Canadians describe Americans like Ted Cruz as “blowhards.”

Cruz is worse than that. He is a malevolent blowhard.

Here’s how an AP story describes the Texas senator’s career so far:

Since taking office, he has embraced the role of Senate troublemaker, angering Democrats and even some Republicans with his outspokenness.  Cruz has most recently joined with other tea party darlings in the Senate and called for partially shutting down the federal government in an attempt to block funding for the White House-backed health care law.

I moved to Florida a long time ago because I was bone-weary of the Canadian winter. But there is much about my former adopted country that I miss.

I miss its majestic natural beauty, the endless swaths of unspoiled wilderness, the ultra-modern, sparkling-clean cities and the awe-inspiring vastness… Most of all, I miss the people. In Canada, I found even the bureaucrats likeable. To me, the fact that Canada permits dual citizenship is a blessing and a source of pride. I think of myself as a Canjamerican (Canadian- Jamaican-American). And my affection for any of my three countries does not diminish my affection for either of the others.

So when I read that Ted Cruz is planning to renounce his dual Canadian citizenship, I am dumbfounded. And I am struck by the thundering irony. I would imagine that most Canadians would be only too happy to disassociate themselves from the belligerent Republican senator.

I doubt Canadians are proud that Cruz happened to be born while his parents lived in Alberta. They tolerate him, of course. That’s Canada for you – tolerant to a fault. But I bet they don’t brag about him.

Cruz is American on a technicality. His father fled Cuba, married an American and moved to Canada to work for the oil industry. Ted was born while his father was working in Calgary. Apparently, the fact that his mother was born in Delaware makes Ted Cruz American. And that qualifies him to run for president.

Driven by his presidential ambitions, he is only too eager to dump his Canadian birthright.

But to me, any thought of Ted Cruz becoming president of the United States of America is laughable. He is just another passing fancy that excites a disgruntled splinter group and provides fodder for the sensationalist media. By renouncing his dual citizenship, he is just being a blowhard.

In another 20 years, nobody – in America or Canada – will remember Ted Cruz.

And the True North will be calmly pursuing its destiny without him.

Click here for the AP report.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com