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It does help to learn the actual game if you are new to Canada because it is very much a part of our culture. If you were to move to India or Great Britain then taking up the game of cricket would be appropriate. That game is a very big part of those countries cultures as well.

But that isn’t what I’m trying to say here. Another dinner topic with my friend MW, was about the concept that if you move to another country then you should look to becoming part of that countries culture. If you wish to maintain your former countries’ culture in its entirety, then you should consider returning to your originating country.

It does sound harsh but it is a major contribution to the problems in this particular part of Canada—what we call the Golden Horseshoe. It is an area that surrounds Toronto and curves around Lake Ontario to form a horseshoe-like region. It happens to be where the bulk of the people in Canada live and is most definitely the area that new Canadians come to when they arrive here.

Our immigration laws are so loose that we allow this to happen. Canada is a very large country and would benefit greatly by having growth in other areas of the country. The reason no one moves from this area is that the originating cultures are “allowed” to stay completely intact. This creates a lot of tension and inter-racial conflict.

We are a very liberal and accepting society and I believe that is part of the attraction of moving to Canada. Unfortunately, some of the cultural traits of other countries are in conflict with ours and we do nothing to counter that. A strong example of that is the killing of a member of the family by another member for the sole purpose of saving family honour. Unacceptable and it should receive severe punishment. Our culture does not condone killing and therefore that should be punished accordingly.

Instead we “protect” the individual’s rights to maintain their individual cultural traits no matter how negative they are. Groups that want to be on various police forces want to maintain their individual cultural identity by altering the uniform to suit their culture.

If you move to England and you wish to become part of the Palace Guard, you wear the big black hat. If you move to Japan you learn how to eat dinner sitting on the floor. If you move to Calgary, you learn how to wear cowboy boots as I did when I lived there. It was paying respect to the local culture.

I was even threatened by a fellow coworker because I was from eastern Canada and he said I better forget everything I knew about the east because you are in the west now. He was let go from the company for other reasons but he did have a point.

I needed to adjust my thinking about what I left and where I was living now. He was just a little too dramatic in his methods. I had to learn how to slow down my pace and become more friendly with strangers. That’s what you did in the west. You talked about many other things before you got down to business unlike the hustle-bustle of the east where it was basically business only.

So if you move to a new country or region, learn how to “strap on the skates” and become part of the new local culture. You are sending a message that you like what you see in your new home and would like to pay it proper respect. Otherwise, you might consider returning to your previous home if you don’t want to adjust to your new surroundings.

The United States would have never developed the rest of it’s great landmass if everyone stayed in New York and that city has it’s problems too due to many divergent cultures at odds with each other.

Instead of making Toronto off-limits to new immigrants, we need a way to encourage new Canadians to live in other areas to understand just how beautiful this country is.

Besides there are a lot more open air natural ice hockey rinks in the rest of Canada. Not as much heat there like there is in Toronto.

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