cannabisnews.com: Canadians' Pride is Back in a Big, Neighborly Way Canadians' Pride is Back in a Big, Neighborly Way Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2003 at 07:29:11 PT By Scott Brooks , USA Today Source: USA Today Canada was roaring last week. Wild celebrations of Canada Day, a nationwide birthday bash akin to the Fourth of July, were followed by an even bigger frenzy when word came down that Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. The maple leaf was everywhere as Canadians hoisted flags at concerts and parades. Revelers donned red-and-white face paint, and one local government official shaved a leaf into the back of his head. All in all, not a bad week for a country that U.S. authorities most recently branded as unsafe for both tourists and cattle.With SARS and mad cow disease contained and the media off their backs, many Canadians now say we are witnessing the birth of a new image. No longer America's chilly little sister, they say, Canada is coming into its own.And just like that, it's suddenly cool to be Canadian."We're Hollywood North," says Donna Messer, who last week launched a Canadian pride Web site --http://www.wechoosecanada.com/ The political chasm at the 49th parallel is widening. Go back to March, when Canada refused to support the war in Iraq. Since then, Ontario has extended marriage rights to gay couples, and the Canadian government has promised to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. Legislation also is in the pipeline to eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana use.Naturally, the USA is starting to take notice. There's something different up north, and many Canadians couldn't be prouder."A lot of people have been showing their colors," says Isabelle Des Chenes, director of communications for the Canadian Tourism Commission. The country's fresh sense of identity inspired a rowdier Canada Day this year, she says. Nearly every house on her block bore a maple leaf flag, something that hasn't happened before.WeChooseCanada.com -- http://www.wechoosecanada.com/ -- which went live July 1 to coincide with Canada Day, had more than 1,000 hits and collected 100 stories from patriotic Canadians in its first 24 hours."Canada has been a quiet, polite country that has not really waved its flag as much as it could," Messer says. "We wanted it to be more American."The country's liberal politics have won some big fans among American left-wingers. The latest issue of The Stranger, Seattle's alternative newsweekly, features more than a half-dozen stories on Canadian politics, under the headline: "Land of the Free: Why Canada Kicks America's A — - ."American activists also are taking notice. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has been incorporating pro-Canada references into its literature for years. It's a message that sells, spokesman Paul Armentano says. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-07-09-canada_x.htmSource: USA Today (US)Author: Scott Brooks , USA TodayPublished: July 9, 2003 Copyright: 2003 USA Today, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Contact: editor usatoday.comWebsite: http://www.usatoday.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Up In Smoke - The Strangerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16778.shtmlWhoa! Canada! - Washington Posthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16734.shtmlDazed and Confused - Detroit Metro Times http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16729.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by puff_tuff on July 09, 2003 at 07:56:45 PT Health Canada Government of Canada adopts interim policy on the provision of marihuana for medical purposeshttp://www.newswire.ca/government/federal/english/releases/July2003/09/c0894.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment