James Snyder, consultant
As one who has travelled over the years outside of Canada, I find that I respect what Canada is and what Canada stands for more than ever.
To survive and prosper for 150 years as a confederation of provinces and territories is no mean feat, Overall, we are one of the most welcoming multicultural countries in the world and in general I feel safer and more secure here than in most other countries.
We may have our problems and some areas in true need of reconciling our past, but in general we continue to move forward, and for our population base embrace many freedoms and opportunities that most countries can only dream about.
As I am 64 this year, I have good memories of the 1967 centennial experience. I still have my 1967 post box stamp collection and my 1967 Lucite coin collection. Amazing that I can still find them after 50 years.
My best memory is visiting the Confederation train that came to London in the summer of 1967 when I was 14. At that time, I truly began to appreciate how fantastic this country was, and 50 years later it is still the best.
I also appreciate how incredible Chatham-Kent is, as I left for three years over my 40 years in the area and came back. The Canada 150 celebrations reflect a milestone that we all can be proud of and enjoy.
