the patriot in me

Population by year:
persons (thousands) 2001------------2002----------2003----------2004---------2005
Canada.............31,021.3.....31,372.6....31,669.2....31,974.4.....32270.5
Nfld & Labrador......522.0..........519.4........518.5.........517.3........516.0
PEIsland................136.7............136.9........137.3.........137.9.......138.1
Nova Scotia............932.4............934.5........936.3........937.5.......937.9
New Brunswick.......749.9............750.3.........751.2........752.1......752.0
Quebec................7,397.0.........7,445.7.......7,494.0.....7,547.7.....7,598.1
Ontario..............11,897.6.......12,102.0.....12,259.6....12,407.3...12,541.4
Manitoba.............1,151.3.........1,155.6......1,161.6......1,170.2.....1,177.6
Saskatchewan.......1,000.1............995.9.........994.5........994.3........994.1
Alberta................3,056.7..........3,116.3......3,159.6......3,204.8.....3,256.8
British Columbia..4,078.4..........4,115.4......4,154.6......4,201.9.....4,254.5
Yukon Territory.......30.1..............30.1...........30.6..........30.9.........31.0
NW Territories........40.8..............41.5...........42.2..........42.9.........43.0
Nunavut.................28.1..............28.7...........29.2..........29.7.........30.0

Note: Population as of July 1.Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table (for fee) 051-0001.Last modified: 2006-03-03.
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02.htm?sdi=population

I love Canada and I would die for it. (Yes, that means I would join the army.) I was talking with a friend of mine (who presently schools in Saskatchewan), we'll call her "Wheaty", the other day about how the western provinces do not like Ontario, especially its capital. [A few days before this, a friend who had spent a summer in Calgary said that, every time she explained where she was from (Belville, Ontario), people said, "Oh, welcome to Canada!" To be honest, I was mildly shocked by this comment and that unfortunately proves the validity of it. i.e. I am so arrogant that I do not know how much my neighbours hate me.] I mentioned to Wheaty that the population of Toronto is greater than that of Saskatchewan, a statistic my mother was fond of telling us as children. I thought the pop'n of Saskatchewan was 2 million but that would make it half of Toronto's size and that did not sound right. I found the above chart on the Government of Canada's website and discovered that Toronto's population is more than four times that of Saskatchewan's. My friend is a Windsor native and so she feels where I'm coming from. We like to think we cannot help it that our province is so populated. Recently, someone pointed out to me that we (Ontarians) do to Canada what the US of A does to the world and so someone like me (who often complains about the Americans) should keep her mouth shut. I'm not sure about this case. I do not think that Ontario is quite as power-hungry and careless as the US but I have a skewed perception from inside the belly of the beast here. A quotation from my friend to sum up a popular viewpoint, (an Ontarian talking to a Western Provincer): "Well, maybe you guys should become more populated and then maybe we'll think about you." Hahaha. [cue awkward laughter] This friend said she wished her roomate was around to hear that comment because she is a Saskatchewan native. (Nothing like hitting them where it hurts, eh? That's on of my specialties. More on that later.) Another roomate pointed out that L.A. and its immediate vacinity has the population of Canada. That was a slam in my face. On the other hand, I still love Canada to pieces.


Here's a thought: every time someone asks me if I'm going home for the weekend or for Easter or Reading Week or summer I feel like I'm being smacked across the face. Why? Because I don't really have a home and every times someone asks all the negative feelings surrounding the truth flood to my brain and say, "Psst... are you sure you've dealt with this yet?" It's weirder when I tell people my sitch and they forget (repeatedly). I suppose I cannot expect people to remmeber that I am in a different situation from them and everyone they know and there is nothing external to remind them of it, but I do wish people knew. Then I wonder if I should mail or hand-deliver the invitations to my pity party. I'm never going to live with my mom (or dad) again. WEIRD. Here's a slice of metonymic advice: do not take for granted the fact that you have a bed waiting for you somewhere that you can always come back to. (Hey, let me not take for granted that I even have one bed while I think about the men I passed about 20 times during my 5-day stay in downtown Toronto over the Christmas break who sleep in boxes on air vents. Don't let that be a cheesy or cliche statement. Sleeping on an air vent while people walk by, disgusted, disinterested or disinclined to stop is a stupid and angering unnecessary thing.)