The Ottawa Citizen For much of this century, lacking a national metaphor, Canadians have sought to define themselves by what they are not. Not warlike or arrogant, certainly not patriotic. Prime Minister Jean Chretien remarked during the great Red River flood in Manitoba that sandbags represent Canadian values and that burlap imagery seemed as appropriate as any.
Sandbags are reliable, dull and they tolerate cold weather.
They work hard. They are tolerant of risk and embrace the future. They embrace each other, too, almost 90 times a year. They love trees and despise unfaithful lovers. For example, young Canadians face a dismal job market matched only by that of the Hungry '30s.