Today we lost a great Canadian...

A few years ago I wrote of the Canadians that I thought were a few of those that personified the true character of Canada. Four of the five I wrote about have been dead for many years. One though, was alive at the time of my musings. 

Today he died.

I never got to meet the man. I am saddened by that. I was never able to thank him for the joy he brought to my life. But I'm sure he brought similar joy to many Canadians, both young and old; those born here, those that traveled miles to be here. I was never able to tell him that my sense of being Canadian was built upon the stories he told, the adventures he shared, the beauty of this country that were expressed by his words.

Farley Mowat died today.

Farley Mowat's Canada is my Canada.

Every Canadian should read his works. It should be demanded upon every new Canadian that citizenship should not be rewarded upon them unless they have read his works. 

Canada only exists because of the spirit that Farley Mowat personified.

Without Farley Mowat, Canada's character and personality would be less.

My Canada is Farley Mowat's Canada. My Canada is "Owls in the Family," "Lost in the Barrens, "A Whale for the Killing," and "Never Cry Wolf."

Tomorrow, when I awake, no bird will sing...       

When I was seven I was hospitalized for a ruptured appendicitis. Not a fun few weeks: but that’s a story for another time. Before I was hospitalized my mum was reading a book to me at bedtime each night. A chapter a night. No chapter the night of surgery.

That book became very important to me. It became the first real novel I read on my own. My mum read a chapter or two during visiting hours. That was not enough. She left it with me and I finished it.

The book was “Owls In The Family”. The author, Farley Mowat. I went on to read many more of his novels.

They were stories that concerned Canadians. Young and old. They were growing up in urban communities, they were lost in the far north or they were fighting in the trenches of Europe. They owned dogs, or lived with dogs. They built boats and sailed them. They traveled to this great land and they traveled away from it. These characters loved Canada. These characters were Canada.

Farley Mowat is overlooked. His example of Canadian culture is ignored. But Farley Mowat is a true Canadian. His books should be compulsory reading for all Canadian students. Every new Canadian should be expected to have an understanding of Farley Mowat’s Canada.

Farley Mowat’s Canada is my Canada.