Stephen Harper asks Canadians to shed their national modesty
In a speech before the B.C. Legislature Thursday, Stephen Harper urged Canadians to forget their traditionally quiet nature and join together to loudly cheer our Olympians on to gold. “Patriotism, ladies and gentlemen, patriotism as Canadians,” he said “should not make us feel the least bit shy or embarrassed.” And while he acknowledged “that thoughts of grandeur and boisterous displays of nationalism, we tend to associate with others,” he insisted that “we should never cast aside our pride in a country so wonderful, in a land we are so fortunate to call home, merely because the notion has sometimes been abused.” Harper then set the example himself, unrolling a large Canadian flag and enthusiastically chanting “Go, Canada, Go!”