Canadian Mosaic

I am Canadian,
and my people spread
from sea to sea to sea
thousands of years ago.
I am Canadian,
and we settled and farmed
from Annapolis
to Hochelaga,
as our freight canoes,
our coureurs de bois,
opened the west.
I am Canadian,
and we died on the plague ships,
famine driven
from our Emerald Isle.
I am Canadian,
and our clans produced
politicians and engineers
to build a growing land.

We are Canadian,
and war-weary
we arrived from Balkan hills,
from Baltic shores,
Scandinavian lakes and forests,
from Mediterranean family farms,
from the windswept Russian steppes.

We are Canadian,
and our Commonwealth ties,
brought us from the Caribbean,
from Pakistan and India.
We brought new religions,
new customs to weave
into a bold mosaic.

We are Canadian,
and the warlords,
and slavery of the Middle Kingdom,
drove us from our homes,
and the spirits of our ancestors,
to struggle in a strange new land.

We are Canadian, in’shallah,
and we arrive from the Muslim world,
seeking social advance,
and tolerance,
freedom and inclusiveness,
together in a better land.

We are Canada’s future,
the children of immigrants.
We seek to avoid the baggage
of hate and prejudice
that came on the backs of our parents;
and yes, we stumble,
we err,
but together we dream a dream
of a shared tomorrow,
a future of tolerance,
of inclusiveness,
of a better life.
We are the Canadian mosaic
that is our Canada today,
reflecting on our past,
while building our tomorrow.