On Parliament Hill

As we approach the end of 2017, the year in which Canada turned 150, I find myself thinking about where we are as a country; where we have come from and where we are going.

We have much to be thankful for as Canadians including the blessings of freedom, peace and abundance. We must be careful not to take these blessings for granted and, whether it comes in the form of apathy or direct ideological assault, we must guard against the erosion of the values and ideals upon which this nation was founded.

Broadcaster Paul Harvey once noted that many of the world’s great nations were at the height of their greatness around the 150 year mark, before they decayed morally, socially, culturally and economically. That being the case, and given the toxic effect of political correctness on our culture, I would like to offer what I believe are a few essential guiding principles if Canada is to thrive for another 150 years.

1. Rights without responsibility and freedoms without restraint are recipes for disaster.
2. We must be careful not to rewrite history and imply that our forefather’s intentions were somehow less noble than our own.
3. We cannot afford to replace the rewards of ambition with reliance on the state.
4. We must emphasize the FAMILY as the core of a strong society, not government.
5. Canada is a nation founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law. We must continually recognize the absolutes of good and evil, right and wrong.

As we look toward 2018, and the next 150 years, let us commit to re-embrace the bedrock principles upon which our nation was founded: the principles that have made Canada one of the world’s truly great nations.