A different Canada

60 years ago today, on VE day, Canada stood proud and tall among the liberating nations. In ceremonies all over the globe, the world rememberd and celebrated. But today was also the day that the new $136M national war museum was officially opened, the center of serious controversy.

It's hard to imagine what it must have been like - the state of the world, sending so many of our young men to die, the outcome still not certain. Our country was different 60 years ago. Very different

Today, we don't send soldiers in to a country if there is a possibility they might get shot at. If they do get shot at, it's a serious matter. It is extremely rare for a Canadian to die in combat. If they do great things, our government isn't interested in honoring them. And if they are killed in friendly fire, it's a national tragedy that dominates headlines for weeks.

But 60 years ago, we sent 10% of our population to fight and die for the cause of freedom. 10%! That would be 3 million soldiers today. Leave aside the fact that we don't have a serious military, and that our government doesn't really support the tremendous soliders we do have - when was the last time we sent our troops somewhere to fight?

The world has changed, and so have we. And as proud as I am to be a Canadian, it's tough to be proud today.