A commentary by a resident of Mount Vernon, Washington
I was born in Seattle, which makes me an American citizen.
My parents were born in the United States, but I have grandparents on one side who emigrated from Norway and great-great-grandparents on the other who emigrated from Scotland and Ireland.
I would venture to guess that many Canadians have a similar story: Ancestors not too far removed who emigrated to Canada. That is something we share.
Whether we were born in the U.S. or in Canada, our families left home to make a better life for their children and grandchildren.
Some of us ended up below the 49th parallel and some of us just north.
That said, I have been coming up to Canada all my life. It started when I was young, and mom and dad took us to Vancouver Island — mostly to Victoria.
I have family photos of us visiting the Olde English Inn with my head sticking out of the stockade for my dad to take a picture.
I remember visiting Butchart Gardens on another trip and marveling that there were actually so many flowers in one place.
I have been to British Columbia hundreds of times. I honeymooned at Whistler before Blackcomb was officially opened.
I have seen dozens of fine performances in Chemainus. I return to a wonderful lodge just outside of Ladysmith year in and year out for maybe 25 years now.
Over the course of all this, I have driven over the Malahat many times, I typically take the ferry out of Tsawwassen and I could tell you how to get to the Crow and Gate just outside of Cedar or give you directions to the Bay in Victoria or just where to turn once you get to Quadra or Pandora.
Over the course of these many years I have met some of my favourite people.
We, my wife and I, have friends who live in Sidney, Bowen Island and Maple Ridge.
As someone who was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I often feel like I have more in common with those who call B.C. home than I do with other states.
I mention all this because I am concerned how all these lifetime connections have been put under a great deal of stress because of some of the rhetoric coming out of the administration in Washington, D.C.
I am guessing that emotions are pretty high for a lot of Canadians and I just want to say that I am so sorry that you have been getting bullied by someone who you have always felt a kinship with.
I can assure you that many Americans have been horrified by what is being said along with all the threats and bad behaviour coming out of the current administration.
There are millions more just like me who want to profoundly apologize for all the hurtful things being said and done.
I will always consider Canadians some of the best people on the planet. On behalf of all Americans who know a best friend when they see one, you have my apologies.
Hopefully we can right the ship in the next couple of years.
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