Everything is okay…except, perhaps, Canada’s declining international reputation.

I’m on vacation. And, I’ve gotta say, things started off pretty fantastically. Until this morning, that is. As I took an extended dose of daily media, things got a bit weird.

Today I had a little extra time to peruse my Facebook news feed. Wow. Some weird things have happened in Canada over the past few days. No fewer than 30 of my friends have posted videos, stories, infographs, and links about the G8 and G20 meetings in Toronto – the information and opinions range from critical to scathing.  Headlines like “Erosion of Rights” and “Wasteful Spending” and “Is this what the world thinks of Canada?” and “What was Stephen Harper Thinking?” Even the National Post gave a fairly biting review of the event.

I mean, I know that Oh Canada is – as far as national anthems go – fairly terrible, but should its being sung in the streets of Toronto be reason to send throngs of riot police into the crowd of peaceful protestors? Check this out:

Sure, the video is out of context – who knows what was said, spat or thrown before – and the Toronto Police did their best to troubleshoot a truly unwinnable situation, but it certainly reflects the powder-keg-esque circumstances into which the City of Toronto was thrust.

Needless to say, Amnesty International has asked for a full review of the 900 arrests that took place during the summit and Stephen Harper is receiving a heckuvalot of criticism from all sides – the left, right, middle, and, haha, anarchist* – for paying too much in human, natural and economic capital because the G20 was held in Toronto.

When I came to this morning, I groggily awoke to the dulcet tones of our iconic Canadian friend, Jian Gomeshi. He hosted a panel discussion of how this event – and the way it was well-handled and simultaneously mishandled – reflects poorly on Canada’s international reputation.

Speaking of our international reputation. The Queen arrived today. And she said, “it’s good to be home.” Okay. That’s a bit weird, eh? And it also nicely reflects the weirdly contradictory nature of Canada.

We’re an independent, democratic nation, but technically exist under the rule of a foreign monarch. We are an open-minded, multi-cultural society with a high self-perception of our stance on human rights, but suspend civil liberties when it suits our aims. We’re multi-lateral, but collude with dictators. Like I said, it’s all a bit weird.

Oh Canada, what kind of community are we?

Readers of the Potentiality, what say you on this question of Canadian community?

*sorry guys, but global capitalism still exists and will continue to exist as long as there are hardworking businesspeople who wake up early in the morning and rebuild their enterprizes that you heartlessly broke en route from your aimless protest back to your parents’ basement.