I am compelled to write this, simply because we are fresh off a provincial election and my thoughts are stimulated as a result. I have mentioned here on numerous occasions that I am not a political animal; far from it, don't necessarily understand any of it-but here's the thing. Despite global unrest, politically, economically and socially, our system here in Ontario and Canada appears to work.
Toward the end of our provincial election, I started to see ads whereby Mr. McGinty, our provincial leader (honestly, don't know what party it is) was saying things like (paraphrasing): "I am not the most popular guy around because of some hard choices we as Ontarians had to make, but...." He then went on to describe, with supporting documentation in the right corner of the screen, the state of our hospitals (18 new openings, more nurses, less wait times), the state of our education (all day kindergarten) and our job situation (more in Ontario than all of the U.S. in June 2011).
I bring this up because in the last year I have been privy to our health system on more occasions than I care to remember. I am in my 50s so an aging parent is part of that mix. The hard working doctors and nurses in our hospitals are really beyond belief in their capabilities, compassion and efficiency. My gratitude to them cannot be measured. Period. As one nurse recently said to me, I get paid very well for what I do, but I deserve it. She is on 12 hour shifts and the lifting alone is back breaking. She writes charts and cracks jokes (not necessarily at the same time!) just to keep some levity to a sometime, grave situation. She claims that the public personna of nurses/doctors is that they see so much tragedy, they are immune and numb to their patients. I have never seen this to be true.
The more I travel and see the rest of the world, the more I love and admire my country, my province and my city. It's not perfect, but we're doing a heck of a lot better than everyone else.
Thank you, my country.
Cheryl Bower
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