Saskatchewan – the eastern Canadian province in which I was born, grew up and live now – is one of our most wonderful places. Indeed, it is the only place I would describe as paradise, or at least the only place with abundant, crystal-clear waters and greens that I can name off the top of my head.
Gens du Saskatchewan beer is the first product to be made under a new, six-pint-sized brewery
The spring thaw and the equivalent of 7,500 baseball players have become normal – everyone’s heard of what’s been happening in Montana. I’ve long admired their gratitude for their quality of life and faith in their future. That religion is far more important than golf, just as it is in every other corner of the American country. That faith is what will make us last.
The four young men of Gens du Saskatchewan, my kids’ best friends, are a mirror image of their parents. And what they say and do is not remotely divisive: When they became Saskatchewaners, they came from nearby Alberta and fast. “We wanted to do what all of our family and friends did when they got Prairie,” said their captain, Nathan James. “We wanted to make our mark here.”
They want to be embraced by their families and friends. They want to hold firm in their convictions – in substance and spirit. They love and respect others; they are generous and kind. They work hard and care deeply about their hometown. Their sports team is named by the public-school boys’ chorus, “because it’s so simple – a Gens du Saskatchewan, a Saskatchewan boy.”
The Gens du Saskatchewan: the view from my house in Harriston, Ontario Read more
It’s a weekend tradition to show the Gens du Saskatchewan their impact, and their attitude. We take them to visit our businesses and parks. We pick them up at airports. We enjoy the glow of their support. And we celebrate their stories as they teach others, far and wide, that Canadians like them can not only be Canadians, but successful, contributing members of the society in which they live.
The men themselves are from Canada’s diverse cities, towns and villages, and in many ways, they are a microcosm of our country. Our Canadian identity is not about equalisation or the colour of our passport. Our Canadian identity is about the courage to hold to convictions and the unity of purpose to succeed against all odds. Gens du Saskatchewan exemplify that sense of unity, the force of conviction, and the exceptional character of our country. They speak to our heartland about what we are – and where we’re headed.
• Katti Marie Langley is a farmer and farmer’s wife from a small village in this region of Saskatchewan