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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 23 ,2 02 2 | 22 WATERLOO REGION RECORD FRIDAYAND SATURDAY HOME DELIVERY Now $1.99* per week for 52 weeks GET A $25 SHOPPERS DRUGMART® E-GIFT CARD** W IT H SU B SC R IP TI O N SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: therecord.com/deal OR CALL: 519-894-3000 CWRSGIFT *Plus HST. See full terms and condi�ons at wroffer.ca/deal. This introductory offer is not available to current Waterloo Region Record subscribers. Offer includes the Friday and Saturday edi�ons of The Hamilton Spectator. Save 49% off the newsstand rate. Home delivery will con�nue a�er the 12-month introductory period at the regular home-delivery rate then in effect. Contact customer service at 1-800-263-8386 or 905-522-7732 to get the regular rate for your area. Payment must be made by credit card only. 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Card cannot be used at third party businesses in par�cipa�ng stores or as prohibited by law. Not to be used to purchase financial cards. Receipt required for returns of purchases made with card. Void if altered, damaged or defaced. Complete Gi� Card Terms and Condi�ons are available at www.gi�ofchoice.ca. Use of this card cons�tutes acceptance of these terms and condi�ons. The Shoppers Drug Mart® logo used under license. LIMITED-TIME OFFER! 49%OFF SPRING BONUSGIFT Chances are, if you were born in Canada, you don't spend your time thinking about how to become part of the beautiful tapestry of Canadian culture. You are already a part and contrib- ute greatly to its existing vibrancy and joie de vivre. No matter where you live in this beautiful coun- try, it is your birthright to be able to contribute to this collective cultural pattern- . Canadians are known for their friendliness. Canadi- an smiles go right along with Tim Hortons coffee and doughnuts. On the world stage, Can- ada has a stellar reputation for impartiality and objec- tivity. In a 2015 internation- al survey, the Reputation Institute reported that Canada had the best repu- tation out of the 55 coun- tries in the world with the highest gross domestic product (GDP). After analyzing data from more than 11 million Twitter accounts over a pe- riod of five years, Klear, a social analytics company, ranked Canadians as the most open and engaging with other nations in their communications. Canada was thus named the friend- liest nation. In fact, the penchant for saying "I'm sorry," in every situation has long been rec- ognized as a fundamental part of Canadian identity. These are noble ideals to live up to. As an immigrant to Canada in the mid '80s, I did not have the data above, but I did not need data to in- form me about Canadian friendliness and hospitali- ty. In most circumstances, it was woven into the fabric of my encounters, and had a profound effect on my ef- forts to integrate into Ca- nadian culture. Granted, I also experienced some dis- crimination and racism, but these incidents did not alter my appreciation of the affability of the major- ity of Canadians I met. Most newcomers to Canada want to fit in, but they also have a need to hold on to their own cultur- al heritage. This is not a di- chotomy. Preserving one's cultural heritage while al- so adopting the best parts of Canadian culture is ab- solutely possible. It is, in fact, essential to the continued growth and evolution of Canadian cul- ture. This, of course, means that all Canadians are going to have to start thinking about what this means to them. This magnificent tapes- try must continue to evolve and develop to encompass all Canadians for our beau- tiful country to continue to prosper and grow. Each new thread woven brings new colour, depth, and significance to what it means to be truly Canadi- an. Brian Sankarsingh is a Trinidadian-born Canadi- an immigrant with a pas- sion for advocacy and a penchant for poetry. Arriv- ing in Canada in the 1980s, he worked tirelessly to forge a life and career for himself. A published au- thor and poet, Sankars- ingh is unafraid to express his opinion on contro- versial topics, such as racism, systemic racism and other issues faced by marginalized communi- ties. AN IMMIGRANT'S PERSPECTIVE ON CANADIAN CULTURE OPINION NEWCOMERS PRESERVING THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE IS ESSENTIAL TO CANADIAN GROWTH, WRITES BRIAN SANKARSINGH BRIAN SANKARSINGH Column Post the details for free in our calendar. Hosting an event online or in the community? WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA/EVENTS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA