I read a headline this afternoon in the Ottawa Citizen that really rubbed me the wrong way: “Heritage minister criticizes lack of French in Olympic opening ceremony“. The article quotes Heritage Minister James Moore as saying the ceremonies should have been “a better representation of our bicultural past and the reality today”.

This is the same department was was supposedly urging the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee to have an aboriginal Canadian be the final torchbearer in the opening ceremonies. I understand that the department poured millions of dollars into the Games, and into the Opening Ceremonies.

I just wish that, especially during the games, our government would stay out of the politics of it all.  This is not a comment on whether or not the Department was correct in their comments or not, I don’t care to get into that debate.

The world is watching us while we host this international event.  Could our government, not like the millions of Canadians who watched the ceremonies on Friday night, support our athletes, be proud of our country, and be gracious hosts to the world? I would hate nothing more than to read in the International press about arguments like these, rather than the performance of the athletes, or the amazing job that we’re doing at hosting these Games.

Maybe they need to re-read the lyrics to Shane Koyczan’s slam poetry from the ceremonies, We Are More.  This piece, amongst many other parts of Friday night’s ceremonies, reminded me how incredibly proud I am to be Canadian.

There will be lots of time once the Games are over, and once the visiting delegations from all corners of this globe return home, to analyze and criticize all the politically sensitive topics of this event.  But until that time…

Go Canada!