Every single time a Canadian soldier dies in
He's done it about 50 times, once for every instance in which one or more Canadian soldiers have been killed. Since the war started, the number of dead has climbed to 85 soldiers.
"Every time one of our boys, or our women, get killed in
'
For McKiel, whose son is a Canadian Forces officer, Canada Day means not taking his country and its society for granted.
"It means bringing Canadians closer together and enjoying our life as a free democracy," McKiel said. "I think about all Canadian Forces personnel."
McKiel reflects the sense of pride for the military that most Canadians feel, according to a Canada Day-inspired Angus Reid Strategies poll that examines the things that elicit pride among Canadians.
The poll, released yesterday, found that 86% of Canadians are proud of the flag and 80% are proud of the military.
But what surprised Angus Reid pollster Mario Canseco was the fact the survey found only 32% are proud of our Parliament, 36% have pride in the monarchy, and 42% are proud of
FINDINGS A CONCERN
"There's been a drop in the way people feel about the monarchy for several years now, but the justice system at 42%, that's eye-catching," Canseco said.
What's more -- and possibly quite concerning, only 51% of Canadians are proud of Aboriginal culture, while only 52% are proud of official bilingualism. Only half of Canadians -- an even 50% -- are proud of our health-care system, while 61% of Canadians find pride in our multicultural society.
"That was surprising; we expected those two (multiculturalism and bilingualism) to be a little higher," Canseco said. "It's been a difficult year for the economy -- maybe if we asked these questions six months ago, it would've been different."