O Canada!

Though I do not consider myself to be a prolifically good speller, I am a patriot! When I was going to grade school, I was taught that there are sometimes two ways to spell English words: the British and the American. As Canada is a member of the Commonwealth and the Queen is our official head of state, the proper way to spell a word in this country is the British way. If you toggle your spell-check on MS Word to "Canadian English", what I have stated is proven to be true. The reason we are using the American spelling more and more is because our information (TV, books, newspapers, etc.) is saturated by American media, ergo the appearance of American spelling. I accept that language evolves and accept that we are free to use either way of spelling, but I really get my kickers in a knot when I spell something the proper way and get told that I am wrong. Do we simply give in because it's what everyone else is doing? Have all you Canadians forgotten the War of 1812!? Did we burn down the Whitehouse in vain?

So, being a Buddhist and therefore not being permitted to perpetuate public floggings of the turncoats, here is a wee primer of acceptable spelling - the first being the British, the second, U.S.:

organisation organization

programme program

grey gray

colour color

subsidise subsidize

cheque check

favour favor

In closing, I fought a similar battle while teaching in Czechoslovakia when I argued that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. They never bought it. For the rest of us here, it's gut check time - will it be God bless America or God save the Queen?

Meanwhile, I'm wrapping myself in the maple leaf and keeping my stick on the ice!