Opinion: Timing couldn't be better for Canada Strong Pass

Montreal Gazette

2 days ago

Op Eds
When I was in school, the holy grail of graduation was a Eurail Pass. In 1990, the fabled Youthpass bought two months of unlimited train travel for US$500. The idea of exploring 17 countries on a shoestring budget loomed large in our imaginations. All you needed was a Lonely Planet guide and a maple leaf prominently sewn on your backpack.
Recent cohorts have come of age with a mixed bag of social isolation and missed milestones. It may not be possible to make up for those lost experiences, but there's no better way to build new memories than through the magic of travel.
Unfortunately for young travellers, European capitals may no longer be the welcoming hosts they once were. In several cities this month, fed-up residents protested overtourism by squirting tourists with water guns.
On the sunny side, we have infinitely varied opportunities to explore right here at home.
The new Canada Strong Pass, which launched last week, offers free admission to a vast network of national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada. The deal, running until Sept. 2, is open to Canadians and foreign visitors. The pass has more deals just for youth on Via Rail, with discounts on economy fares for young adults 18 to 24 and free rides for those under 18 accompanied by an adult, plus discounts at museums and galleries.
The simplest ideas are often the best. There's no physical pass or pre-registration; you just show up and claim your discount. Free travel for minors will make family vacations more accessible. Meanwhile, young adults can plan horizon-broadening experiences that don't include a hostile encounter with a Super Soaker.
A tremendous sense of pride and possibility comes with exploring our own country from coast to coast to coast. Eight years ago, Canadians responded enthusiastically when Parks Canada waived fees at all national parks for the country's 150th anniversary. Similarly, the new pass couldn't be better timed.
Canadians have shown impressive solidarity in response to U.S. tariff aggression and taunts about annexation. We've been ghosting our neighbour like a creepy date. Mirroring the trajectory of democratic norms, travel to the U.S. has declined for five straight months, with cross-border return car trips down a whopping 38 per cent in May, compared with a year ago.
The push to keep travel local also resonates with the patriotic overtones of other buy-Canadian messaging. In a public service campaign for the Pro Canada Project, which hit the airwaves in February, homegrown talents from Hayley Wickenheiser to Peter Mansbridge advise listeners to 'shop as if your country depends on it.'
As families embark on their summer getaways, hockey season may be over, but Canadians are keeping their elbows up.
Canada Strong offers another motto for the times, perhaps with a little more gravitas. It conveys a country prepared to defend itself from military or economic aggression; proud, not perfect; and definitely not broken.
It also resonates for what it's not. It's Canada Strong, not Canada First, a slogan that always jangled against our reputation as polite and unassuming. Parallels to the current bout of America First isolationism didn't sit well, nor did echoes of ugly precursors from the first half of the 20th century.
Canadian travellers once relied on the maple leaf to save us from the disdain reserved for Americans abroad, who — fairly or otherwise — often have been perceived as brash and culturally ignorant. Now, as then, the maple leaf is a powerful reminder of our distinct strength and love of country.