Unison halifax 2023

This song breaks my heart. It's about the LGBT purge that happened from the 1950s-1990s. This purge was a very shameful period where people of the Canadian armed forces, RCMP and the federal public services were discriminated against, harassed and often fired. It was devastating to thousands of people and lives were distroyed. People lost their dignity, their careers and their dreams. The trauma they endured was universal to those that were purged.

This song was commissioned by the LGBT purge fund. It's a story of a person's experience going through this horrible situation.

I always knew I was different
Not at all like the kids from my town
I was young, alone and apart
I was waiting for something to start
Always up for adventure, up for mischief or up in a tree
Singing, Canada, Canada I wanna stand on guard for thee
O Canada Mon beau pays!
But I felt so alone, lacking crew and lost at sea
No one I knew was like me
I tried to fit in.
Coping and hoping my life would begin some day soon.
And then one sunny afternoon
There's no life like it, no there's no life like it.
I joined up on a Tuesday
Mardi, jeu do, j'oublie
Pas pour moi, pour ma
Basic training started in Quebec
Saint Jean Sur Richelieu
I loved the challenge the change and the cheque
I remember belonging
Et d'autres comme moi
And the moment I became we
We were singing, o Canada we're gonna stand on guard for thee.
For the true north strong and free.
Though I could do what a soldier does
Nobody knew who I really was.
Never confiding, to nervous to be caught
Cleverly hiding, deciding to just play my part
Until the day I lost my heart
"Our investigation has determined that you are homosexual"
"We've been following you, tapping your phone"
"We've searched your apartment"
"Who do you sleep with?"
***Not advantageously employable due to homosexuality***
What do I say to my family?
Walked away from family and friends.
Dedication to service became, finally
Thirty years of dishonor and shame,
I kept Canada's secret
Till somebody, then two and then three started singing, Canada, o Canada, we cannot stand on guard for thee.
Not without an apology
To her, to him, and to them and to me and no, we're not alone
We take a stand, we've made a choice,
To strike up the band and raise our voices.
Knowing we'll never go back to before
We will be forever sharing our stories out loud
Yes everyone can be strong and free and proud
Love is love is love is love
And we're proud

**By Leslie Arden & Janice Martin**Les mer