Summer 2026

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The Men’s World Cup is in full swing, with Canada, Mexico, and the USA hosting this year. This is the first time that Canada has earned a point, won a match, and made it to the elimination round, and the excitement is palpable in my city near Vancouver, BC. 

While I’m ethnically Korean, I was born and raised in Canada and have lived here for almost my entire life, apart from three years in South Korea. My time in Korea was amazing; I had amazing experiences, made close friends, and consider it one of the most formative times in my life. So, an interesting question came up while watching the news today when they reported that Canada could face Korea in the elimination round: Who would you root for?

I have friends and family in Canada who have decided that they would cheer for South Korea, but for me there is no question–Canada, all the way. I have nothing against the Korean team and I love Korea, but the Canadian squad represents a country that is part of my fabric: it’s in my bones. I wake up every morning enjoying its freedoms, I breathe the air produced by Canadian trees, and I drink the water that comes from its reservoirs. There is much to be grateful for, and I should count my blessings every day.

As much as I want this to be a love letter to Canada, this country is imperfect, with its complexities and contradictions like many other countries. Not all people here share the same level of advantages, recognition, or treatment, with periodic news reports about systemic racism in public institutions, misogyny and abuse in the armed forces, lack of housing for the most vulnerable, and the chronic mistreatment of the Indigenous Peoples. This last point is especially damning because there has been a long history of mistreatment of the original stewards of this land, from the tragic period of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the breaches of Canadian treaties. So, how does one square the idea that this country is a virtual utopia for some but has a history of repression and disregard for others?

Much information on the above-stated situations is publicly available from a variety of sources, so I won’t go into detail. And, although my knowledge on these events is limited, I don't think we need to be experts to be informed citizens and play a role in the repairing of relationships between people groups in Canada and the ethical treatment of all citizens. Social and civic engagement is for everyone and could help us move forward to understand the people who are most affected by injustices and inequality. This could be as simple as volunteering in under-resourced communities, reviewing the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), or connecting with the diverse groups around us.

I am hopeful. I believe that countries, like people, can find redemption. How to achieve this is debatable and beyond the scope of this article, but there must be an intentional, concerted effort from top to bottom to change attitudes, thinking, and behaviour. Although Canada and other modern democracies have made strides in the equitable treatment of marginalized communities if you compare the present environment to life fifty or a hundred years ago, we clearly still have a long way to go.

Canada is imperfect, it is flawed, and it is a difficult place for some, but I believe we can love things that are imperfect. So yes, I am rooting for Team Canada. This is a beautiful country that has been good to me; it has so much to offer its people and the world as a whole, but we need to do our part to ensure that all our peoples are protected and treated with dignity.

*Follow-up Information:

There are a number of resources to help us better understand the historical and present treatment of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada, as well as the role we can play in the restoration of a healthy and equitable relationship with the original stewards of this land. Here are a few that you may find helpful:

- Indigenous Writes, by Chelsea Vowel

- Talk Treaty to Me, by Gail Fraser and Sara Komarnisky

- An Investigative Research on the Experiences of Three Generations of the James Bay Cree of Northern Quebec, by George Blacksmith

- 231 Calls for Justice, by the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)

- Survivors Speak, by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)

- 94 Calls to Action, by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)

- Their Voices Will Guide Us, by Charlene Bearhead

- UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by the United Nations