We have done many surveys of our members and we know many interesting things such as, 88 per cent of us drive to our southern locations, staying for an average of four months. We like to have people visit us when we are "home" in the south and we receive an average of 4.3 northern visitors to our southern residence. While it is true that most of us are retired, a growing number are semi-retired or even still working, but have earned the right to take two-three months' vacation each year. Ten years ago, people worked up until age 65, then retired. Now, with corporate downsizing and early retirement packages, many of us are in our 50s and early 60s.

We also travel a great deal more than our primary trip to the south in the winter. Many snowbirds take trips two or three weeks in length at other times of the year.

These statistics are representative of our lifestyle, and there are enough of them to fill many pages, but even that would not tell the full story of who we are. We could explain in excruciating detail what we do, what we buy, where we go, what we earn, which credit cards we carry and our favourite make of car, but even that would not answer the real question? Who are the Canadian snowbirds?

Snowbirds have been around for a long time, and are exceptionally proud to be Canadian. Many have fought wars to protect the freedoms we all now enjoy, and have built this country on the solid foundation passed to us by our fathers. We built our railways, paved our roads and designed and built the buildings that surround us all. Snowbirds built the infrastructure of a universal health-care system and a world-class retirement pension program with our hands and our tax dollars. We know how to work and how to play and are willing to fight for the wonderful country we have helped build.

We may be retired from our professions, but not from our love of Canada and all it stands for. As a generation, there is a great deal of pride over that which we have accomplished. That is why we are, as a group, so collectively passionate about the things that really matter: good government, fair taxation and the preservation of our lifestyle and our rights. We are committed to passing on to the next generations a world better than the one we found.

So where a statistician may see numbers and trends, and others see us as simply a group that takes long vacations, we know the real truth.

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