My childhood was very difficult. I had every childhood disease and then some, but my parents didn't mollycoddle me. They left me to fight those battles on my own. I guess that was very Canadian, very stoic. But it's good. I had to become a warrior. I had to give up hope and find a substitute for hope that would be far more stable.

This quote is talking about the speaker’s experience as a child. They experienced a lot of hardship, including being sick many times, but their parents did not overly protect them or make them feel coddled. Instead, they encouraged them to fight their own battles, which the speaker says is very “Canadian,” meaning very stoic and uncomplaining. The speaker acknowledges that this approach was beneficial for them, since it made them tough and resilient, giving up hope and instead relying on more stable sources to get through their difficulties.