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==Commemoration==
==Commemoration==
Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press,<small><ref>{{Citation| last=Panetta| first=Alexander | last2=Pedwell| first2=Terry| title=An unforgettable Canada Day, eh?| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=2 July 2007| url=http://www.thestar.com/article/231568| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| title=Canada Day celebrations| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=29 June 2007| url=http://www.thestar.com/article/230791| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| last=Canwest News Service| title=Harper salutes international role in Canada Day address| newspaper=National Post| date=1 July 2007| url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=1153724d-9877-48af-9608-adef9a42d9cf| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref></small> the occasion marks the joining of the [[British North America]]n colonies of [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], and the [[Province of Canada]] into a [[federation]] of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]) on 1 July 1867. Although Canada is regarded as having become a kingdom in its own right on that date,<small><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~HeritageSaintJohn/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm| title=Heritage Saint John > Canadian Heraldry| publisher=Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx| last=The Royal Household| title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > History and present government| publisher=Queen's Printer| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite paper| author=Department of Canadian Heritage| authorlink=Department of Canadian Heritage | title=The Crown in Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=2005| page=7| url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CH4-127-2003E.pdf| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref></small> the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]] kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the [[Constitution Act, 1982|Constitution Act]] patriated the Canadian constitution.
Frequently referred 2 as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press,<small><ref>{{Citation| last=Panetta| first=Alexander | last2=Pedwell| first2=Terry| title=An unforgettable Canada Day, eh?| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=2 July 2007| url=http://www.thestar.com/article/231568| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| title=Canada Day celebrations| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=29 June 2007| url=http://www.thestar.com/article/230791| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| last=Canwest News Service| title=Harper salutes international role in Canada Day address| newspaper=National Post| date=1 July 2007| url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=1153724d-9877-48af-9608-adef9a42d9cf| accessdate=12 May 2007}}</ref></small> the occasion marks the joining of the [[British North America]]n colonies of [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], and the [[Province of Canada]] into a [[federation]] of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]) on 1 July 1867. Although Canada is regarded as having become a kingdom in its own right on that date,<small><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~HeritageSaintJohn/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm| title=Heritage Saint John > Canadian Heraldry| publisher=Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx| last=The Royal Household| title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > History and present government| publisher=Queen's Printer| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite paper| author=Department of Canadian Heritage| authorlink=Department of Canadian Heritage | title=The Crown in Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=2005| page=7| url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CH4-127-2003E.pdf| accessdate=3 July 2009}}</ref></small> the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]] kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the [[Constitution Act, 1982|Constitution Act]] patriated the Canadian constitution.


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 15:42, 24 September 2009

Canada Day
Children watch the Canada Day parade in Montreal
Also calledFête du Canada;
previously named Dominion Day
Observed byCanadians (Canada)
TypeHistorical, cultural, nationalist
CelebrationsFireworks, parades, barbecues
Date1 July

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), is Canada's national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the 1 July 1867 enactment of the British North America Act, which united Canada as a single country, which was in turn composed of four provinces. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Commemoration

Frequently referred 2 as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press,[1][2][3] the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on 1 July 1867. Although Canada is regarded as having become a kingdom in its own right on that date,[4][5][6] the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution.

History

Canada Day celebrations on Wellington Street, in front of the Château Laurier, in Ottawa.

On 20 June 1868, then Governor General The Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to "celebrate the anniversary of the confederation."[7] However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism. No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917– the golden anniversary of Confederation– and then none again for a further decade.[8]

This trend declined in the post-World War II era; beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.

With only twelve Members of Parliament present, eight less than a quorum,[9] the private member's bill that proposed to change the name to Canada Day was passed in the House of Commons in five minutes, and without debate.[10] With the granting of Royal Assent, the name was officially changed to Canada Day on 27 October 1982, a move largely inspired by the adoption of the Canada Act, earlier in the year. Although the proposal caused some controversy,[10] many Canadians had already been informally referring to the holiday as Canada Day for a number of years before the official name change occurred.[<small>n</small> 1] Andrew Cohen, a former Globe and Mail and current Ottawa Citizen columnist, called Canada Day a term of "crushing banality" and criticized the change from Dominion Day "a renunciation of the past, [and] a misreading of history, laden with political correctness and historical ignorance."[15] For Cohen, the change is an example of systemic denial of Canadian history by the Canadian government.[16]

As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first (temporary) national radio network hookup by the Canadian National Railway (1927), the inauguration of the CBC's cross-country television broadcast (1958), the flooding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway (1958), the first colour television transmission in Canada (1966), the inauguration of the Order of Canada (1967), and the establishment of "O Canada" as the country's national anthem (1980). Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 – shortly after which the province of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized 1 July as Memorial Day to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment's heavy losses during the battle[17][18]– and the enactment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923– leading Chinese-Canadians to refer to July 1 as Humiliation Day and boycott Dominion Day celebrations, until the act was repealed in 1947.[19]

Activities

The Snowbirds on Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.
File:EIIR-Chretien.jpg
Queen Elizabeth II and then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, at the official Canada Day celebration in Ottawa, 1997.

Most communities across the country will host organized celebrations for Canada Day, usually outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts,[20] as well as citizenship ceremonies for new citizens.[21][22] There is no standard mode of celebration for Canada Day; professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford Jennifer Welsh said of this: "Canada Day, like the country, is endlessly decentralized. There doesn't seem to be a central recipe for how to celebrate it– chalk it up to the nature of the federation."[23] However, the locus of the celebrations is the national capital, Ottawa, Ontario, where large concerts, presided over by the Governor General, are held on Parliament Hill, as well as other parks around the city and in Hull, Quebec. The sovereign may also be in attendance at Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa; Queen Elizabeth II was present in 1990, 1992, and 1997.[24] The Queen also helped celebrate Canada's 100th anniversary on 1 July 1967.[8]

Given the federal nature of the holiday, celebrating the event can be a cause of friction in the province of Quebec. For example, the federal government funds events at the Old Port– an area run by a federal Crown corporation– while the parade is a grassroots effort that has been met with pressure to cease, even from federal officials.[25] The nature of the event has also been met with criticism from English Canadians, such as Ottawa Citizen columnist David Warren, who said in 2007: "The Canada of the government-funded paper flag-waving and painted faces– the 'new' Canada that is celebrated each year on what is now called 'Canada Day'– has nothing controversially Canadian about it. You could wave a different flag, and choose another face paint, and nothing would be lost."[26]

The 1 July date of Canada Day also coincides with Quebec's traditional Moving Day. Because so many apartment rentals in the province are done on fixed-lease terms extending from 1 July to 30 June of the following year, some residents of Quebec who might otherwise attend Canada Day festivities are instead occupied by moving to new apartments. Suggestions that the move was a deliberate decision by Quebec sovereignists to discourage participation in a patriotic Canadian holiday ignore that the bill changing the province's moving day from 1 May to 1 July was introduced by a federalist member of the Quebec National Assembly, Jérôme Choquette.[27]

International celebrations

Canadian expatriates will organize Canada Day activities in their local area on or near the date of the holiday. For instance, since 30 June 2006, annual Canada Day celebrations have been held at Trafalgar Square– the location of Canada House– in London, England. Organized by the Canadian community in the United Kingdom and the Canadian High Commission, the event features Canadian performers and a demonstration of street hockey, amongst other activities.[28] Also, since 2000, the Victoria Cross bar in Sydney, Australia, is the location for official Canada Day celebrations,[citation needed] events take place in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong, for Canada D'eh!,[citation needed] and members of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan mark each Canada Day at their base.[29][30] Canada Day is also celebrated In Chapala, Mexico every year at the American Legion. Also, the Canadian Club in Ajijic, Mexico holds a celebration.

Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, have, since the 1950s, celebrated Dominion Day or Canada Day and the United States' Independence Day with the International Freedom Festival. A massive fireworks display over the Detroit River, the strait separating the two cities, is held annually with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending. A similar event occurs at the Friendship Festival, a joint celebration between Fort Erie, Ontario, and neighbouring Buffalo, New York, of Canada Day and Independence Day.

Exceptions

Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on 1 July unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case 2 July is the statutory holiday, although celebratory events generally take place on 1 July even though it is not the legal holiday.[31] If it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is generally also a day off for those businesses ordinarily closed on Saturdays.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Numerous references to the term Canada Day may be found in issues of The Globe and Mail published in the late 1970s.[11][12][13][14]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Panetta, Alexander; Pedwell, Terry (2 July 2007), "An unforgettable Canada Day, eh?", Toronto Star, retrieved 12 May 2007
  2. ^ "Canada Day celebrations", Toronto Star, 29 June 2007, retrieved 12 May 2007
  3. ^ Canwest News Service (1 July 2007), "Harper salutes international role in Canada Day address", National Post, retrieved 12 May 2007
  4. ^ "Heritage Saint John > Canadian Heraldry". Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  5. ^ The Royal Household. "The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > History and present government". Queen's Printer. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  6. ^ Department of Canadian Heritage (2005). "The Crown in Canada" (PDF). Queen's Printer for Canada: 7. Retrieved 3 July 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Canada Day". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b Canadian Heritage. "Canada Day Background/How we got our national holiday". Canoe. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  9. ^ Marleau, Robert; Montpetit, Camille (January 2000), "9. Sittings of the House", House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved 1 June 2009
  10. ^ a b "Society > Celebrations > Celebrating Canada Day". CBC. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Across Canada/Pro-Canada sign painter has brush with law", The Globe and Mail, p. 12, 19 November 1977
  12. ^ Cherry, Zena (20 February 1978), "Protocol chiefs gather to discuss their trade", The Globe and Mail, p. 27
  13. ^ Stevens, Geoffrey (2 March 1978), "With many tongues", The Globe and Mail, p. 6
  14. ^ Canadian Press (30 March 1978), "Federal support for new festival", The Globe and Mail, p. 16
  15. ^ Andrew, Cohen (2007). The Unfinished Canadian. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. p. 90. ISBN 978-0771022869.
  16. ^ Cohen 2007, p. 89
  17. ^ Hiscock, Philip. "Society and Culture > Folklore and Traditional Culture > Custom". Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  18. ^ "A Living Memorial > Memorial Day". Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  19. ^ "CBC News > Indepth > China > Chinese Immigration". CBC. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  20. ^ Department of Canadian Heritage. "British Columbia and Yukon invited to participate to "Celebrate Canada!" Days". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  21. ^ Citizenship and Immigration Canada. "Applying for citizenship > The citizenship ceremony". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  22. ^ "Canadian Citizenship Oath". Robinson Sheppard Shapiro. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  23. ^ Allemang, John (28 June 2008), "We stand on guard for what?", Globe and Mail, retrieved 1 July 2009
  24. ^ Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Garry. "Elizabeth II Queen of Canada: The Role of Queen Elizabeth II". Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  25. ^ Hustake, Aalan (25 May 2008), "Proud Canadian, proud Quebecer who loved a parade", The Gazette, retrieved 25 May 2008
  26. ^ Warren, David (1 July 2007), "Sea to sea", Ottawa Citizen
  27. ^ Lejtenyi, Patrick, "Moving day conspiracy", Montreal Mirror, retrieved 1 July 2009
  28. ^ The Canadian High Commission in London. "Canada Day in London". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  29. ^ "Afghanistan Canada Day Celebrations Video Footage Available on Website" (Press release). Queen's Printer for Canada. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  30. ^ "Troops refuse to let attack mar Canada Day break". CTV. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  31. ^ "Canada Day to be observed Monday, July 2". Government of Saskatchewan, Labour. June 18, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
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