Dominion Day, Le jour de la Confédération, Fête du Canada, Canada’s birthday….call
it what you will….this is Canada Day and these are the Canadians!!
July 1st 1867 marked the anniversary of the Constitution Act. which consolidated four
territories into the single nation of Canada.
Upper Canada, Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were unified and present-day
Canada came into formation.
This became known as ‘Dominion Day’ but was officially renamed ‘Canada Day’ in
1982 when the Canada Act repatriated it from the British to the Canadian Parliament.
(Canada became a fully independent country on March 25th, 1982, but Dominion Day officially
became Canada Day on October 27th, 1982).
It’s fair to say, most citizens were already calling it that, long before it became official
anyway!
Annual celebrations on July 1st across the country compared to those of Americans on
their 4th of July (Independence Day).
Canadians are a proud nation and they patriotically come together to commemorate their independence
and unity.
The national capital, Ottawa, is most famous for its’ Canada Day celebrations where large
concerts and cultural displays are held right in front of the parliament building.
The prime minister and/or members of the Royal Family usually attend, and the whole event
is televised.
Despite Canada’s sovereign rule, Queen Elizabeth of England has regularly participated in the
famous celebrations, as a symbol of continued friendly relations between the two countries.
It is usual for parades to float through cities, the maple leaf flags are flown high, friends
and families gather to eat, drink & party, fireworks light the skies and the national
flag’s colors are generally worn by most people.
Canadians all over the world, regardless of their location, celebrate this special day.
For example, in England, Canadians gather in Trafalgar Square outside Canada House,
and in China, there are festivities at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
Powerful ‘O Canada’ renditions can be heard throughout the streets!
Traditional foods eaten on this national day are poutine, pancakes (layered thick with
maple syrup, of course!), bacon, burgers, and butter tarts.
The ‘Nanaimo’ bar is also legendary around this time - a cracker biscuit crust, vanilla
custard & chocolate all piled high to bring on instant sugar comas….YUM YUM!
As for drinks, in British Columbia alone, 1.2million liters of beer are consumed over
the Canada Day weekend.
Speaking of beer, the national beer brand - Molsen Canadian - released a set of commercials
back in 1994 which captured the hearts of the nation.
Their famous slogan (aka.
‘rant’), “I am Canadian” became the talk of the country and almost all citizens
felt that it summed up their patriotism perfectly.
Just ask any Canadian about the ad, they can be sure to quote it word for word.
As is often the case with national holidays, where July 1st falls on a weekend, the following
Monday is declared a holiday…there is no way these Canadians are being robbed of their
celebrations!
O’ Canada…