Segacs's World I Know

Posts Tagged ‘canada day’

Q: What’s red and white and red and white and red and white?
A: Canada Day in Ottawa.

Another first for me, as I headed up to Ottawa for the day yesterday to celebrate our nation’s birthday. Here in Montreal, Canada Day is sort of lame, usually overshadowed by the moving day tradition, and the much more high-profile jazz fest. So, needless to say, I was not prepared at the overwhelming display of patriotism in our nation’s capital.

When I woke up in the morning, I’d briefly considered wearing a red t-shirt, but quickly dismissed the idea as cheesy. As it turns out, I would’ve been underdressed compared to the people draped in flags, wearing hats with umbrellas on them, faces painted, you name it.

Feeling very much like a tourist in my own country, I set out with some friends to celebrate in style. Drinks at the absolutely mobbed Byward Market, free concerts on the Hill, a quick stop at the Ottawa Jazz Fest, and a barbecue to cap it all off. I had to drive home before the fireworks, but it was a nice day on the whole.

Still, I think I’ve seen enough maple leaf flags to last me a good long time.

Number of people wearing those cheesy umbrella hats? Loads, though we stopped counting at 47.

Canada Day madness in the Market area

Free concerts on the Hill

A week late, but better late than never. Went to see Great Big Sea at Ottawa Bluesfest last night, and finally found all the maple leafs, cheesy t-shirts, and Canadian pride that had been sorely lacking from last week’s Canada Day festivities at the Old Port. The guys put on a great show, as usual, and went on for a while about their newfound obsession with Beaver Tails.

Moral of the story? Want Canadiana? Leave Montreal and head to Ottawa.

If Saturday evening’s Canada Day festivities at the Old Port are any indication, then federalism in Quebec is in serious trouble.

Sure, it was raining, the Jazz Fest offered better music just a short walk away, and most people in Montreal were busier with moving vans than with parades. But the organizers of the Canada Day festival – excuse me, “Celafête” – have taken such pains in the past few years to erase anything Canada-related from the day, that what is left over is nothing but a hollow shell.

The music was an odd combination of Afro-Caribbean and gospel, the decorations lacked any sort of flags, maple leafs, or – apart from a few generic streamers – even a red and white colour scheme, and the fireworks display was accompanied mainly by Quebecois music. A few people had dressed in maple leafs for the occasion or brought along flags, but they were in the minority; I saw more Italy, France and Portugal flags on Saturday in Montreal than I did Canadian flags. Looking around in the crowd, an outside observer would be hard-pressed to find any clue that there was anything more than a Saturday night concert going on. I almost wish I’d stayed in London, where there was a big party in Trafalgar Square.

I missed the St-Jean Baptiste parties this year, but I’m sure that – as usual – there would have been a sea of blue and white, popular local music, Quebecois customs and celebrations, and a decisive air of Quebec national pride in the air. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, either. But the Canada Day organizers have downplayed the “Canada” in the Canada Day festivities so much, that they have lost the true meaning of the day. It you want to foster Canadian pride here in Quebec, it needs to be done openly, not by being ashamed. Make no mistake about it, there’s a colour war here in Quebec, and right now, the red and white is losing badly.

Today is a day to celebrate our country for its greatness despite its faults – maybe even because of its faults.

We Canadians are a diverse lot and we rarely agree on much. Our politicians are corrupt but we keep voting for them because the alternatives seem worse. Our patriotism is much more apparent abroad than at home. It is based on a broken healthcare system, a locked-out hockey league and knee-jerk anti-Americanism, but it unites us with a sense of fierce pride. We may not be able to define it but most of us wouldn’t give it up.

Canada Day is always a bit odd in Quebec, because here in La Belle Province, it seems everything possible has been done to prevent us from celebrating it. Most leases are up on July 1st so today is the unofficial “moving day” for most people in Montreal. As a result, more people will be shlepping boxes than watching fireworks tomorrow. Also, with last week’s Fete Nationale celebrations, many people just view this as a long weekend and part of the launch of summer that coincides with the Montreal Jazz Festival and all kinds of other fun things to do.

Maybe it’s because I recognize how fragile my status as a Canadian is, and that it’s been threatened multiple times and probably will be again in the future. Maybe it’s because, to far too many Canadians, I’m unwanted – an “acceptable casualty” in what they view as a greater good of just wishing good riddance to Quebec. Maybe it’s because of the feeling I get when I see our flag in a position of pride internationally, or when I meet other Canadians while travelling and share moments with them. Or maybe it’s none of those reasons.

But Canada Day, to me, is a time to reaffirm my love of this country and its people – flaws and all. So please join me in wishing a very happy 138th birthday to Canada. (And many more…)

We live in a crazy country. Our political system is a curious cross between boring and chaotic. Excessive regionalization, a province that keeps threatening to separate, and a national identity that’s more about what we’re *not* than who we *are*… these are just some of the things that can drive even a heartfelt federalist nuts.

But then I stop and think about all the great things about this country. There are so many beautiful places, from the Rockies to the Prairies to two coasts. We’ve got world-class cities like my home of Montreal and (I’ll grudgingly admit) Toronto. The people are generally friendly, we’ve got mostly solid values, and a thriving democracy with plenty of room for free speech and dissenting opinions. Despite our problems, we have a mainly peaceful, prosperous country that I, for one, am extremely proud to call home.

So shout it loud and clear, folks: I AM CANADIAN!!!

Happy Canada Day!