Happy Canada Day

photo credit Toronto star

Canada day means late mornings for a change.

In the evening the sky would be lit with fireworks display. The biggest and the best would be at the Ashbridges Bay.

In Ottawa, the traditional march past was held today with the GG's Guards in attendance and thousands in attendance.

The first Canada Day party was in Bakersville, BC in 1868.

The citizens of the newly formed Dominion of Canada heard that the Americans plan to celebrate July 4 in a big way. So they got together to steal the show. Read it here about it.

Here are two quizzes from the Star today:

19. In 2007, the nation sending Canada the highest percentage of our 236,760 immigrants that year was:
a. Jamaica
b. Great Britain
c. People's Republic of China
d. India

21. Toronto and Vancouver, tied at 37 per cent of total population that is foreign-born, leave only seven Canadian cities in double-digits of foreign-born residents. The three highest of these are
a. Calgary
b. Winnipeg
c. Edmonton
d. Ottawa
e. Montreal

Answers? Follow the link.

Other than barbecues and fireworks, it has become traditional for new Canadians to take oath of citizenship this day.

This country is where I have my roots. I have lived here for more than half my life. Our children are born here. With its multi-culturism policy and respect for law and equality I feel this is my home.

Like any big country Canada also has its share of problems and issues - the economic downturn, treatment of its Indian aboriginals, minority rights, its pathological following of the US foreign policy, its unpopular incursion into Afghanistan. This is something that would never have happened under the philosopher-king Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

But all that is overshadowed by its people and their sense of decency, its institutions, its democratic governance, and its yearning for world peace.

In the words of Lester b Pearson, the winner of 1957 Nobel for Peace:

Of all our dreams today there is none more important - or so hard to realise - than that of peace in the world. May we never lose our faith in it or our resolve to do everything that can be done to convert it one day into reality.

Happy 142nd Canada Day to you.

[ED: It's also Pamela Anderson's 42nd birthday]