A brief history of Canada Day
If you're reading this at work today, you probably can’t wait until tomorrow, cause tomorrow’s Canada Day, Canada’s 141st birthday.
And if you are reading this at work today, you probably feel more than a little bit ripped-off cause Canada Day usually means a three-day weekend, but not this time around. This time around we’ve got a working day stuck in between the weekend and the holiday. Not only that, but you can bet your boss is expecting you to get some work done today, holiday tomorrow or not.
Oh well.
What can you do, eh?
Ours is not to reason why.
So until tomorrow, let me help you kill a few minutes with a brief history of Canada Day, courtesy of Wikipedia.
It goes a little something like this.
On June 20, 1868, Governor-General Lord Monck, called on Her Majesty's loving subjects to join in and celebrate the anniversary of the formation of a little country called Canada.
In 1879, the July 1 holiday was established as Dominion Day.
There’s no record of any organized ceremonies after this first anniversary, except for the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917.
The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. And ever since 1958, the government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada Day.
On Canada’s Centennial in 1967 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations on Parliament Hill for a large-scale official ceremony.
The format changed in 1968 with the addition of multicultural and professional concerts held on Parliament Hill including a nationally televised show. A new formula was developed in 1980 whereby the National Committee (the federal government organization charged with planning Canada's Birthday celebrations) stressed and sponsored the development of local celebrations all across Canada. Seed money was distributed to promote popular and amateur activities organized by volunteer groups in hundreds of local communities. The same approach was also followed for the 1981 celebrations with the addition of fireworks displays in 15 major cities across the nation.
On October 27, 1982, July 1st which was known as Dominion Day became Canada Day.
Since 1985, Canada Day Committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize and coordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally.
Oh, here’s a bit of trivia you might find interesting. Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on July 1 unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday. If it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is generally also a day off for those businesses ordinarily closed on Saturdays.
And this Canada Day will be especially interesting with this year also marking the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s founding of Quebec City on July 3, 1608.
So friends and neighbours, do your best to get through your workday and keep your chin up, cause Canada Day’s only one sleep away.
See you at the parade!
And if you are reading this at work today, you probably feel more than a little bit ripped-off cause Canada Day usually means a three-day weekend, but not this time around. This time around we’ve got a working day stuck in between the weekend and the holiday. Not only that, but you can bet your boss is expecting you to get some work done today, holiday tomorrow or not.
Oh well.
What can you do, eh?
Ours is not to reason why.
So until tomorrow, let me help you kill a few minutes with a brief history of Canada Day, courtesy of Wikipedia.
It goes a little something like this.
On June 20, 1868, Governor-General Lord Monck, called on Her Majesty's loving subjects to join in and celebrate the anniversary of the formation of a little country called Canada.
In 1879, the July 1 holiday was established as Dominion Day.
There’s no record of any organized ceremonies after this first anniversary, except for the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917.
The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. And ever since 1958, the government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada Day.
On Canada’s Centennial in 1967 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations on Parliament Hill for a large-scale official ceremony.
The format changed in 1968 with the addition of multicultural and professional concerts held on Parliament Hill including a nationally televised show. A new formula was developed in 1980 whereby the National Committee (the federal government organization charged with planning Canada's Birthday celebrations) stressed and sponsored the development of local celebrations all across Canada. Seed money was distributed to promote popular and amateur activities organized by volunteer groups in hundreds of local communities. The same approach was also followed for the 1981 celebrations with the addition of fireworks displays in 15 major cities across the nation.
On October 27, 1982, July 1st which was known as Dominion Day became Canada Day.
Since 1985, Canada Day Committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize and coordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally.
Oh, here’s a bit of trivia you might find interesting. Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on July 1 unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday. If it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is generally also a day off for those businesses ordinarily closed on Saturdays.
And this Canada Day will be especially interesting with this year also marking the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s founding of Quebec City on July 3, 1608.
So friends and neighbours, do your best to get through your workday and keep your chin up, cause Canada Day’s only one sleep away.
See you at the parade!
posted by Street Wise Guy | 2:34 AM
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