July 2000 - Nr. 7
A Nation Worth Celebrating
by Ben Viccari
(Canadian Scene) - Every country has its national holiday and Canada is no exception. Perhaps the most joyous of these holidays is Canada Day, July 1. It’s the culmination of what is now known as Celebrate Canada. This is a ten-day period which begins with National Aboriginal Day on June 21 embraces the francophone celebration Saint-Jean Baptiste Day, June 24 and ends with Canada Day on July 1, the anniversary of the day on which four British colonies began the process of evolution toward a nation of ten provinces and three territories. Canada Day will be celebrated joyously on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and throughout the nation.
This Canada Day, a very special event will be the official opening of Pier 21 in Halifax. Now a National Historic Site, this abandoned immigrant reception building has been transformed into a showplace honouring the millions of people who have come to Canada seeking a better life. The timing of Pier 21 is highly appropriate to this particular moment in history, when once again we are opening our arms to refugees from hatred and oppression.
This year Celebrate Canada will be the last such occasion of a century of which Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s sixth prime minister, said: "The Twentieth Century belongs to Canada." This prophecy may be said to be unfulfilled in a sense of might and material wealth. In another sense, we witness the respect other nations have for us but at the same time frequently seem confused about our national identity. It is, therefore, worthwhile to heed what Laurier said about Canada. He described it as "the inspiration of my life" because of the ability of its Anglophones and Francophones to live together:
"I have had before me a...policy of true Canadianism, of moderation, of conciliation...In all the difficulties, all the pains and all the vicissitudes of our situation, let us always remember that love is better than hatred and faith better than doubt. Let hope in our future destinies guide us in our career."
I described that first Canada Day as the beginning of a "process of evolution" and I believe that is what we are all about. All over the world, nations are divided by ethnic conflict that is exacting a dreadful toll in terms of human lives. I believe history will show that, in our willingness to evolve in harmony, we began to set an example to all other nations. Let us strive to continue to do so.
