Complicated Canada Day: Maritimers share their feelings on celebrations this year
The stage is set for what promises to be a more normal Canada Day in Fredericton, N.B.
Final preparations were underway at the city’s exhibition grounds, where festivities begin Thursday night.
And there are plenty of people who say they’re ready to celebrate again.
“I feel absolutely awesome about Canada Day,” said one Fredericton resident. “It’s so exciting to be able to get together again and do great things together – and not be locked in our house!”
The pandemic changed the way Canada Day was celebrated in 2020. Many celebrations went virtual, and family and friends couldn’t gather in large groups.
Then, last year, after hundreds of unmarked graves were found at former residential school sites, many communities cancelled their Canada Day plans, out of respect. In Fredericton, “Resiliency Day” was marked instead.
This year, protests expressing anti-COVID-19 restrictions and anti-government sentiment – known as the Freedom Convoy – occupied downtown Ottawa and blocked some key border crossings for weeks.
The Canadian flag became a symbol of those protests, leaving some conflicted.
“I really hope that all of us as Canadians can find within ourselves to realize that we have differences and we have to work really hard towards reconciliation,” said a Fredericton resident.
“I feel like, with everything happening, with a lot of residential school children and their bodies still being found, I feel like no – it’s really tough to celebrate Canada Day for that reason right now,” said another.
“Canada Day is Canada Day! It should never be cancelled,” a couple said.
For Chief Alan Polchies, who helped organize a Resiliency Day march last year, it’s about balance.
“This is a complicated history that we have here in our country,” he said.
“So as an indigenous, Wolastoqey, two-spirited man, I will always move forward as Resilience Day. I can’t give honour to a celebration of confederacy based on the history. But I can walk hand in hand with my brothers and sisters, you know. People make their own choices. But let’s find some balance.”
He now hopes that Sept. 30 – the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – will be the day Canadians take a moment to learn and reflect.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.