Ottawa Journal
Celebrating Canada's 140th birthday this weekend
David Tilson MP Dufferin- Caledon

Fireworks, parades, pancake breakfasts, and festivals all serve as a reminder of this country's beloved holiday, Canada Day.

This marks Canada's 140th celebration of this remarkable and amazing holiday. The day annually serves as a reminder to all Canadian citizens of our country's formation July 1, 1867.

The formation of Canada Day has taken place over a number of years and has a rich history. Specifically, Canada Day is a celebration of the creation of the dominion of Canada through the British North America Act (BNA Act). This Act, signed on July 1, 1867, unified three British colonies: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada. The three colonies unified to form one country, Canada. Under the BNA Act Canada was divided into four provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.

On June 20, 1868, a proclamation was signed and issued by Governor General, Lord Monck, inviting, "all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1."

The holiday was formerly known as "Dominion Day" because of the "dominion" which was first used to describe a political union within the British Empire for Canada. This occurred because at the time, the British government was hesitant to adopt "Kingdom of Canada," the name proposed by the Fathers of Confederation.

There aren't any records of celebrations of this day after 1869 again until 1917. The next recorded celebration was 10 years later in 1927. Since 1958, the Canadian government has always arranged for the observance of this national holiday with the Secretary of the State being in charge of the co-ordination. The title of the holiday was officially changed to Canada Day Oct. 27, 1982, even though people had referred to the day as Canada Day for many years before.

Plenty of people celebrate this holiday on a local level every year. This is greatly assisted by numerous Canada Day Committees, established in 1985. These committees were established solely for the purpose of organizing and planning events specifically for Canada Day in each province or territory across the nation. However, the most noted events occur on Parliament Hill. Many citizens journey to Ottawa to observe Canada Day in the nation's capital city, and last year the attendance rose to over 25,000. On Parliament Hill, appearances by the prime minister and governor general occur on an annual basis. The Queen has also participated in past celebrations. Fireworks and shows accompany other festivities. Last year, Canada Day was also distinguished on an international level with celebrations occurring in London, England.

I sincerely wish each of you a magnificent and memorable Canada Day this July. I hope that each of you will remember this country's great history and the meaning behind the holiday throughout your time of celebration.