On 1 July 2015, we joined 35 million
Canadians to celebrate Canada Day. Their
national day celebrates the anniversary of Canada becoming a Dominion which occurred
on this day in 1867. Unlike the USA,
both NZ and Canada have no actual date that defines their ‘independence’—full
sovereignty from Britain was obtained over many years, a process that was not
completed until 1982 for Canada and 1986 for NZ.
For a couple of outsiders, these
celebrations appeared to invoke strong feelings of national pride, certainly
stronger than those we experience in NZ on Waitangi Day; but less than what we experienced
when we visited California a number of years ago on 4 July, this being independence
day in the States. What do Canadians in Vancouver
do on Canada Day? While some fly the Canadian
flag, most go to the beach and line up for several hours to watch a parade
through the streets of Vancouver, a parade that celebrates Canada’s many
cultures: it turns out that Canada is one most ethnically diverse and
multicultural nations in the world. The day’s
festivities would not be complete without gathering at the waterfront for an
enduring display of fireworks.
Forty years after Canada, NZ also became a
Dominion on 26 September 1907. No one
really celebrated 'Dominion Day' in NZ; and, if they did, it lasted only a few
years. Our only legacy celebrating this
date was the launch of the Wellington
“Dominion newspaper”: which is still in print today. Instead of celebrating Dominion Day, we celebrate
Waitangi Day—which in effect celebrates the beginning of British colonisation. Being part of the Canadian celebration has forced
me to think about this: for many people ‘colonisation’ is not a concept that they
wish to remember, let alone celebrate. Perhaps
we, like the Canadians, should instead celebrate our Dominion Day on 26
September; so as to generate a greater level of national pride, similar to what
we experienced here in Vancouver. If
nothing else, this would give me a holiday the day before my birthday.
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