Somehow I don't think Canada 150 is going to leave much of a trace behind.
Posted on 07/01/2017 1:07:59 PM PDT by ReformationFan
To all my compatriots at home and abroad, a happy 150th birthday! At noon on this day in 1867, the British North America Act came into effect and the Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada - that's Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) - were united into the new Dominion of Canada under a constitutional document that has since been applied, all but unaltered, to newborn nations in almost every corner of the globe.
Something to celebrate, you'd think. But, for any Canadians old enough to remember the glorious centennial year of 1967, this is a much more muted anniversary, for reasons Mindy Alter and Barbara Kay both touch on. In American terms, it's as if the government decided to take the Fourth of July and turn it into something as tortured and self-loathing as Columbus Day in a typical Democrat city. In the broader sense, the difference between Dominion Day 1967 and now reflects no more than the consequences of two generations of the west's contempt for its own inheritance. If the music at the Vimy centenary is anything to go by, I tremble to contemplate what today's official Parliament Hill observances mightl bring.
Nevertheless, we're still here, just about, and that is something to celebrate, as they did in 1867. On Canada's inaugural day a century and a half ago, Toronto children waved miniature Union Jacks as an ox was roasted outside St Lawrence Hall. Conversely, on the waterfront in Halifax an effigy of Premier Charles Tupper was burned with a live wharf rat as the Chronicle bemoaned the death of "the free and enlightened Province of Novia Scotia" and its submersion within a deranged Dominion.
Meanwhile, in the new capital of a new polity, the Civil Service Rifles fired off a "feu de joie", but neglected to remove their ramrods first. So a volley of ramrods took off from Parliament Hill, sailed across Wellington Street and came down among startled pedestrians in Sparks Street - which is the sort of loopy stunt that these days you'd need one of the more incompetent jihadists to pull off. Other than that, things mostly went smoothly: Viscount Monck was sworn in as Canada's first Governor General, and he in turn swore in John A Macdonald as Canada's first Prime Minister. Queen Victoria conferred a knighthood upon her inaugural Canadian head of government, and the Order of the Bath on much of his ministry.
One hundred and fifty Dominion Days on, Lord Monck's successor is abasing himself before Tweeting natives, Sir John A's successor is wearing Happy Eid socks in the LGBTQWERTY parade, Queen Victoria's heir is giving a speech on global warming to eskimos, and, instead of those rowdy Novia Scotians lighting up Charles Tupper's effigy on a rotting wharf, an Arabic-cursing body-bagged crone from Syria is taking the machete to suburban shoppers in a Canadian Tire store. Progress!
I'm not sure even the doughtiest Dominion could handle that much progress. Will my beloved country still be here in another 150 years? Or will we be merely a frosty vilayet in the new Caliphate? Oh, well. Must look on the bright side. In this run-up to the big day, we've been celebrating Canadian songs that might not strike the world as such, from English movies, American hit parades, New York drive-ins, Brazilian bossa novas, tales of 9/11 heroism, and Filipino karaoke favourites: Whether or not "the world needs more Canada", it's been blessed by a fair bit.
If you fancy a break from Their Royal Highnesses, Their Excellencies and the Rt Hon 12-year-old Prime Minister on Parliament Hill, I'll be here in a few hours with the final entry in our Maple Songbook. And, if you're in the mood for a Canada Day routine with a difference, here's yours truly doing my crackerjack Mackenzie Bowell shtick live in Ottawa earlier this year:
What exactly is Canada?
Have they’ve ever defined it themselves other that not America?
Most times I’ve seen them try, it turned into pure cringe.
I feel his pain. Their current prime minister is a pajama boy.
Canada was nice. A bit odd, perhaps, but a nice neighbor. Canadians are not a violent bunch, and so it was quiet north of the border.
Then Trudeau was elected, and muzzies started streaming in. Beginning of the end.
Somehow I don't think Canada 150 is going to leave much of a trace behind.
I’ve often wondered where Mark Steyn got his Britishy accent. Most Canadians I’ve met sound like Americans.
“Blame Canada, blame Canada
They’re not even a real country anyway.”
Yes, after 150 years, loony libs are only able to define Canada as ‘not America’. Of course FWIW, the DOMINION of Canada was founded as a means to prevent the British North American colonies from being taken over by the most modern, well equipped and experienced army, let alone one of, it not the largest armies in the world (blue and grey combined). So, in a way, the libs are correct, excepting that after 150 years, they SHOULD be able to have come up with something different than ‘not being America’s, poutine, and ‘eh’ versus ‘huh’.
Since so few understand the history of this country, they are unable to explain the differences. Of course, with the biggest, loudest, most jingoistic (in a certain way) culture machine broadcasting 24/7, and Canadian radio and TV buying as much US broadcast ‘entertainment’ as it can, we are becoming more ‘American’ than ever! Given it is culture of ‘MTV’, (c)rap music, CNN, etc., it is the WORST of your culture that we are importing, NOT the benign things like Fox News.
As I am partaking of a BBQ, I have neither the time, nor the patience to examine the many subtle and not so subtle differences. I will enjoy my DOMINION Day (NOT Canada Day), since I am aware enough to know that the country I reside in is CANADA and I don’t need to be reminded of that fact on the 150th anniversary of the DOMINION of Canada!
Early good wishes to you and yours for a happy 4th of July!
Canada is or was British North America. For better or worse. It is more America than British these days. The french complicate things as usual. Very little hispanic influence like the US has. it occasionally makes the news in other parts of the world but for the most part is unmentioned and not in any ones conscious mind. Lots of land lakes and tundra.
yes indeed... one of the worst things for Canada has been Amwerican television
(in visiting Toronto in about 1970 or so, I was graciously ushered into my hosts’ home...only to discover the rest of his family glued to their boobtoob........with (as I recall) the announcement, ‘This is “Love American Style” from WGY-Buffalo!!!!”
pure inanity, 24/7. rotted millions of Americans’ minds...has same effect on all who watch it, including even Canadians
I figured Canada was sunk, just maybe with an extra ten years (over USA) to pull out of the dive. From what I can see of Canadian politics today, they didn’t recover.
I was in Montreal in 1967 for Expo 67.
I had a chance to visit amusement park that was set up in the area where the rides were back in 2015.
Its different nowadays. They closed the park at 9. I remember hanging out at Expo 67 later into the evening than that.
There’s the Islamic dress highly visible in the Montreal area nowadays, too.
I commuted in for the 8 hour visit from Ottawa where I stayed for a few days so I’ve seen the sights where the celebration is being held today in more detail.
Unfortunately, Harper put in some very anti free speech legislation in his last couple of years, all in the name of keeping Canada safe from terrorist, in the meantime, losing some Conservatives.
The hippie types that were so ‘gaga’ over Pierre Turd-owe, saw their youth rekindled, in Dustbin Turd-owe. After saying ‘No’ for a number of years, he finally put his name in and was be elected. He later became Leader of the Lieberals, who were elected almost two years ago. The good news is that, to the chagrin of the CBC, they can’t hide his intellectual ‘lightness’ and many Canadians are realizing this. There is a good chance that he will lose the next election. It is sad to realize that our Prime Minister is an intellectual lightweight compared even, to Obama.
just don’t get complacent that Canadians will elect someone else to get rid of the “intellectual lightweight”
at least, in USA...this would not necessarily obtain
much of the public mind has been so rotted out that they rather like, feel more at home, akin with “intellectual lightweights”
sometimes, the dumber (and more corrupt) the better
Their current PM makes Pajama Boy look like John Wayne by comparison.
Happy Dominion Day to you!
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