As we prepare to celebrate Canada Day, it鈥檚 a good time to ponder the big celebration we鈥檙e going to have in 2017 to commemorate Canada鈥檚 150th anniversary.
It should be more than fireworks, parades and speeches 鈥� although there will be plenty of those. It should celebrate not just who we were and are, but what we can become.
The federal government is gearing up for the anniversary with an ad campaign, which raises the spectre of the occasion being hijacked by partisan forces. Canada had a grand centennial in 1967 鈥� its festivities and observances brought 91原创s together. But unity will not be enhanced if we allow the Conservatives or any other political party to call the shots for Canada鈥檚 150th anniversary.
The celebration belongs to all of us; we should all have a part in its planning 鈥� individuals, organizations and municipal and provincial governments. And there鈥檚 not much time left to do that planning.
The centennial was something of a coming-of-age party. We鈥檙e older and wiser now, and in some cases, a little sadder, as we realize the country鈥檚 past has not all been glorious. Part of maturity is acknowledging those mistakes and making amends.
However, we should not lose sight of the fact that Canada is still very much worth celebrating. Those were heady days in 1967, but the centennial spirit was more than a thing of the moment 鈥� it sparked enthusiasm and energy that permeated all aspects of 91原创 life for many years. We would do well to emulate that spirit.
91原创s remember well that time, Keith Neuman, an Environics Research group vice-president, told the House of Commons standing committee on 91原创 heritage in 2012. According to a survey conducted by his company, 鈥渕any 91原创s have very fond and very strong memories of 1967 and the centennial celebrations.鈥�
鈥淭he feelings were all very positive. It was pride, pride in Canada, joy, happiness. There was very little negative emotion.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 striking is that going back that many years, people who were there even as young children still had vivid emotional memories. It may be that emotional connection is the most important.鈥�
Fifty years later, we have an expanded view of Canada and fully recognize the country did not simply spring into existence in 1867. Its history is not that of one particular ethnic group, but of many, all of whom had important roles in developing Canada.
That same Commons committee was reminded that focusing only on the date of Canada鈥檚 founding would disregard the aboriginal cultures and societies that lived in Canada long before 1867.
鈥淐anada cannot divest itself of the roles and place that aboriginal peoples have played in the history of this country,鈥� said Jeffrey Cyr, executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres. 鈥淭he name Canada itself is an aboriginal word, as are many other places and names in this country, including Ottawa, Quebec and Manitoba. Therefore, any celebration of Canada鈥檚 birthday, including its upcoming 150th, must be inclusive of our rich cultures, traditions and societies.鈥�
As we plan for Canada鈥檚 150th, we in B.C. should also be making plans for 2021, the 150th anniversary of the founding of B.C. The two events are inextricably linked, for without B.C., it is unlikely the Canada we know would exist today.
It was the railway, promised when B.C. agreed to join the rest of Canada, that stitched together this vast and improbable country. It was B.C. that completed the creation of the Canada that goes from coast to coast to coast.
Anniversary celebrations spring from the past, but we should look to that past for the lessons that will help us build a better future.
