Canada Day

Every year after the alcohol-soaked, I'm having a party in my pants wanna come shindig that is Pride, comes the more provincial Canada Day.

Civilised, staid Canada Day.

A day where you can get cake at Queen's Park. Or a free water bottle at Mel Lastman Square. Or join the feds and 100,000 other folks at Downsview Park. For cake.

Whatever I do, it always pales in comparison to the vast amount of dedication to this country that I have. There are no huge parades, no real beer gardens, and definately no good acts on stage.

Last night I braved the rain and went to Ashbridges Bay to catch the fireworks. Decent fireworks, as they are every year. (Except for the year a bunch of us went down there, with a few thousand others, only to find out the city didn't shell out for fireworks that year).

I simply don't think we're loud enough on July 1. But I suppose that's what makes us Canadian. There are a lot of Americans downtown this weekend, and they are easily recognisable by their loud mouths. And the drivel that comes out of said mouths.

So every July 1 is the same, a pale shade of the vibrancy of this great country. Where conversations turn to the old standby, "What does it mean to be Canadian, and how are we different from Americans."

This July 1st was different in one small detail. While the govenment was busy administering the oath of citizenship for 2300 people, that's not all that was on thier plate: A family of five (including a kid that was born on this soil) were deported for being here illegally.

"They want to take me out of the country, but nobody can take Canada from my heart"
-Gerald Lizano-Sossa

And that, my friends, I suppose is what Canada is all about these days.

Categories: Canada, Issues