Happy Dominion/ Independence Day! Enjoy your freedom/servitude!

July 3rd, 2006 Posted in 2006

One of the perks of being a Canadian living in America is getting the opportunity to celebrate both countries in one long weekend: Canada Day on July 1st and Independence Day on July 4th.

A lot of U.S. residents (and by a lot, I mean “the one or two who cared enough to be curious”) ask me what, exactly, Canadians celebrate on July 1st. Americans are a bit cocky about the Fourth of July, it seems—”When we set off fireworks and drink luke-warm Pabst, it’s in the spirit of celebration of our emancipation from the British. What’s your excuse?”

Canada Day, it turns out, used to be called Dominion Day up intil ‘82, and is a celebration of the anniversary of the formation of various British-governed provinces into a unified region called Canada. Effectively, Canada Day is our Non-Independence Day—we set off fireworks and drink luke-warm Labatt’s in the spirit of celebration of our subjugation to the British. We’re a polite folk, us Canucks. We commemorate the fact that, while America was off firing muskets and paying for its freedom with human lives, we were courteous enough not to make any waves. “Let’s sit this out and see what happens,” I imagine my Canadian forefathers agreeing nervously. Technically, if England called us up on July 1st and told us all the firework noise was keeping them up, we’d sheepishly apologize and call it an early night.

Anyway. Dominion Day, Independence Day—either way, it’s an excuse to drink, right?