Editing Canada Day

{{short description|Canadian national holiday on July 1}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox holiday
|image        = {{multiple image
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| image2             = Ottawa fireworks 49 (27768773120).jpg
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| image3             = Canada Day in Toronto - 2018 (42229729285) (cropped).jpg
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| image4             = Défilé du Canada à Montréal (48651194312).jpg
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| image5             = A First Nations representative carries the Union Jack during Canada Day celebrations in Calgary, Alberta - 2022.jpg
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| footer           = From top, left to right: Canada Day Fireworks display on [[Parliament Hill]], in [[Ottawa]], Ontario; a young woman celebrates Canada Day in [[Toronto]], Ontario; a Canada Day parade in [[Montreal]], Quebec; a member of Canada's [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] with a [[Flag of Canada|national flag]] and [[Union Jack#Canada|Royal Union Flag]] at Canada Day celebrations in [[Calgary]], Alberta
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|holiday_name = Canada Day
|nickname     = ''Fête du Canada''<br>[[Dominion Day]] (1879–1982)
|observedby   = [[Canada]]
|date         = July 1
|mdy          = no
|duration     = 1 day
|frequency    = Annual
|celebrations = Fireworks, parades, barbecues, concerts, carnivals, fairs, picnics
|type         = national
|longtype     = Historical, cultural, national
|significance = Anniversary of [[Canadian Confederation]] on July 1, 1867|firsttime=July 1, 1867}}

'''Canada Day''',{{efn|{{langx|fr|Fête du Canada|lit=Feast of Canada}}, {{IPA|fr|faɛ̯t dzy kanadɑ|}}}} formerly known as '''Dominion Day''',{{efn|{{langx|fr|Fête du Dominion|lit=Feast of Dominion}}}} is the [[national day]] of [[Canada]]. A [[Public holidays in Canada|federal statutory holiday]], it celebrates the anniversary of [[Canadian Confederation]] which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the [[British North America Act, 1867]], when the three separate colonies of the [[Province of Canada|United Canadas]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[New Brunswick]] were united into a single [[dominion]] within the [[British Empire]] called Canada.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www1.canadiana.org/citm/themes/constitution/constitution13_e.html| title=Canada in the Making > Constitutional History > 1867–1931: Becoming a Nation| publisher=Canadiana| access-date=June 16, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209071528/http://www.canadiana.org/citm/themes/constitution/constitution13_e.html| archive-date=February 9, 2010| df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmgBsaRJbTQC&pg=PT215| last=Moore| first=Christopher| title=1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal| year=2011| page=215| publisher=McClelland & Stewart| isbn=978-1-55199-483-3| access-date=June 30, 2013}}</ref>

Originally called [[Dominion Day]],{{efn|{{langx|fr|Le Jour de la Confédération}}}} the holiday was renamed in 1982, the same year that the [[Constitution of Canada|Canadian constitution]] was [[Patriation|patriated]] by the [[Canada Act, 1982]], which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Matthew Hayday|author2=Raymond B. Blake|title=Celebrating Canada: Holidays, National Days, and the Crafting of Identities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4dXlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2017|publisher=University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division|isbn=978-1-4426-2154-1|page=19}}</ref> Canada Day celebrations take place throughout the country, as well as in various locations around the world attended by [[Canadian diaspora|Canadians living abroad]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Adam Dodek|title=The Canadian Constitution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86s7CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|year=2016|publisher=University of Ottawa Faculty of Law|isbn=978-1-4597-3505-7|page=29}}</ref>

==Commemoration==
Canada Day is often informally referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press.{{refn|<ref>{{Cite news| last1=Panetta| first1=Alexander | last2=Pedwell| first2=Terry| title=An unforgettable Canada Day, eh?| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=July 2, 2007| url=https://www.thestar.com/article/231568| access-date=May 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title=Canada Day celebrations| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=June 29, 2007| url=https://www.thestar.com/article/230791| access-date=May 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Canwest News Service| title=Harper salutes international role in Canada Day address| newspaper=National Post| date=July 1, 2007| url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=1153724d-9877-48af-9608-adef9a42d9cf| access-date=May 12, 2007| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214610/http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=1153724d-9877-48af-9608-adef9a42d9cf| archive-date=June 28, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref>}} However, the term "birthday" can be seen as an [[oversimplification]], as Canada Day is the anniversary of only one important national milestone on the way to the country's full sovereignty, namely the joining on July 1, 1867, of the colonies of [[United Province of Canada|Canada]] (divided into [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]), [[Nova Scotia]], and [[New Brunswick]] into a wider British federation of four provinces.<ref>{{Cite news| last1=Garrard| first1=Graeme | title=Happy anniversary, Canada| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=July 1, 2013| url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/01/happy_anniversary_canada.html}}</ref> Canada became a "kingdom in its own right" within the [[British Empire]], commonly known as the ''Dominion of Canada''.{{refn|Canadian representatives had actually requested the title ''Kingdom of Canada'' be granted, to "fix the monarchical basis of the constitution", but the idea was vetoed by the [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|British Foreign Secretary]] at the time, [[Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby|the Lord Stanley]], and the title ''[[dominion]]'' was used in its place.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qs6IKxQxUjsC&pg=PA60| last1=Wrong| first1=George M.| last2=Langton| first2=H. H.| title=The Chronicles of Canada: Volume VIII – The Growth of Nationality| page=60| year=2009| publisher=Fireship Press| isbn=978-1-934757-51-2| access-date=June 30, 2013}}</ref> See [[Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion|Name of Canada > Adoption of Dominion]].|group=n|name=Kingdom}}{{refn|<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~HeritageSaintJohn/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm| title=Heritage Saint John &gt Canadian Heraldry| publisher=Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College| access-date=July 3, 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306130913/http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~HeritageSaintJohn/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm| archive-date=March 6, 2005| df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx| last=The Royal Household| title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > History and present government| publisher=Queen's Printer| access-date=July 3, 2009| archive-date=July 27, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727070332/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| author=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=The Crown in Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2005| page=7| url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CH4-127-2003E.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181817/http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CH4-127-2003E.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-06 |url-status=live| access-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/101-eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611165523/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/101-eng.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-11 |url-status=live| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Canada: Symbols of Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| page=3| access-date=July 1, 2010}}</ref>}}

Although a British dominion, [[Canada]] gained an increased level of political control and governance over its own affairs, the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British parliament]] and [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|cabinet]] maintaining political control over certain areas, such as foreign affairs, national defence, and [[constitutional amendment|constitutional changes]]. Canada gradually gained increasing sovereignty over the years—notably with the passage of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] in 1931—until finally becoming completely sovereign with the passing of the [[Constitution Act, 1982]], which served to fully [[Patriation|patriate the Canadian constitution]].<ref>{{cite book| first1=Trevor| last1=Harrison| first2=John W.| last2=Friesen|title=Canadian Society in the Twenty-First Century, 3e: An Historical Sociological Approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dksqCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA67|year=2015|publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press|isbn=978-1-55130-735-0|pages=67–68}}</ref>

Under the federal Holidays Act,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/H-5/page-1.html#h-2| last=Canada Department of Justice| title=Holiday Act| year=1985| publisher=Canada Department of Justice| access-date=June 18, 2012}}</ref> Canada Day is observed on July 1, unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday. Celebratory events will generally still take place on July 1, even though it is not the legal holiday.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=b3903533-2a8d-40d7-8bc9-d718d9fd9367| last=Government of Saskatchewan| title=Canada Day to be observed Monday, July 2| date=June 18, 2007| publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan| access-date=January 23, 2010| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706203616/http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=b3903533-2a8d-40d7-8bc9-d718d9fd9367| archive-date=July 6, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref> If it falls on a weekend, businesses normally closed that day will usually dedicate the following Monday as a day off.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ehlaw.ca/july-1st-a-sunday-holidays-act-bumps-canada-day-to-july-2nd/| title=July 1st a Sunday? Holidays Act "Bumps" Canada Day to July 2nd| date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Confederation Day Vancouver 1917.jpg|thumb|A crowd in [[Vancouver]] celebrates [[Dominion Day]] in 1917, the [[golden jubilee]] of [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]]]]
The enactment of the [[British North America Acts#British North America Act, 1867|British North America Act, 1867]] (today called the [[Constitution Act, 1867]]), which [[Canadian Confederation|confederated Canada]], was celebrated on July 1, 1867, with the ringing of the bells at the [[Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto)|Cathedral Church of St James]] in Toronto and "bonfires, fireworks, and illuminations, excursions, military displays, and musical and other entertainments", as described in contemporary accounts.<ref name=Levine>{{cite news| url=http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/06/29/allan-levine-the-evolution-of-july-1/| last=Levine| first=Allan| title=The evolution of July 1| date=June 28, 2013| newspaper=National Post| access-date=June 30, 2013| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130701061209/http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/06/29/allan-levine-the-evolution-of-july-1/| archive-date=July 1, 2013| df=mdy-all}}</ref> On June 20 of the following year, [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck|the Viscount Monck]] issued a royal [[proclamation]] asking for [[Canadians]] to celebrate the anniversary of Confederation,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/canada-eng.cfm| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Canada Day| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=June 16, 2011}}</ref> However, the holiday was not established statutorily until May 15, 1879,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1359126121678/1359126177433| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Dominion Day| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=July 30, 2013| access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> when it was designated as ''[[Dominion Day]]'', alluding to the reference in the British North America Act to the country as a [[dominion]].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_LHcv89nW4C&pg=PA45| last1=James| first1=Patrick| last2=Kasoff| first2=Mark J.| title=Canadian Studies in the New Millennium| publisher=University of Toronto Press| page=45| year=2008| isbn=978-0-8020-9468-1}}</ref> The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; any celebrations were mounted by local communities and the governor general hosted a party at [[Rideau Hall]].<ref name=Levine/> No larger celebrations were held until 1917, and then none again for a further decade—the gold and diamond anniversaries of Confederation, respectively.<ref name=CanoeBkg>{{cite news| last=Canadian Heritage| title=Canada Day Background/How we got our national holiday| publisher=Canoe| url=http://www.canoe.ca/Canadiana/canday.html| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729154139/http://www.canoe.ca/Canadiana/canday.html| url-status=usurped| archive-date=July 29, 2012| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref>

In 1946, [[Philéas Côté]], a Quebec member of the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], introduced a [[private member's bill]] to rename Dominion Day as ''Canada Day''.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Carnegie| first=R.K.| title=Drew Right: Provinces Have Say-So On Holidays| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=15| date=April 19, 1946}}</ref> The bill was passed quickly by the lower chamber but was stalled by the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]], which returned it to the commons with the recommendation that the holiday be renamed ''The National Holiday of Canada'', an amendment that effectively killed the bill.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Editorial Board| title=A New Low in Compromise| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=6| date=August 10, 1946}}</ref>

The Canadian government began in 1958 to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations. That year, then-Prime Minister [[John Diefenbaker]] requested that [[Secretary of State for Canada|Secretary of State]] [[Ellen Fairclough]] organize appropriate events, with a budget of $14,000. Parliament was traditionally in session on July 1, but Fairclough persuaded Diefenbaker and the rest of the [[Cabinet of Canada|federal cabinet]] to attend.<ref name=Levine/> Official celebrations thereafter consisted usually of [[Trooping the Colour#Canada|trooping the colour]] ceremonies on [[Parliament Hill]] in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Fairclough, who became [[Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (Canada)|Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]], later expanded the bills to include performing folk and ethnic groups. The day also became more casual and family oriented.<ref name=Levine/>
[[File:Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her Canadian Ministers at Rideau Hall 1 July 1967.jpg|thumb|left|[[Elizabeth II]], [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]], with her [[19th Canadian Ministry|cabinet]], including [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Lester B. Pearson]], in the ballroom of [[Rideau Hall]], [[Ottawa]], on Dominion Day, 1967, the [[Canadian Centennial|centennial of Confederation]]]]

[[Canadian Centennial|Canada's centennial]] in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian nationalism and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in [[Ottawa]] were added and the fête became known as ''Festival Canada''. After 1980, the Canadian government began to promote celebrating Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/celebrate-canada.html| author=Canadian Heritage| title=Celebrate Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=June 17, 2019| website=aem}}</ref>

Some Canadians were, by the early 1980s, informally referring to the holiday as ''Canada Day'',{{refn|Numerous references to Canada Day may be found in issues of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' published in the late 1970s.{{refn|<ref name=Sibley/><ref>{{Cite news| title=Across Canada/Pro-Canada sign painter has brush with law| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=12| date=November 19, 1977}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Cherry| first=Zena| title=Protocol chiefs gather to discuss their trade| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=27| date=February 20, 1978}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Stevens| first=Geoffrey| title=With many tongues| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=6| date=March 2, 1978}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Canadian Press| title=Federal support for new festival| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| page=16| date=March 30, 1978}}</ref>}}|group=n|name=Name}} a practice that caused some controversy:<ref name=CBC/> Proponents argued that the name ''Dominion Day'' was a holdover from the colonial era—an argument given some impetus by the [[patriation]] of the [[Constitution of Canada|Canadian constitution]] in 1982—and others asserted that an alternative was needed as the term does not translate well into French.<ref name=Sibley/> Conversely, numerous politicians, journalists, and authors, such as [[Robertson Davies]],<ref name=Mnemographia/> decried the change at the time and some continue to maintain that it was illegitimate and an unnecessary break with tradition.<ref name=Sibley/> Others claimed ''dominion'' was widely misunderstood and conservatively inclined commenters saw the change as part of a much larger attempt by [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]] to "re-brand" or re-define Canadian history.<ref name=Sibley/><ref name=Mnemographia>{{cite journal| last=Bentley| first=D.M.R.| title=Essay 11: Parading Past| journal=Mnemographia Canadensis| year=1999| volume=1| issue=Muse and Recall| url=http://www.uwo.ca/english/canadianpoetry/architexts/mnemographia_canadensis/index.htm| access-date=July 11, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702052517/http://www.uwo.ca/english/canadianpoetry/architexts/mnemographia_canadensis/index.htm| archive-date=July 2, 2013| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=We should be celebrating Dominion Day| url=https://nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=26cb959a-54c2-46e9-9aa2-d5738fae183b&k=22894| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907165540/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=26cb959a-54c2-46e9-9aa2-d5738fae183b&k=22894| url-status=dead| archive-date=September 7, 2012| access-date=July 11, 2011| newspaper=National Post}}</ref> Columnist [[Andrew Cohen (journalist)|Andrew Cohen]] called ''Canada Day'' a term of "crushing banality" and criticized it as "a renunciation of the past [and] a misreading of history, laden with political correctness and historical ignorance".<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glcBcaMC6doC&pg=PA90| last=Cohen| first=Andrew| title=The Unfinished Canadian: The People We Are| year=2008| publisher=McClelland & Stewart Limited| page=90| isbn=978-0-7710-2286-9}}</ref>

The holiday was officially renamed as a result of a private member's bill that was passed through the House of Commons on July 9, 1982, two years after its [[Reading (legislature)#First reading|first reading]].<ref name=Levine/> Only 12 members of parliament were present when the bill was taken up again, 8 fewer than the necessary [[quorum]]; however, according to parliamentary rules, the quorum is enforceable only at the start of a sitting or when a member calls attention to it.<ref>{{Cite book| last1=Marleau| first1=Robert| last2=Montpetit| first2=Camille| title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice| place=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=January 2000| url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/marleaumontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?Sec=Ch09&Seq=3&Language=E| chapter=9. Sittings of the House| access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref> The group passed the bill in five minutes, without debate,<ref name=CBC>{{cite web| url=http://archives.cbc.ca/society/celebrations//topics/2328/| title=Society > Celebrations > Celebrating Canada Day| publisher=CBC| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref> inspiring "grumblings about the underhandedness of the process".<ref name=Levine/> It met with stronger resistance in the Senate. [[Ernest Manning]] argued that the rationale for the change was based on a misperception of the name and [[George McIlraith]] did not agree with the manner in which the bill was passed, urging the government to proceed in a more "dignified way". However, the Senate did eventually pass the bill, regardless.<ref name=Sibley>{{cite news| last=Sibley| first=Robert| title=The death of 'Dominion Day'| url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=849548fc-39c5-4714-964f-089d6866cff4| date=September 1, 2006| newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen| access-date=July 11, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110135911/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=849548fc-39c5-4714-964f-089d6866cff4| archive-date=November 10, 2012| df=mdy-all}}</ref> With the granting of [[royal assent]], the holiday's name was officially changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982, and first celebrated under that name July 1, 1983.<ref>{{cite book|author=Congressional Quarterly, inc|title=Editorial Research Reports, 1984|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnb-aq0ZvSoC|date= 1985|publisher=Cq Pr|isbn=978-0-87187-354-5|page=9}}</ref>
[[File:A coin of the Seal of the Order of Canada.png|thumb|The Sovereign's seal of the [[Order of Canada]], a [[state order]] inaugurated on July 1, 1967]]

As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first national radio network hookup by the [[Canadian National Railway]] (1927); the inauguration of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]'s cross-country television broadcast, with Governor General [[Vincent Massey]]'s Dominion Day speech from Parliament Hill (1958);<ref name=Levine/> the flooding of the [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]] (1958); the first colour television transmission in Canada (1966); the inauguration of the [[Order of Canada]] (1967); and the establishment of "[[O Canada]]" as the country's [[national anthem]] (1980). During the [[150th anniversary of Canada|Canada's sesquicentennial]] in 2017, the [[Bank of Canada]] released a [[Commemorative banknotes of the Canadian dollar|commemorative $10 banknote]], which was expected to be broadly available by Canada Day.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/new-bank-note-canadas-150th/|title=New Bank Note for Canada's 150th| publisher=Bank of Canada| date=December 3, 2014| accessdate=June 30, 2019}}</ref>

The [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada|COVID-19 pandemic]] led to the cancellation in 2020 of all in-person Canada Day festivities nationwide, due to [[social distancing]] and restrictions on public gatherings. Some were converted to [[virtual event]]s.{{refn|<ref>{{Citation| url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7942396/canada-day-virtual-2021-covid-jann-arden/| title=COVID-19: Canada Day in Ottawa goes virtual for 2nd year in a row with Jann Arden| publisher=Global News| accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6834078/ottawa-canada-day-cancelled-coronavirus-covid-19-virtual-program/| title=Ottawa's Canada Day celebrations cancelled due to coronavirus, virtual program planned| publisher=Global News| accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7128428/coronavirus-canada-day-events/| title=2020 Canada Day 'unlike any other' as celebrations move online, cancelled amid COVID-19| publisher=Global News| accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref>}} The same cancellations occurred the following year; though, some also [[#Criticism and protest|for political reasons]].{{refn|<ref name=:4>{{Citation| url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7972536/three-northern-sask-communities-canada-day/| title=Three northern Saskatchewan communities 'pause' Canada Day| publisher=Global News| accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name="CBC News">{{Citation| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/canada-day-cancellations-1.6078702| title=New Brunswick communities cancel Canada Day celebrations to 'step back and reflect'| date=June 24, 2021| publisher=CBC News| accessdate=June 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kotyk|first=Alyse|date=June 21, 2021|title=More Canada Day festivities cancelled in B.C. following residential school discovery|url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/more-canada-day-festivities-cancelled-in-b-c-following-residential-school-discovery-1.5479117|access-date=June 25, 2021|website=CTV News British Columbia|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/shame-on-canada-thousands-attend-cancel-canada-day-rally-on-parliament-hill-1.5493234| title='Shame on Canada': Thousands attend Cancel Canada Day rally on Parliament Hill| date=July 1, 2021| publisher=CTV News Ottawa| accessdate=May 17, 2022}}</ref>}} In-person festivities in Ottawa returned in 2022, being re-located from Parliament Hill to [[LeBreton Flats]] due to construction associated with the [[Parliament Hill Rehabilitation]] project.<ref name=:6/>

Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the [[first day on the Somme|first day of the Battle of the Somme]] in 1916—shortly after which [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] recognized July 1 as [[Memorial Day (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Memorial Day]] to commemorate the [[Newfoundland Regiment]]'s heavy losses during the battle<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/custom.html| last=Hiscock| first=Philip| title=Society and Culture > Folklore and Traditional Culture > Custom| publisher=Memorial University of Newfoundland| access-date=June 18, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.mun.ca/memorial/living/memorial_day.php| title=A Living Memorial > Memorial Day| publisher=Memorial University of Newfoundland| access-date=May 31, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627141638/https://www.mun.ca/memorial/living/memorial_day.php| archive-date=June 27, 2008| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref>—and the enactment of the [[Chinese Immigration Act, 1923|Chinese Immigration Act]] in 1923, leading [[Chinese-Canadian]]s to refer to July 1 as ''Humiliation Day'' ({{lang-zh|t=僑恥日|p=Qiáo Chǐ Rì}}) and boycott Dominion Day celebrations with shop closures, flying the [[Canadian flag]] on [[half-mast]], or hanging [[wreath]]s in front of home and shop entrances until the act was repealed in 1947.{{refn|<ref>{{cite news| title=CBC News > Indepth > China > Chinese Immigration| publisher=CBC| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040629010313/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/china/chinese_immigration.html| archive-date=June 29, 2004| date=June 10, 2004| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/china/chinese_immigration.html| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=排華法百年展徵集「身分證」 加國華人曾稱7月1日「僑恥日」 |url=http://www.mingpaocanada.com/van/htm/News/20210626/vas1h_r.htm |access-date=1 July 2022 |work=[[Ming Pao]] |date=26 June 2021 |language=zh-hant}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=陳儀芬 |title=華埠掌故將開幕 星島帶您先一探究竟 |url=https://www.singtao.ca/5336828/2021-11-03/news-%E8%8F%AF%E5%9F%A0%E6%8E%8C%E6%95%85%E5%B0%87%E9%96%8B%E5%B9%95++%E6%98%9F%E5%B3%B6%E5%B8%B6%E6%82%A8%E5%85%88%E4%B8%80%E6%8E%A2%E7%A9%B6%E7%AB%9F/?variant=zh-hk |access-date=1 July 2022 |work=[[Sing Tao Daily (Canada)]] |date=3 November 2021 |language=zh-hant}}</ref>}} Canada Day also coincides with Quebec's [[Moving Day (Quebec)|Moving Day]], when many fixed-lease apartment rental terms expire. The bill changing the province's moving day from May 1 to July 1 was introduced by a federalist member of the [[National Assembly of Quebec|Quebec National Assembly]], [[Jérôme Choquette]], in 1973,<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2002/070402/ncity.html| last=Lejtenyi| first=Patrick| title=Moving day conspiracy| newspaper=Montreal Mirror| url-status=dead| accessdate=July 1, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603155543/http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2002/070402/ncity.html| archive-date=June 3, 2012}}</ref> in order not to affect children still in school in the month of May.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/montreal/features/movingday/| last=Madigan| first=Tracey| date=June 28, 2005| title=Get a Move On| publisher=CBC| accessdate=July 1, 2010}}</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:Canada Ottawa William Kate 2011 (2).jpg|thumb|[[William, Prince of Wales|The Duke]] and [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Duchess of Cambridge]] at the official Canada Day celebration in Ottawa, 2011]]

Most communities across the country host organized celebrations for Canada Day, typically outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts,<ref name="Heritage96">{{cite web| url=http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=6NR110| author=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=British Columbia and Yukon invited to participate to "Celebrate Canada!" Days| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=May 31, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109190402/http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=6NR110| archive-date=November 9, 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref> as well as [[Oath of Citizenship (Canada)|citizenship ceremonies]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/citizenship/cit-ceremony.asp| last=Citizenship and Immigration Canada| author-link=Citizenship and Immigration Canada| title=Applying for citizenship > The citizenship ceremony| date=March 31, 2007| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/citizenship-ceremony.html| title=Prepare for the citizenship ceremony| date=March 31, 2007| publisher=Government of Canada | access-date=22 March 2022}}</ref> There is no standard mode of celebration for Canada Day; [[Jennifer Welsh]], a professor of International Relations at the [[University of Oxford]], said about this: "Canada Day, like the country, is endlessly decentralized. There doesn't seem to be a central recipe for how to celebrate it—chalk it up to the nature of the federation."<ref>{{Cite news| last=Allemang| first=John| title=We stand on guard for what?| newspaper=Globe and Mail| date=June 28, 2008| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080627.wcandayfocusdebate/BNStory/CanadaDay2008/?pageRequested=all| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref>

In the national capital of Ottawa, concerts and cultural displays are held on the front lawn of Parliament Hill, as organized by [[Canadian Heritage]], which include the main "noon show" and an evening programme.<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70| title=Billboard| date=July 14, 2001| publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc| pages=70–| issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref name=:6>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-16 |title=Canada Day celebrations moving from Parliament Hill |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/canada-day-celebrations-moving-from-parliament-hill-1.5905053 |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=CTV News Ottawa |language=en}}</ref> The event traditionally begins with the singing of "[[God Save the King]]" and "[[O Canada]]" in English and French followed by a flyover by the [[Snowbirds (aerobatic team)|Snowbirds]]. Typically the governor general and [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] officiate, though [[Monarchy of Canada|the monarch]] or another member of the [[Monarchy of Canada#Royal family and house|royal family]] may also attend or take the governor general's place.{{refn|Queen [[Elizabeth II]] was present for the official Canada Day ceremonies in Ottawa during Canada's centennial in 1967;<ref name=CanoeBkg/><ref name=vis>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/archives/royal-visits-canada-day-1.5183833| title=The many times the royals have jetted across the pond for Canada Day| author=CBC Archives| date=July 28, 2019| publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation| accessdate=July 1, 2019}}</ref> as well as 1973,<ref name=vis/> 1990,<ref name=vis/> 1992,<ref name=vis/> 1997,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Garry| title=Elizabeth II Queen of Canada: The Role of Queen Elizabeth II| publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust| accessdate=May 31, 2008| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418061228/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html| archive-date=April 18, 2008}}</ref> and 2010,<ref>{{Cite press release| title=The Queen to address the United Nations| publisher=Queen's Printer| date=January 22, 2010| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2010/TheQueentoaddresstheUnitedNations.aspx| access-date=January 23, 2010}}</ref> when more than 100,000 people attended the ceremonies on Parliament Hill.<ref name=StarW&K>{{Cite news| last=Campion-Smith| first=Bruce| title=Royal newlyweds are coming to Canada, but not Toronto| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=February 16, 2011| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/939727--royal-newlyweds-are-coming-to-canada-but-not-toronto?bn=1| access-date=February 16, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title=Queen calls Canada 'example to the world'| publisher=CBC| date=July 1, 2010| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/queen-calls-canada-example-to-the-world-1.877582| access-date=February 16, 2011}}</ref> [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|Prince William]] and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge|his wife]] took part in the events in Ottawa for Canada Day, 2011,<ref name=StarW&K/> the first time a member of the royal family other than the monarch and her consort had done so. Several members have also attended Canada Day ceremonies outside of Ottawa, including [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]], attending celebrations in Edmonton in 1983.<ref name=vis/> Charles later attended official Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa as a part of 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017.<ref name=vis/>|group=n|name=Found}} Smaller events are mounted in other parks around the city and in neighbouring [[Gatineau]], Quebec.<ref>{{cite web |year=2019 |title=A list of Canada Day parties happening off Parliament Hill |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/canada-day-community-celebrations-ottawa-area-2019-1.5194068 |publisher=CBC/Radio-Canada}}</ref> In provincial capitals, official celebrations are often held at the provincial legislative building, usually in the presence of the [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|lieutenant-governor]] and/or [[Premier (Canada)|premier]] of the province.

===International celebrations===
[[File:Canada Day London 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Trafalgar Square]] during Canada Day in London, England, 2013]]

Canadian [[expatriate]]s will often organize Canada Day activities in their local area on or near the date of the holiday.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.canadadaylondon.com/default.asp| title=Canada Day in London| publisher=Canada Day London| access-date=June 27, 2012| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819084823/http://www.canadadaylondon.com/default.asp| archive-date=August 19, 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref> Examples include ''Canada D'eh'', an annual celebration that takes place on June 30 at ''[[Lan Kwai Fong]]'', in Hong Kong;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Work |first=Andrew |date=2015-06-29 |title=Reportage: O Canada! |url=https://harbourtimes.com/2015/06/29/reportage-o-canada/ |access-date=2022-07-26 |website=Harbour Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Canadian Forces]]' events on bases in [[Afghanistan]];{{refn|<ref>{{cite press release| title=Afghanistan Canada Day Celebrations Video Footage Available on Website| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=June 29, 2006| url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/view-news-afficher-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=1972| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120803104011/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/view-news-afficher-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=1972| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 3, 2012| access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.canadadayinternational.com/new-york/about/| title=About Canada Day International| date=2013| publisher=Canada Day International| access-date=July 1, 2015| archive-date=July 2, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702020804/http://www.canadadayinternational.com/new-york/about/| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060629/afghanistan_canadaday_060701/20060701?hub=TopStories| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813194609/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060629/afghanistan_canadaday_060701/20060701?hub=TopStories| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 13, 2006| title=Troops refuse to let attack mar Canada Day break| date=July 1, 2006| publisher=CTV| access-date=August 6, 2009}}</ref>}} at [[Trafalgar Square]] outside [[Canada House]] in [[London]], [[England]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thercs.org/our-work/events/view/canada-day-in-trafalgar-square|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701174308/https://thercs.org/our-work/events/view/canada-day-in-trafalgar-square|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 1, 2019|title=Canada Day in Trafalgar Square|website=The Royal Commonwealth Society|year=2017|access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref> in Mexico, at the [[Royal Canadian Legion]] in [[Chapala, Mexico|Chapala]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/29/royal-canadian-legion-opens-branch-in-mexico/| last=O'Connor| first=Joe| title=As Legions shutter across Canada, veterans open a new branch in 'friendly' Mexico| date=November 29, 2012| newspaper=National post| access-date=June 29, 2013}}</ref> and at the Canadian Club in [[Ajijic]].<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Canada Club| url=http://www.canadianclubmx.com/| date=2013| title=Celebrate Canada Day with Your Friends| access-date=June 29, 2013| archive-date=June 15, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615201948/http://www.canadianclubmx.com/| url-status=dead}}</ref> In China, Canada Day celebrations are held at the Bund Beach by the [[Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai]]<ref>{{cite news| url=http://cancham.asia/canadaday/the-canadian-chamber-of-commerce-in-shanghai-to-celebrate-canadas-146th-anniversary/#sthash.5NV7agl9.dpbs| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615190354/http://cancham.asia/canadaday/the-canadian-chamber-of-commerce-in-shanghai-to-celebrate-canadas-146th-anniversary/%23sthash.5NV7agl9.dpbs| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 15, 2013| title=The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai to Celebrate Canada's 146th Anniversary| date=May 17, 2013| access-date=May 18, 2013}}</ref> and at Canadian International School in Beijing, sponsored by the [[Canada China Business Council]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://ccbc.com/ccbc-canada-day-2017/| title=CCBC's Canada Day Fair in Beijing}}</ref>

==Criticism and protest==
[[File:Rally organized by "Idle No More" movement on Canada Day in Toronto (July 1st, 2022) 04.jpg|thumb|Protesters at an [[Idle No More]] rally in [[Toronto]], Ontario, on Canada Day, 2022]]
Celebrating Canada Day can create tension in Quebec, where it competes with the province's [[Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day]] on June 24.<ref>{{Citation| url=https://montrealgazette.com/health/Canada+Parade+organizers+bemoan+lack+political+support/3164763/story.html| last=Fedio| title=Canada Day Parade organizers bemoan lack of political support| first=Chloe| date=June 17, 2010| newspaper=The Gazette| accessdate=July 1, 2010| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621051355/http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Canada%2BParade%2Borganizers%2Bbemoan%2Black%2Bpolitical%2Bsupport/3164763/story.html| archive-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> The federal government sponsors Canada Day events in Montreal, while the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebration relies on grassroots support and struggles with funding from the federal government and private sponsors.<ref>{{Citation| url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/insight/story.html?id=069c09a6-3deb-4246-8e2e-a7d5324b8b26| last=Hustake| first=Aalan| title=Proud Canadian, proud Quebecer who loved a parade| date=May 25, 2008| newspaper=The Gazette| url-status=dead| accessdate=May 25, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214622/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/insight/story.html?id=069c09a6-3deb-4246-8e2e-a7d5324b8b26| archive-date=June 28, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Rising costs, funding challenges mean no parade on Canada Day in Montreal |url= https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/rising-costs-funding-challenges-mean-no-parade-on-canada-day-in-montreal |website= [[Montreal Gazette]] |date= June 29, 2022 |access-date= July 4, 2023}}</ref>

Some [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous people in Canada]] view Canada Day negatively, linking it to the [[Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples|injustices they have faced from the Canadian government]]. This criticism intensified during [[150th anniversary of Canada|Canada's 150th anniversary]] in 2017, as many felt that the celebrations ignored Indigenous contributions and current challenges.<ref name=":3">{{Citation |last=Geddes |first=John |title='Home on native land' on Parliament Hill |date=July 1, 2017 |journal=Maclean's |url=https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/home-on-native-land-on-parliament-hill/ |publisher=Rogers |accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Dunham |first=Jackie |date=2021-06-09 |title=Why some are calling for the cancellation of Canada Day this year |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/why-some-are-calling-for-the-cancellation-of-canada-day-this-year-1.5462653 |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Chinta |first=Puxley |date=June 13, 2017 |title=Many Indigenous people see little reason to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/06/13/many-indigenous-people-see-little-reason-to-celebrate-canadas-150th-birthday.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613173112/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/06/13/many-indigenous-people-see-little-reason-to-celebrate-canadas-150th-birthday.html |archive-date=June 13, 2017 |accessdate=June 13, 2017 |newspaper=The Toronto Star}}</ref> Similar concerns arose after the discovery of [[Canadian Indian residential school gravesites|unmarked graves of Indigenous children]] at a [[Canadian Indian residential school system|residential school]] in British Columbia in June 2021. Canada Day events were canceled or altered in many areas,<ref>{{Citation| url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/more-canada-day-festivities-cancelled-in-b-c-following-residential-school-discovery-1.5479117| last=Kotyk| first=Alyse| title=More Canada Day festivities cancelled in B.C. following residential school discovery| date=June 21, 2021| publisher=CTV News British Columbia| accessdate=June 25, 2021}}</ref>  and the Indigenous group [[Idle No More]] planned peaceful protests in major cities.<ref>{{Citation| url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/one-canadian-city-has-cancelled-canada-day-should-toronto-follow-suit-1.5472720| title=One Canadian city has cancelled Canada Day: Should Toronto follow suit| date=June 16, 2021| publisher=CTV News Toronto| accessdate=June 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=:1>{{Cite web|last=Aiello|first=Rachel|date=June 23, 2021|title=O'Toole tells Conservative caucus he's against cancelling Canada Day|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/o-toole-tells-conservative-caucus-he-s-against-cancelling-canada-day-1.5482161|access-date=June 25, 2021|website=CTVNews|language=en}}</ref>  Some politicians backed the cancellations, while others worried that these actions undermined the concept of Canada and hindered [[Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples#Reconciliation and acknowledgment|reconciliation efforts]].<ref name=:1/>

==See also==
{{portal|border=no|Canada|Holidays}}
* [[Canadian patriotic music]]
* [[Culture of Canada]]
* [[National Flag of Canada Day]]
*[[National symbols of Canada]]
* [[Public holidays in Canada]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|group="n"}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Canada Day}}
* [https://www.canada.ca/canada-day Government of Canada: Canada Day in the Capital Region]
* [https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-day-history.html Government of Canada: History of Canada Day]
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Canada-Day Encyclopaedia Britannica: Canada Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Issv75Vaqzo The Canadian Queen's Dominion Day Message 1959]

{{Canada Holidays}}
{{Canada topics}}

[[Category:Annual events in Canada]]
[[Category:July observances]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Canada]]
[[Category:National days]]
[[Category:Summer in Canada]]