Introduction
Canada Day is considered the birth of Canada. On July 1st, 1867, three colonies of Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick united to become Canada. Today, the holiday is celebrated with fireworks, picnics, sports events, and parades.
History
July 1, 1867: The British North America Act (today known as the Constitution Act, 1867) created Canada.
June 20, 1868: Governor General Lord Monck signs a proclamation that requests all Her Majesty’s subjects across Canada to celebrate July 1.
1879: A federal law makes July 1 a statutory holiday as the “anniversary of Confederation,” which is later called “Dominion Day.”
October 27, 1982: July 1, “Dominion Day” officially becomes Canada Day.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is a hallmark of Canada. Canada Day is filled with official celebrations and pageantry. Leading up to the holiday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police honors Canada Day by performing their famous “Musical Ride.” From June 27 to June 30, they performed their musical routine in Ottawa, Ontario at the RCMP Stables. If you want to see this amazing precision demonstration performance on horses in person, click here for the full 2019 schedule.
“O Canada”
The song was first composed in 1880. “O Canada” officially became Canada’s national anthem in 1980.
Interestingly, the first version was written in French. Different English version were revised throughout history. Most recently, in 2018, the Canadian government passed a bill making “O Canada” gender neutral.
At the end of January 2018, Canada’s Senate finally passed a bill making O Canada gender-neutral and it received Royal Assent on Wednesday. The words “in all thy sons command” have now been replaced with “in all of us command.”
The vote was the culmination of the work of numerous women who had been calling for the change for almost 40 years.
BBC News
Melody
English Version
Lyrics in English
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
French Version
Lyrics in French
Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Taiwan Celebrations
In celebration of Canada Day, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Celebration Canada 2019 held in Taipei on June 29.