Canada Day

Join in on this festive federal holiday, celebrating the birth of a nation by Canadians from coast to coast. See the many different ways in which this multi-cultural nation recognizes this occasion with fireworks, music, food, a day-off work, and other special events.

Photographs taken on the same day throughout Canada show children, cowboys, dancers, steel workers, soldiers, prisoners, clergy, police, and fishermen

Thank you, Canada, you make us proud. Andrea Lynn Beck's bestselling and award-winning picture books Goodnight, Canada and Good Morning, Canada have struck a chord with Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Thank You, Canada continues to celebrate our country's myriad strengths. Joyful, detailed spreads bring out the varied flavours of Canada, in its culture, people, nature and contributions to the world. Thank You, Canada allows kids to explore connections and think about what it means to be Canadian -- it's a joyful letter of gratitude for all our country has to offer, past, present and future.

Oh Canada: A Long Poem On Canada Day, by Canadian poet Martin Avery was written in the air, en plein air, in airplanes, as he flew from China to Japan to Canada (Dalian, Tokyo, Vancouver, Toronto) on Canada Day, 2014.

When the passage of the Abolition of Slavery Act, effective August 1, 1834, ushered in the end of slavery throughout the British Empire, people of the African descent celebrated their newfound freedom. Now African-American fugitive slaves, free black immigrants, and the few remaining enslaved Africans could live unfettered live in Canada – a reality worthy of celebration. This new, well-researched book provides insight into the creation, development, and evolution of a distinct African-Canadian tradition through descriptive historical accounts and appealing images. The social, cultural, political, and educational practices of Emanipation Day festivities across Canada are explored, with emphasis on Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and British Columbia. "Emancipation is not only a word in the dictionary, but an action to liberate one’s destiny. This outstanding book is superb in the interpretation of "the power of freedom" in one’s heart and mind – moving from 1834 to present." – Dr. Henry Bishop, Black Cultural Centre, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

On June 6, 1944 the greatest armada in history stood off Normandy and the largest amphibious invasion ever began as 107,000 men aboard 6,000 ships pressed toward the coast. Among this number were 18,000 Canadians, who were to land on a five-mile long stretch of rocky ledges fronted by a wide expanse of sand. Code named Juno Beach. Here, sheltered inside concrete bunkers and deep trenches, hundreds of German soldiers waited to strike the first assault wave with some ninety 88-millimetre guns, fifty mortars, and four hundred machineguns. A four-foot-high sea wall ran across the breadth of the beach and extending from it into the surf itself were ranks of tangled barbed wire, tank and vessel obstacles, and a maze of mines. Of the five Allied forces landing that day, they were scheduled to be the last to reach the sand. Juno was also the most exposed beach, their day’s objectives eleven miles inland were farther away than any others, and the opposition awaiting them was believed greater than that facing any other force. At battle's end one out of every six Canadians in the invasion force was either dead or wounded. Yet their grip on Juno Beach was firm.

Celebrate Canada Day with this Preface to Charlotte Gray’s The Promise of Canada: 150 Years—People and Ideas That Have Shaped Our Country. “I knew it was time to engage Canadians in our past in a new way. I’ve always been fascinated by the gap between the modesty of my fellow citizens and the extraordinary success of this country. Every issue, every period, every region I explore, I find intriguing characters, painful tensions and surprising triumphs. Yet most of us know so little about the layers of history and ideas that make this country work. We have a unique and lively history, but too often it is told from only one perspective. Sometimes that perspective is political, other times it is regional, but it rarely captures the complexity of our sprawling land and diverse people. A big birthday, like Canada’s 150th, is the perfect time to bring both national heroes and unexpected guests to the table. I want their personal dramas and brilliant visions to bring a sparkle to the sesquicentennial.” —Charlotte Gray on The Promise of Canada, available October 2016 from Simon & Schuster Canada

Holidays are a key to helping us understand the transformation of national, regional, community and ethnic identities. In Celebrating Canada, Matthew Hayday and Raymond Blake situate Canada in an international context as they examine the history and evolution of our national and provincial holidays and annual celebrations. The contributors to this volume examine such holidays as Dominion Day, Victoria Day, Quebec’s Fête Nationale and Canadian Thanksgiving, among many others. They also examine how Canadians celebrate the national days of other countries (like the Fourth of July) and how Dominion Day was observed in the United Kingdom. Drawing heavily on primary source research, and theories of nationalism, identities and invented traditions, the essays in this collection deepen our understanding of how these holidays have influenced the evolution of Canadian identities.

Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind and she goes on to encourage another student who feels the same as she had.