“On Canada Day, we celebrate the amazing place we call home – and the people we share it with. Whether you are firing up the barbecue or playing outside with the kids, this is a chance to reflect on where we are as a country, and where we are headed.
“The last few months have been difficult for all Canadians, but throughout this pandemic, we have been there for one another. We are neighbours helping neighbours, small businesses being there for their communities and their staff, Armed Forces answering the call to help protect our most vulnerable, and doctors and nurses keeping our families healthy. Because that’s what it means to be Canadian.
“Canada’s success is because of its people. People who strive to live up to our shared values of peace, equality, and compassion, and know that diversity is our strength.
“People who know that, only together, we can build a better country, where every senior has a safe place to live, and where we say no to racism, injustice, and hate. A country where we understand that our work to ensure everyone has an equal and fair chance at success is never finished.
“What makes Canada special is not the belief that this is the best country in the world – it’s the knowledge that we could be, and that we will keep working to build that country. Because no challenge we face will be too great, if we face it together.
“I invite all Canadians to join this year’s virtual celebrations and the #CanadaDay conversation online. Today, we celebrate the country we share and tomorrow, we look to the future and move forward, together.
“Happy Canada Day, everyone!”
2) BC Premier John Horgan:
“This year on Canada Day, people from coast to coast to coast have much to reflect on. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that we are all connected and that we do our best when we work together. I am incredibly proud of how British Columbians have risen to this challenge.
“Our shared values as Canadians and British Columbians – of generosity, fairness and inclusion – have helped us pull together through one of the most difficult times in our history. We have seen acts of generosity as people have helped their neighbours and loved ones stay safe and cared for. We have discovered that our communities are full of everyday heroes and that no job is insignificant. We have seen that when presented with an obstacle, we have the innovative resources to overcome it, right here in B.C.
“Canada Day is also an opportunity to reflect on the work ahead of us to make British Columbia a safe place for everyone – free from violence and discrimination – as we continue to right the wrongs of our past and present. On this day, we reflect on our colonial history and reaffirm our government’s commitment to walking the path to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
“We are all connected – our physical, mental and economic health is part of a whole. Let’s keep taking care of each other as we work together to build a stronger, more inclusive future.
“Happy Canada Day!”
3) Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson:
Like so many people living in this great country, I’m an immigrant; Canada was the country of choice for my family. A choice we’ve never regretted.
I was born in Scotland and lived the first few years of my life in one of Glasgow’s most notorious post-World War II slums. The government owned housing scheme we lived in was slowly being demolished while we still lived there. At one point the entire ceiling of the little room that five of us lived in fell down, fortunately it happened when we were out, otherwise one of my brothers, who was only a few months old, could have been crushed in his crib.
When we were finally moved by the government into a new housing development, it didn’t take long for the street gangs from our old neighbourhood to sort out their base territories and begin their weekend battles. Our new tenement (which, luxury of luxuries, had an indoor toilet and running water) happened to look out at a bridge that was a gang boundary, so Saturday night street brawls were often our “entertainment.”
With four sons, my parents knew that the possibility of us ending up engaged in Glasgow’s gang (and knife) culture wasn’t out of the question and this was one of a number of reasons why they began to look for another country to live in that might offer their sons better opportunities.
We immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in February 1967, Canada’s centennial year. Our initial introduction to the country was a little rough, as we arrived just after a massive snowstorm had buried the city and at the start of a long period of deep prairie winter. However, that first summer Winnipeg hosted the Centennial multi-cultural festival, introducing our family to Canada’s cultural diversity in a wonderfully celebratory manner that I’ve never forgotten.
For our family, Canada afforded us incredible opportunities to live a very different life and pursue different opportunities than if we’d stayed in Scotland. We’ve always been grateful for this fresh start and Canada Day presents us with an opportunity each year to celebrate our country of choice.
All immigrants have their own stories and their own reasons why they left their home country and why they chose Canada as their new place to call home. In fact, somewhere in every Canadians’ history is an immigrant story, including those of Canada’s First People.
Of course, First Nations have primacy of place in Canada because their origin stories pre-date modern settlers by millennia, giving First Nations territorial claims and rights that no other immigrant population can claim, either morally or legally. Again, Canada Day is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the fact that Canada’s First Peoples made it possible, in so many ways, for those who came much later to discover this nation and settle here.
This Canada Day, as the world protests systemic racism in all its forms, I hope we can all pause and reflect on the fact that Canada’s historic and inherent diversity of origins should not be something that divides us but rather it should be seen as a strength we can all embrace and celebrate.
Learning the stories of others and, particularly, how their family arrived and settled here is a good way for us all to break down barriers and celebrate both our cultural diversity and our nation’s history. Let’s celebrate Canada Day, by celebrating its diversity in all its forms: take the time to ask someone their origin story, how their family came to Canada, and you’ll deepen both your understanding of the person and the history of our nation.
I would also like to thank all of those who are safely celebrating Canada Day this year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The City of Quesnel and Cariboo Regional District are inviting all Quesnel and CRD residents to capture your Canada Day celebrations on camera and share your photos on the Explore Quesnel (@explorequesnel) Virtual Canada Day Celebration Facebook event. Although we cannot all be together, we can still celebrate Canada and what it means to be Canadian.
4) Cariboo RD Area 'D' Director Steve Forseth:
While we are not able to celebrate Canada Day in person this year -- we can do so virtually or with our very small circle, as Dr. Bonnie Henry suggests: "Small circle and big spaces". We are not a perfect country however we are collectively working together to make Canada the best it can be... one step at a time...
Please celebrate responsibly and hopefully we can celebrate #CanadaDay2021 in person... Happy Canada Day 2020 everyone!
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