OTTAWA 鈥� The sounds of Indigenous drumming rang out alongside songs and cheers in honour of sa国际传媒 Day on Saturday as Canadians from coast to coast gathered to celebrate the diversity and freedom they say make the country special.
Municipalities across the country marked a return to the kinds of celebrations seen before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted years worth of cancellations, though for some the return to normalcy was marred by air quality and weather conditions that forced them to nix marquee events like fireworks shows.
But at the parades, concerts and tributes that did proceed, Canadians and dignitaries alike took time to highlight traditions from Indigenous peoples and cultures around the world.
"People are coming to sa国际传媒 to proudly call it their home and build their lives and our communities and our country, all together," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a cheering crowd at a sa国际传媒 Day ceremony in Ottawa.
He said the country has withstood challenges, like wildfires and war in Europe, by showing compassion, engagement, openness and democracy.
"That's sa国际传媒's advantage in the world now more than ever," he said.
Many of the festivities held in honour of the 156th anniversary of sa国际传媒's confederation unfolded under hazy skies clouded over with smog from recent wildfires.
Air quality warnings blanketed much of Quebec and prompted the cancellation of fireworks displays in Montreal and many of its on-island suburbs. But in the downtown core itself, hundreds of people packed a 12-block route to take in the city's first sa国际传媒 Day parade since 2019.
"It鈥檚 a little bit smaller, but it doesn鈥檛 matter. Look at all these people here, they鈥檙e all living together and they鈥檙e all living in harmony," said organizer Nick Cowen.
For Adriana Shervan, who was watching the parade with her mother, it was an opportunity to celebrate sa国际传媒鈥檚 freedoms and diversity.
鈥淢y parents are from Iran, but I was born here. I love the fact that this place is culturally diversified and appreciates all cultures, and that's what makes this nation beautiful,鈥� she said.
Seeing people come together is what also brought Keirth Sivaarjah out to celebrations in Ottawa, despite now living in Texas.
"It's good to see it a little more diverse now," he said, recalling the time he used to attend the festivities as a child.
Ottawa marked the occasion by featuring francophone artists and holding public oaths of citizenship from newcomers hailing from France and Cameroon. The morning event where Trudeau spoke also featured an appearance from Ontario-born astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is slated to travel to the moon as part of a NASA mission next year.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon also took the stage, saying she is proud to live in a country working on national and global challenges while striving to be better.
"If we put in the hard work, if we do so together, there is nothing we cannot do," she said.
Festivities in Ottawa were later suspended due to severe weather advisories, which came hours after local Indigenous leaders spoke about the need to protect Earth and take climate change seriously.
Meanwhile, a muted celebration took place under cloudy skies at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square, where Indigenous drummers were dispersed throughout the area.
Members of the crowd 鈥� many clad in red and white and sporting temporary maple leaf tattoos 鈥� clapped and waved Canadian flags through the performances.
Yawn Wi, who emigrated from China, said the day reminds her of the freedoms she now enjoys.
鈥淔reedom of speech, freedom of environment,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ompared to my home country, (sa国际传媒) provides me a much better living environment and also freedom, not only physically but mentally.鈥�
Elsewhere, festivities in the historic port city of Halifax played out under a thick shroud of fog. The conditions prompted the cancellation of a performance by the Snowbirds, the Canadian Forces aerobatic flight demonstration team, as well as a fireworks display planned for the evening.
Halifax's other events, which included free concerts, were developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities to honour the Mi鈥檏maq Nation. Ashley Augustine, a member of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, said she was thrilled with the program.
"It's amazing that we're being recognized on sa国际传媒 Day," said Augustine, manager of the Treaty Truckhouse, which was selling handmade Mi'kmaq items on the waterfront. "We're finally out in front .... It definitely is about time."
Halifax resident John Kenny said he took his family downtown because they "didn't want to be cooped up in the house, and we wanted to be involved."
His partner, Mace Guarin, said Saturday marked her second sa国际传媒 Day as a Canadian citizen.
"I'm very thankful and grateful for this country because it gave me a better life," said Guarin, who came to sa国际传媒 from the Philippines seven years ago.
In Vancouver, thousands of people descended on sa国际传媒 Place downtown for an event in celebration of the nation's diversity, featuring live music, First Nations dancers and a number of family activities.
However, unlike in previous years, the event was not capped off by sa国际传媒 Day fireworks because the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority cancelled them "due to rising costs for events, safety and security," the event's website said.
鈥� With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax, Jacob Serebrin in Montreal, Ethan Cairns in Vancouver and Kiernan Green in Toronto
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2023.
David Fraser and Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press
