Canada |

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dull as dishwater

WHAT’S wrong with
Canada Day?

On the surface, nothing.
July | is a statutory holiday,
observed throughout the
country, commemorating the
day on which Canadian

_ Confederation came into
existence 129 years ago.

It’s the principal holiday
of our nation, marked by
pomp, circumstance and
elaborate entertainment spec-
tacles paid for by the federal
government, presumably to
foster Canadian nationalism.

Let’s face it, at a time
when there is continuing
concern about the fragility of
our country and the future of
our citizenship, our national
holiday should be celebrated
with gusto. We are, after all,
the envy of the world.

But Canada Day?
Couldn’t we come up with a
more inspiring, less boring,
name for our collective birth-
day celebration?

The United States has

‘. Independence Day; France
has Bastille Day; Japan
- marks the Emperor’s
Birthday. But in 1982 our
national Parliament changed
the name of our holiday to
the insipid Canada Day.
1 Prior to that time, for
more than a century,
Canadians celebrated
Dominion Day. It was a per-
‘» fectly good name, complete.
ly Canadian, inspired by tra-
dition as well as our coun-
try’s unique heritage.

But the federal govern-
ment. wanted to save us from
our past and rewrite our his-

tory. Some of the great
“minds in Octawa had long

felt that Dominion Day was a

relic of the past and, there-
- fore; should be buried.
--” They believed it should
be replaced by a bland, anti-
septic, non-controversial epi-
thet. They were dead wrong.
’ The term “dominion” was
actually a Canadian inven-
tion, worth celebrating. :

Sir Leonard Tilley, a New
Brunswick. Father of
Confederation; found the
name in bis Bible. The
eighth verse of the 72nd
Psaltn says: “He shall have

dominion from sea to sea and

from the rivers unto the ends
of the carth.”

Since Tilley’s time. the
nation’s fundamental law,
today referred to as The
Constitution Act, declares
our country to be “One

David
Mitchell

asecond
opinion

the federal government was
known as the Dominion gov-
ernment. British Columbia
premiers attended Dominion-
provincial meetings. Canada
was a Dominion — and
nobody ever complained
about that fact.

Until the 1950s and
1960s, that is, when some
eastern politicians and public
servants began a kind of sub-
versive campaign to erase the
term from our national
vocabulary.

Apparently they weren't
comfortable with the word
because of a perceived con-
nection to our country’s
British colonial past. In fact,
the use of the term Dominion
signifies the coming of age
of Canada as a new and inde-
pendent nationality.

Hardly a colonial hang-
over, it is a genuine
Canadian political word. In
fact, the late Canadian con-
stitutional expert Eugene

Forsey once wrote:

“It is the only distinctive
word we have contributed to
political terminology. Other
countries throughout the
Commonwealth borrowed it
irom us,”

Still, there are those who
will argue that the word
doesn’t reflect Canada’s con-
temporary multicultural soci-
ety.

Nonsense!

Our country has a history
of its own. We should be
proud of it; we shoutd honor
our past; we should celebrate
our traditions. Dominion Day
was once part of that.

Should we bring
Dominion Day back? 1, for
one, think it would be a good
idea.

It would demonstrate that
we have nothing to be
ashamed of as we seek to
rediscover our heritage.
Dominion Day was once a
perfectly good name.

There have been other
suggestions, however. For
instance, some believe that
Confederation Day might fit,
since it describes what the
holiday actually commemo-
rates, And it might make an
excellent compromise —
kind of like Canada itself.

Does anyone have a better
idea?

As we celebrate our won-
derfully diverse and peace-
able kingdom, surely we can
do better than Canada Day.

a 1: 4

fied

VERSARY (ALK

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travel on the routes listed in this
advertisement beginning July 1,
1996. For more information:
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North Vancouver

SeaBus
On Sundays and holidays
during the summer, SeaBus
will operate every 15 minutes
between the following times:
From f.onsdale Quay 11:17 am
to 5:47 pm. From Waterfront
Station: 11:31 am to 6:01 pm.

L230 Lonsdale & 23rd/

$21-0400
L- indicates
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Lonsdale Quay
On Sundays and holidays during
the busy tourist season, extra
trips will operate between
Lonsdale Quay and Lonsdale at
23rd every 30 minutes. First and
last buses leave Lonsdale Quay
at 11:17 am and 6:17 pm. When

with exist-
ing #229
and #230
services; a
bus will be |
operating every
15 minutes to con-
nect with SeaBus.
L236 Lonsdale Quay!
Grouse Mountain
During the summer tourist sca-
son, weekday buses will operate
every 30 minutes between
Lonsdale Quay and Grouse
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BC Transit 66 ve