A post from the Stirling (Ontario) Community Press:
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Happy Birthday Canada
by Terry Vollum 06.29.05
If you are reading this on the day of publication, it is Canada Day, 2005, our nation’s 138th birthday. Seems like only yesterday we celebrated our centenary. Montreal hosted the party, and by all accounts, Expo 67 set new records for fun at a World’s Fair. I know, I spent the better part of three weeks there, spread over four or five visits.
It was a wonderful time to be a Canadian. The entire nation was bursting with pride and optimism.
Our new flag was just two years old that summer and centennial festivities provided the perfect setting to introduce our new colours to the world. The red maple leaf was everywhere as Canucks proudly sported pins, caps, and distinctive patches on clothes and backpacks.
Ours was the promised land. We had a healthcare system that was second to none. The economy was strong, jobs plentiful, the cost of living affordable, the standard of living high—and the Toronto Maple Leafs had just won their fourth Stanley Cup in six years.
Until 1967, Canadians played the role of David pitted against the Goliath that was the United States of America. But that giant inferiority complex would quickly disappear.
We stood taller during our centennial year, as Expo 67 put us front and centre on the world stage. Our national pride was showing and it felt good.
My only regret was the selection of the “official” centennial song. Evidently, the powers that be in Ottawa (likely a tone-deaf committee of MPs and doddering senators) decided it should be produced to sound like an old-fashioned radio jingle—the sort of commercial-ditty advertisers used to sell soap in the 1950s.
Bobby Gimby, Canada’s Pied Piper (he wore a cape, played a decorated heraldic trumpet and was usually followed by a gaggle of singing-children), was commissioned to dream up the absolute perfect theme-song. Because we were (and, for the moment, still are) a country with two official languages—there were three approved versions; one French, one English, and the inevitable compromise, featuring bilingual singers;
“CA-NA-DA ... one little, two little, three Canadians ... We love thee... ... Un pe-tit, deux pe-tits, trois Ca-na-diens ...”
Gimby’s bouncy tune provided a safe choice for politicians and decision makers of the day.
That same year, Gordon Lightfoot wrote a magnificent piece of music depicting the challenges and hardships of building our national railway, appropriately titled The Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
“There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run,
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun.
Long before the white man and long before the wheel,
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real.”
I always felt the Railroad Trilogy should have been properly recognized and included as part of our centennial celebrations. Still, Lightfoot’s masterpiece endures and has stood the test of time.
As we enjoy our Canada Day, long weekend, let’s be thankful we live in the greatest country in the world. Okay, it’s not perfect (see: anthem-by-committee as noted above) but we have so much.
And this beautiful area of southeastern Ontario is a little slice of heaven.
Happy Birthday Canada.
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