Happy Canada Day!

Happy birthday, Canada!

On July 1, 1867, the four British colonies of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia came together to form the Dominion of Canada.

(The word “dominion” is taken from Psalm 72:8 – “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth.”) This holiday was called Dominion Day from 1879 until 1982.

The original four provinces were soon joined by Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Manitoba. Alberta and Saskatchewan were added in 1905, and Newfoundland in 1949.

My favorite Canada Day was in 2005. I was vacationing in Vancouver with my wife Connie and daughter Shannon. We celebrated with thousands of others (mostly Asian-Canadians) at the waterfront, at the convention centre.

There was a lumberjack show, and the lieutenant-governor swore in about 100 immigrants as new citizens of Canada.

I remember what seemed like hundreds of Chinese-Canadian children, celebrating with red maple leaves painted on their cheeks.

Canada has been formed by a peculiar combination of First Nations, French, English, Scottish, Irish and recent immigrants from around the world. For better or worse, multiculturalism is enshrined in law as a preeminent value.

At 143 years old, Canada is still a young nation, in some respects still trying to understand its own identity apart from both the United States and Britain.

Canadians may be a bit less “rah-rah” patriotic that USAmericans. But most of us are “glad to be” Canadians, “where at least” we know we’re more-or-less free. The words “liberty” and “freedom” are not so bandied about in Canada as they are by patriots in the USA.

There will be parades and fireworks here and there. Queen Elizabeth II, our British monarch, is in Ottawa today, and this attracts some interest (though not from me). Canadians will enjoy the day off, which for many will make for a very long weekend.

So here’s to you, Canada. Happy birthday!