To all my compatriots at home and abroad, a happy 150th birthday! At noon on this day in 1867, the British North America Act came into effect and the Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada - that's Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) - were united into the new Dominion of Canada under a constitutional document that has since been applied, all but unaltered, to newborn nations in almost every corner of the globe.
Something to celebrate, you'd think. But, for any Canadians old enough to remember the glorious centennial year of 1967, this is a much more muted anniversary, for reasons Mindy Alter and Barbara Kay both touch on. In American terms, it's as if the government decided to take the Fourth of July and turn it into something as tortured and self-loathing as Columbus Day in a typical Democrat city. In the broader sense, the difference between Dominion Day 1967 and now reflects no more than the consequences of two generations of the west's contempt for its own inheritance. If the music at the Vimy centenary is anything to go by, I tremble to contemplate what today's official Parliament Hill observances mightl bring.
Nevertheless, we're still here, just about, and that is something to celebrate, as they did in 1867. On Canada's inaugural day a century and a half ago, Toronto children waved miniature Union Jacks as an ox was roasted outside St Lawrence Hall. Conversely, on the waterfront in Halifax an effigy of Premier Charles Tupper was burned with a live wharf rat as the Chronicle bemoaned the death of "the free and enlightened Province of Novia Scotia" and its submersion within a deranged Dominion.
Meanwhile, in the new capital of a new polity, the Civil Service Rifles fired off a "feu de joie", but neglected to remove their ramrods first. So a volley of ramrods took off from Parliament Hill, sailed across Wellington Street and came down among startled pedestrians in Sparks Street - which is the sort of loopy stunt that these days you'd need one of the more incompetent jihadists to pull off. Other than that, things mostly went smoothly: Viscount Monck was sworn in as Canada's first Governor General, and he in turn swore in John A Macdonald as Canada's first Prime Minister. Queen Victoria conferred a knighthood upon her inaugural Canadian head of government, and the Order of the Bath on much of his ministry.
One hundred and fifty Dominion Days on, Lord Monck's successor is abasing himself before Tweeting natives, Sir John A's successor is wearing Happy Eid socks in the LGBTQWERTY parade, Queen Victoria's heir is giving a speech on global warming to eskimos, and, instead of those rowdy Novia Scotians lighting up Charles Tupper's effigy on a rotting wharf, an Arabic-cursing body-bagged crone from Syria is taking the machete to suburban shoppers in a Canadian Tire store. Progress!
I'm not sure even the doughtiest Dominion could handle that much progress. Will my beloved country still be here in another 150 years? Or will we be merely a frosty vilayet in the new Caliphate? Oh, well. Must look on the bright side. In this run-up to the big day, we've been celebrating Canadian songs that might not strike the world as such, from English movies, American hit parades, New York drive-ins, Brazilian bossa novas, tales of 9/11 heroism, and Filipino karaoke favourites: Whether or not "the world needs more Canada", it's been blessed by a fair bit.
If you fancy a break from Their Royal Highnesses, Their Excellencies and the Rt Hon 12-year-old Prime Minister on Parliament Hill, I'll be here in a few hours with the final entry in our Maple Songbook. And, if you're in the mood for a Canada Day routine with a difference, here's yours truly doing my crackerjack Mackenzie Bowell shtick live in Ottawa earlier this year:
PS If you're a Mark Steyn Club member from anywhere across the deranged Dominion, on this happy and glorious day do feel free to put out the sesquicentennial bunting in our comments section below. (For more on The Mark Steyn Club, see here.)
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12 Member Comments
Happy birthday Canada!
Now or never Canada. Take your country back from Pajama Boy Obama Jr Justin Trueadopia. Don't turn into the once great, but now regrettably effete and limp wristed UK from whence you came.
Barbara did you read about the security lineups to get to parliament hill? Soon Canadians will forget the wonderful feeling of wandering freely around celebrating our national birthday. Besides you will never get a permit for your teepee. I apologize to the club members from other countries who have to suffer through all this Canadian stuff but truly what is transpiring is of epic significance to this fine country. I have had my fill of diversity and multiculturalism ...too much of this sugar gives my brain cavities!
The weather gods have spoken. So very happy to see the teepee, Junior, et al drenched in Ottawa. Until I checked the weather forecast I was tempted to head to that wretched town myself to erect my very own teepee. I too have been victimized by Junior and his pals and certainly feel entitled to my very own Commission, so that my feelings can be shared. I'm entitled to my very own teepee!
Carl..just imagine that we have to open our celebrations with U2 and Bono....it is an insult to our great musicians present and future. I cannot believe it!
Could have been worse. Be happy it was not the Tragically Hip.
On the other hand, I just listened to a bit of what Bono had to say at the 150 celebration. The Syrian Refugees made an appearance in his little introduction. And the beaming moron Justin nodded approvingly.
I threw up a little in my mouth.
Well, eh, my thought on this, eh, is, eh......oh I can't do it. I can't pretend to be Canadian just to comment here. Though I am beginning to feel a bit insecure about how all these posts this week specify Canadian Steyn members to comment. How about those of us who don't use Loons for our Molsons? Happy birthday Canada, sorry your party sucks (due to your current administration's policies)
Mark, to your global following Canada's 150th is a benchmark to be noted and especially to a Canadian such as myself who as a younger man was in Montreal for the Centennial. Nobody had to tell us who we were then...we just knew, with humility, that Canada was coming of age. I am hopeful that with courage and patience we will see the current obsession with. ...let's just say "progressive thinking" will move back into a balance with the conservative ethos that so far has built the western civilized world. Styen reminds us of the great beauty and the arts that have been created and the science that has done so much to improve the world. How can all of this be dismissed so easily and where in the world do the political class stand...surely there must be a rebel somewhere..well probably not yet!
Our Science has become heavily politicized , our vision and ambitions have become a race to mediocrity..critical thinking is in peril. We must start, without anger or malice to recognize that there is nothing that Islam brings to society that is a building block for the future. I watched the hundreds of thousands of women march in Washington and none of their signs or spokespersons mentioned the inherent conflict between Islam and women in western society...not Scarlett Johannson...not one...how can this be??
There is hope....the crowdfunding of the Rebel, Jordan Peterson and our own Mark and others is just the beginning...and make no mistake they will come under increasing forces to discredit or silence them. They will require a war chest and then we must decide if we exist in the comments section on a rant or will come out in a real way. What do you think?
Over the past 150 years Canada has traded the presumptive rights of children -- to be born (not aborted), and raised in a covenantal union where they would grow knowing their natural father's and mother's love (and, if tragedy struck, the love of adoptive parents) -- for the presumptive rights of sexual libertarian adults -- the latter being an escape from the Judeo-Christian foundations upon which the former was based. While so-called progressives rejoice, what has happened to children is, arguably, child abuse. Canada in 2017 is not a pretty sight.
Our lack of cultural confidence harms the most vulnerable people. Take science, for example. I've noticed a disturbing tendency in recent yeasr to critique science as a project for white males, alive or dead. The object of the criticism seems to be to discredit the historic values of science, values that have led to great achievements. Now here's the rub: White males, if not dead, *will still go into science because they realize that that is still where the action is.* The people who will be discouraged are members of vulnerable minorities who don't wish to be accused of "acting white" - like most astronauts and Nobelists. So, although I don't doubt they'd be capable of such achievements in principle, they will be afraid to try. I do not think anything can help except the complete collapse of all progressive government everywhere and a restoration of evidence-based thinking.
I forgot to say, Happy Canada Day, Happy Fourth of July, Happy St, Patrick's day, what ever turns your crank!
Just keep the great unwashed in booze and Hockey, or Baseball, or Soccer, and they will willingly and blindly follow their leaders into the void! I'm not gonna join that revolution. However, our "Leaders" think we all will, if they can persuade us with multiple little favors. We are either Lemmings, or the resistance. I know what side I am on. Do you?
It's 1:26 am on the 1st of July, 2017, here in the Puget Sound region. No sign of the Prince's climate collapse. If anything, it's rather cool for a summer's night. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best. Normally, the sun would rise at 5:30 am today. We shall see .... my vigil continues ...
I could say LOL, but this was truly a LAUGH OUT LOUD, statement! As a western Canada resident, I can really relate to these comments, especially the comment about our 12 year old commander HRH El Trudopia!
I was not a resident of Canada in 1967, but I did get to visit the Expo 67 in Montreal. Now, after 35 years as a resident, I can see truly how far we have fallen, and the depth of our descent, continues to drop into the void!
I emigrated to Canada from the UK, with the dream that I and my family were going to a much better place, unfortunately, the nightmare has now overtaken the dream!
I would have hoped we could have bottomed out by now, but no, we are still descending!!!! There is no end to this idiotic lunacy of Trudopia! Some of our brethren in the US understand the reasons, and need for their constitution, I only wish we in Canada could see it too, and understand, the reality that we are allowing to evolve here in the great white north! Mark, does at least allows us to descend into our collective depraved stupidity with a jaundiced and somewhat mirthful glee! OK, yep, but it ain't over yet!