With the political distintegration of Canada periodically appearing a very real possibility, Canada Day has become an occasion for those in favor of national unity to promote their cause.
July 1 each year is the Canadian national holiday once referred to as Dominion Day, and now called Canada Day. Except that in Newfoundland & Labrador it’s also Memorial Day, and in Quebec it’s also Moving Day. And, according to Wikipedia, among Chinese-Canadians it’s also referred to as Humiliation Day, in commemoration of a reviled head-tax that was in effect from July 1, 1923, until as recently as 1947.
You can get money from the government to assist you in celebrating, though in an effort to be all things to all people, the money doesn’t actually have to be for Canada Day. You can also use it to celebrate National Aboriginal Day (June 21), St. John the Baptist Day (June 24), or Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27), according to your preference.
And, if all this forced jolity gets too much for you, you can always go to Quebec, where you’ll find plenty of new friends only too happy to join you in ignoring Canada Day altogether.
À bientôt, mes amis!
So, when are you guys going to get around to annexing western Washington, western Oregon and northwestern California? I promise you, we’ll all root for the (Canucks | Oilers | Flames | Leafs | Sens | Canadiens — pick one as appropriate) and . . . um, we’ll drink lots of Labatts.
Ssshhh! That part of the plan is supposed to be a secret!
Look it’s all good for the northern states to be annexed, but don’t forget us down here in the deep south.
Geeze we drink beer too. š
LOL FM good to see you here. Yes, you’re in the beer plan too. Oops! Wasn’t supposed to mention the plan!
Hi Derek. I wasn’t sure if that was you at first.
How have you been doing?
The beer plan. Mention it loud and often. That will have people down here running to become Canadian. š
Oh great, they hear about the beer and everybody wants to get in on the act.
Well, I figure if joining up with Canada is good enough for Turks and Caicos, it’s good enough for Cascadia.
It has to be the beer. Do you think people down here would put up with those winters if it wasn’t good beer?
Wait a minute. We’d still be down here and also have the good Canadian beer.
Never mind.
Hey Derek, I know you mentioned “Moving Day” & I believe it used to be May 1st. If I could ,let me try to tell the “maybe unenlightened”
what kind of mess occurs on this day, when everybody & his uncle moves.
One has to move now, because someone else is moving into the place. All your sh.t is on the sidewalk, waiting for the moving truck that`s late but it doesn`t matter because the place you`re moving into is still occuppied.
The place you move into is smaller than the previous one so you leave your stuff on the sidewalk. The scavengers come by & pick up furniture & anything on the sidewalk. Now remember the stuff you had out there waiting for a truck. Nevermind you don`t need a truck when someone took your sh.t. Is it still this way, where 500,000 people all move on the same day in one city.
I was in Montreal for years, till about 1973 & I used to get a different set of furniture every year on May first.
I hope the hillarious clusterf..k is different now but I do miss the fights in the street, the yelling at late truck drivers, the punches in the face by pissed truckers, the hippies loading up on furniture,,, hahahaa
Between Moving Day & the St. Jean Baptiste riots there`s nothing like the begining of warm weather in Montreal
Bonjour Knucklehead je te remercie pour l’explication du Moving Day. J’ai jamais habité au Québec. Alors je te souhaite un bon premier juillet, de quelque façon tu souhaites le célébrer.
Hey! None o’ that freedom talk around here!
Oops! Sorry, Omir. You know, we Canadians, we get carried away sometimes …
Bonjour!
Merci pour tes bons souhaits – le tout dans la bonne langue de Molière s’il vous plaît! J’ai peut-être exagéré un peu en mentionnant que 500 000 personnes changent de logement chaque été à Montréal, mais je n’exagère pas du tout en disant que le 1 juillet (Moving Day) est depuis longtemps la pire journée de l’année pour les urgences des hôpitaux de la ville. Tu connaîs les escaliers en spirale typiques de la métropole montréalaise?… Maudit, tabernacle de câlisse d’hostie de déménagement à maaaarde!! (original lyrics of the Québécois Victoria Day moving tradition).
Take care. And stay put!
Knucklehead
P.S. Your French is great!
We’re actually more into the micro-brews nowadays… how about a Sleemans, SteamWhistle, Moosehead, Amsterdam, or Muskoka, while you chant “Go Leafs Go”….
Well, Labatts was the first Canadian beer I could think of, and since I’m not a drinker I didn’t even know about the microbrews.
Maybe I should have said Molson’s, just because of the ad I once saw (probably fake) that had William Shatner boldly proclaiming I! AM! CANADIAN!!
not a fake, it’s a whole campaign up here and the molson website is iam.ca
Oh, I know the Molson campaign is for real. I saw some of the commercials the last time I was in Victoria. I just wasn’t sure the Shatner ad was. Then again it wouldn’t surprise me if it was legit, since he is Canadian and has discovered a sense of humor over his tendency — to — overact! in his old age
First we have to get drunk and burn down the White House again…
if you can find a six pack of Uncle Ben’s
That’s dumb. Who’s going to buy a six-pack of rice?
and that was my favorite beer then. However, I don’t think they make it anymore.
Back to the FBC.