A town that has forgotten the fun? Ha — Let's take a look at that.
There was no big old-fashioned Canadian Day Party 2019 Since the year, the national capital has been in the "pre-COVID" era. So, does Ottawa remember how to celebrate becoming a city that we really forgot to enjoy in the face of more than two years of pandemic constraints and other annoying events?
Faced with things, the latter. In preparation for July 1, many are hesitant to the unmasked, potentially infectious crowd. Many are also legally in conflict about the flag. If you raise the maple leaf banner, are you sending the correct signal? Do our neighbors equate this with the desolate downtown occupation of winter?
Then there are indigenous friends and partners, but still upset by the horrifying additional details revealed last year about the unmarked grave near the former housing school. If we erupt about the pride of the people, do we look down on them?
There is an understandable focus on managing protests throughout the weekend — the festival has moved away from parliamentary grounds. An expanded vehicle free zone in downtown. A fence built around the lawn of the Supreme Court. Hundreds of more police officers acted on their behalf. How do you throw a carefree birthday bash under this cloud?
Over the years, we seem to have changed. For example, in 2017, the 100th anniversary of Canada's birth, a huge plan was unfolded for a party with 500,000 visitors. Ironically today, the event has spurred too many sharp complaints about security. The family reported that they were in line for three to five hours to pass the parliamentary checkpoint. Visitors outside the town blamed the long procession (and the lack of toilets for the waiting family) as embarrassment. Meanwhile, indigenous protesters have set up tents on the grass near the center block.
The activities of Canada Day 2018 and 2019 have brought about their own failures. In 2018, teens threw firecrackers into the crowd at the Bar Haven Outdoor Communist Party. Police eventually sprayed the cheating mob with pepper spray and shot a 15-year-old taser gun. In 2019, the Algonquian Grand Chief conducted a short hunger strike directly across from Parliamentary Hill. Then, before dawn on July 1st of that year, a man was shot dead at Byward Market.
In other words, Canada Day has always been a tricky combination.
Before COVID, we did all this. Large crowd events have never been without challenges. Let's do it again. We are not the same as Canada in 2017, 2018 and 2019, nor is it the same capital. However, we still love this land and are still hurt. Frankly, we are amnesty. You don't have to forget the fun. Let's all go out and eat on Canada Day.
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