Category: Canada Day

Cory Morgan: Weakening Canada Day Celebrations Follows the Playbook of Oppressive Regimes

Commentary Authoritarians in Canada are embracing the tactic of banning celebrations and Canada Day is their prime target following fresh announcements from some cities saying they will cancel or modify traditional July 1 celebrations again this year. A demoralized citizenry is easier for authoritarians to control than a prideful and happy populace. Totalitarian regimes have…


Calgary Reverses Decision to Cancel Fireworks Display on Canada Day

The City of Calgary has announced it will be adding a fireworks display to its Canada Day celebrations, a week after claiming it would replace them with a pyrotechnic show. “We have heard from many Calgarians as well as members of city council that while the pilot program is valued, they would also appreciate an…


Toronto Reverses Decision to Cancel Canada Day Celebrations

Less than a day after Toronto claimed it would be cancelling its 2023 Canada Day celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square due to “resource constraints” during a “fiscally complex year,” the city announced it had reversed its decision. “The City of Toronto plans to use money in existing approved operating budgets to activate all City-led programming on Canada…


Calgary’s Cancellation of Canada Day Fireworks Display Prompts Backlash

An advocacy group that says it represents “common sense Calgarians” has launched a petition calling for a reinstatement of the fireworks display in Calgary on Canada Day. “How about we put an end to this nonsense immediately, and force City Hall to reverse course and bring back fireworks now, this year?” said Common Sense Calgary…


Heavy Police Presence in Ottawa on Canada Day Hindered Freedom of Expression, Say Lawyers

The large number of police deployed in Ottawa during the Canada Day celebrations impeded Canadians’ freedom of speech and expression, said two lawyers who came close to being fined for displaying a banner on the sidewalk near Parliament Hill. Adam Blake-Gallipeau, a lawyer from the legal charity The Democracy Fund, said he found an unusual…


Canada Day Security Checks Hindering Celebrations, Protests a Further Sign of Creeping Govt Authoritarianism

Commentary Canada’s descent into authoritarianism was illustrated July 1 when we saw citizens being herded through metal detectors and having their bags searched under a heavy security presence as they tried to celebrate Canada Day in the nation’s capital. Police issued warnings and followed through as hundreds of vehicles were ticketed and dozens towed for…


Canada’s COVID-19 Mandates Aim to ‘Further Subjugate Society’: Criminal Lawyer

The Canadian government aims to “further subjugate society” by extending COVID-19 mandates in the country, a criminal lawyer told a large crowd of protesters at Parliament Hill on July 1, following calls from the country’s top health officials to get the boosters shots. Knia Singh, a criminal defence lawyer with Ma’at Legal Services in Toronto, made the…


Crowds March in Downtown Ottawa to Call for Freedoms on Canada Day

This article will be updated throughout the day. OTTAWA—Crowds of people protesting against the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate have begun a march in downtown Ottawa, calling for freedoms while marking Canada Day. Cheering and chants of “freedom” could be heard as people marched along Wellington Street. A day earlier, a large crowd convened at the…


Crowds Rally in Ottawa After March for Freedoms on Canada Day

This article will be updated throughout the day. OTTAWA—Crowds of people are gathering in Ottawa to call for freedoms on Canada Day as police continue to maintain a heavy presence, at time confronting some protesters. Earlier in the day, a massive group of people marched across downtown Ottawa to protest the federal government’s different COVID-19…


Canadian Flag a ‘Promise of Opportunity’ and ‘Safety’: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian flag represents a promise of opportunity and safety for people fleeing war and violence, as he calls on Canadians to recommit to the country’s values of hope, respect, and kindness in his Canada Day statement. “Today is an opportunity for us all to recommit ourselves to those values—values that the…