There’s no denying that the coronavirus pandemic is going to put a crimp into this country’s 153rd Canada Day festivities. However, plenty of virtual celebrations have been lined up to help Canadians celebrate their national pride.
“This year isn’t like other years. But even these challenging times are a good opportunity to think about what it means to be Canadian,” says heritage minister Steven Guilbeault, who adds that this year’s virtual activities will nevertheless showcase “our values, our talents and our creativity.”
July 1, he says, “is our day!”
1. A good place to start is with the virtual Celebration Kit, which features interactive, creative and educational activities for the whole family.
2. Check out the Canada Day web site for a series of short thematic videos:
• Let’s Cook Together! — A unifying and colourful culinary challenge.
• Let’s Get Active Together! — A fun sporting challenge.
• Let’s Innovate Together! — Canadian ingenuity at its best.
• Let’s Discover Together! — Hidden treasures of digital Canada.
• Let’s Celebrate Together! — A celebration worthy of our country.
3. From 1 to 2 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Atlantic) watch “Canada Day Across the Country” on CBC and Radio-Canada as well as on CPAC and Canadian Heritage’s digital platforms. The “Canada Day Daytime Show” features a host of performers and celebrates cultural diversity, sporting excellence, Indigenous languages and cultures, frontline responders, plus a salute to the 40th anniversary of “O Canada.”
In the evening, “Canada Day Together” (8-10 p.m. local time, (9 p.m. Atlantic), on CBC and Radio-Canada, as well as on Canadian Heritage’s digital platforms, offers original artistic collaborations from all over the country; performers such as Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Sarah McLachlan; and highlights of the best Canada Day fireworks from previous years.
4. Listen to the official Canada Day channel, Canada: Together in Music, on the Stingray platform, which brings together talented Canadian artists participating in the Canada Day national shows.
5. Many cities and communities also have virtual celebrations.