This Canada Day, we are sharing an editorial first published in this newspaper on July 1, 1987. At the time, many editorials were printed without a name attached to them, meant to reflect the general opinion of the newspaper rather than any particular writer here. Nearly three decades after its publication, elements of this editorial still ring true today. As the organizer’s of L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet’s Saint-Jean party wisely reminded, “if you know where you came from, you know where you’re going.”
Canada Day takes place at probably the best time in the year. The weather is usually excellent, the children are just out of school, and everyone is in a good mood, ready for a party.
No one really wants to worry about heavy problems. The most difficult decision most people are making right now is whether there will be enough sunshine to dry their hay. Given the uncertain weather of the past few weeks this is not a simple decision.
There are quite a few major issues that have come up over the last year or so that will change the Canada we think we know right now. Is free trade going to make Canada a weaker country, even more subservient to the United States, or will it make us stronger and more independent?
It seems that the Meech Lake Accord is going to be passed pretty much as written. Its influence on the way we are governed will be major. Some believe it will strengthen our institutions, others that it will lead ultimately to the fragmentation of the Country as the provinces block the development of national programs. Time will tell.
Since the Official Languages Act was passed about eighteen years ago, there has been an enormous change in the way Canada is managed. A new Act is about to be passed, possibly with as major an effect as the first one.
Our armed forces will soon be sending nuclear-fueled submarines under the Arctic ice. It is unlikely that these will be nuclear-armed, but even so, they constitute a major change in our relationship to our neighbours, the two most powerful nations on Earth.
As the aphorism goes, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” Things are changing radically in this country. At the same time we must all work to ensure that the fundamental values we cherish continue to remain the same.
Enough of that. On Wednesday there will be celebrations all over Canada of the country’s 120th birthday. In Shawville there is a party beginning with a dance on Tuesday night, a breakfast on Wednesday morning, a parade and horse draw among other things during the afternoon and a dinner in the evening. Lots of things for everyone to enjoy.
Happy Canada Day!
