While Canada Day carries significance for all Canadians, it carries extra significance for us. Canadian Affairs launched on July 1 of last year, a mere three weeks after our small team met for the first time. To say that we had much to cover between then and our targeted launch day would be an understatement.
And yet, we never budged from the determination that July 1 was the right day for our story to begin.
It was on July 1, 1867 that Canada officially became a nation with the passage of the British North America Act, 1867. As a proudly Canadian publication focused on publishing content relevant to Canadians, it seemed fitting that Canadian Affairs would share the same birthday as the country itself.
Our journalism recognizes Canada’s many positives, while also highlighting areas that need more work. Both roles are important.
In recent years, it has become popular to question whether Canada is worth celebrating. Consider, for example, that some of Canada’s largest cities have recently proposed cancelling Canada Day festivities, citing cultural sensitivities and reconciliation efforts. Amidst a (rightful) reckoning with our history, some say there is no room to recognize our accomplishments.
We fundamentally disagree with this outlook. Canada is one of the safest, most stable, harmoniously diverse and best-resourced countries in the world. Countries struggling with conflict, mass poverty and disease would likely give much to have these foundational characteristics, which are the root of economic and social prosperity.
Canada’s marred record — especially its treatment of Indigenous peoples — must be reckoned with and made right. But our history does not, in our view, make Canada unworthy of celebration. Rather, it necessitates an appreciation of our history and an ability to put our actions in context.
In writing this, we recall the words of University of Toronto law professor and author Douglas Sanderson, a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, who said in an interview with us last year:
“A few years ago, for Canada’s 150th, my wife and I made a bunch of buttons that just added a 30 in front of that 150, to say, actually, we’re celebrating 30,000 and 150 years. From my point of view, that’s the right way of framing the day. That Canada is a little add on to a 30,000-year history of settlement and science and discovery and culture. Canada’s worth celebrating, but it’s worth putting in context as well.”
We couldn’t agree more.
As we acknowledge our history and look forward, we see challenges that will require strong leadership, honest communication and a clear understanding by the public of our problems.
These problems include lagging productivity, housing unaffordability, homelessness and drug use, unmanaged immigration, declining stature among our allies, foreign interference and potential treason by our politicians.
In this context, we believe Canadian Affairs has an important role to play. It is only by understanding the issues affecting Canadian families, consumers, workers and communities that the public can understand the problems we face and unite around common solutions.
Journalism — particularly the kind we strive to produce — offers a window into the challenges and opportunities facing everyday Canadians. And it combines these perspectives with the insights of subject-matter experts, who have informed views on what should change.
If you believe this type of journalism is important to Canada and its future, please support our work. We are focused on building a sustainable news organization, meaning one that deserves to be in business because it produces content that our valued readers need and want.
Thank you and bonne fête du Canada!
Right on! Let celebrate this great nation, warts and all and not cave to historical revisionists and cultural sensitivities by getting rid of Canada Day. That would be a real disaster.
Congratulations Canadian Affairs on your anniversary!