After two years of canceled or virtual celebrations, in-person Canada Day festivities are back in Metro Vancouver.
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Thousands of people are expected to head to Metro Vancouver’s Canada Day celebrations to celebrate the country’s 155th anniversary.
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For most people, it will be their first in-person Canada Day gathering since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of events in 2020 and 2021.
In Vancouver, the main celebration will be at Canada Place, billed as the biggest July 1 party outside of Ottawa.
Renowned canada together and planned with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, the celebration highlights a theme of reconciliation and presents opportunities to learn more about the indigenous and other cultures that make up Canadian society, organizers said.
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Canada Place, Jack Poole Square and the surrounding streets will soon be covered in a sea of red and white. On the program: Live musical performances, exhibitions, entertainers and activities for the whole family and food trucks.
Missing this year is the nightly fireworks show over Burrard Inlet, which was canceled due to security costs.
In Surrey, organizers also worked with local First Nations for the Canada Day Party at the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheater in cloverdale.
Here are 22 Canada Day events in Metro Vancouver, from Abbotsford to Whistler.
In his official Canada Day message, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls on Canadians to recommit to the country’s values, including respect, hope and kindness.
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The prime minister said that the national holiday is an opportunity to commit to the values that the maple leaf represents, adding that the flag is more than a symbol.
“It is also a promise: a promise of opportunity, a promise of safety for those fleeing violence and war, and a promise of a better life,” he said.
Along with people celebrating the holiday, convoy protesters opposing COVID-19 restrictions, often draped in Canadian flags, will converge on Ottawa on Friday.
In his message, the prime minister says that Canada, home to 38 million people, is strong because of its diversity, from indigenous people to people who have only been here for a few weeks.
In an apparent reference to the treatment of indigenous people, including in residential schools, the prime minister spoke of Canada’s “historical mistakes,” saying that while we can’t change history, we can work to build a better future.
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— with Canadian Press archives
