Much has changed since our Centennial

What a difference 50 years makes. The last time Canada Day was celebrated with such exuberance was on the 100th anniversary of the Confederation that formally brought Britain’s Canadian colonies (Ontario and Quebec) together with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Dominion of Canada.

The Centennial Year of 1967 was a massive party, but a different era. It can be argued that Canadians 50 years ago were celebrating a nation that doesn’t exist anymore.

It was a time when Canadians were experiencing a new self-awareness. Also new was a type of nationalism that allowed the country to recognize an identity separate from Britain and the United States.

There were rumblings within Quebec that also spoke of a distinct separation and identity, but those voices wouldn’t be defined or clearly heard for a few more years.

There were few hyphenated Canadians. The nation had welcomed a vast number of immigrants, mostly from Europe, in the years following the Second World War, and while many clung to the language of their nativity, most aspired to assimilate to the custom and culture of their chosen land. The concept of multiculturalism wasn’t as apparent, and would not be codified by the federal government for a few more years.

As for Canada’s indigenous peoples, their role on the national stage was virtually non-existent. Canada’s centennial was celebrated almost exclusively by the descendants of Europeans.

Even as Canadians celebrated the centennial, there was great awareness of Britain’s role in that transformation. It was understood that to be a Canadian was to have a monarch, and that monarch lived in Britain.

Back then we were an English-speaking nation. It would not be until 1969 that the Official Languages Act made both English and French the official languages of Canada.

Today our population is much larger. In 1967, there were 20.4 million Canadians. That number has almost doubled to approximately 36.8 million. Much of that increase is from immigration, and many of those immigrants were not born in Europe. They come from other parts of the world.

And while English and French are Canada’s official languages, the country’s culture is not defined by those two languages. A symphony of different voices and dialects can be heard, mostly in the largest urban areas.

And while Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, that historic cord is not as readily acknowledged by the average Canadian.

That’s not to suggest we were a better country or people in 1967. But Canada was a much different country.