LOTS TO LOVE ABOUT CANADA

The plaza outside the Vancouver Convention Centre was a sea of red on Canada Day. People waved flags, wore red shirts, sported painted faces and shared a few things they love about this country.

Jay Tanoja, 9, says his favourite thing about Canada are the bright colours of our flag, but his parents Drick and Lynn, who immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1980, say what they treasure most about Canada boils down to one word: “Freedom.” Tyrell and Alicia Samuels, brother and sister aged 21 and 10, were all smiles thinking about what Canada means to them. “I love hockey, Canadian basketball, the CFL, and I recently started snowboarding. And poutine,” said Tyrell. Alicia loves that she feels safe in Canada. “You don’t have to be afraid of bad people, schools are safe, and people are so friendly.”

Luka Jagpal, 8, and his mom Leanne Dospital stepped out to celebrate Canada Day with friends. “When I think of being Canadian, I think of peacekeeping, of generosity, and the natural beauty,” said Dospital. Jagpal listed Stanley Park, Science World and Chinese dumplings as some of his favourite things. Choke Ng and Lillian Fang, who moved to Canada from Malaysia and mainland China, have lived here since 1990 and 2002 respectively. “Being Canadian means being proud, being free, being able to enjoy the multiculturalism,” Ng said. Stephen and Susan Yorke of Maple Ridge had a special reason to celebrate Canada Day. The couple just returned from Santorini, Greece, where they decided at the last moment to cancel a cruise to Turkey. “We left the day before the bombings so we’re really feeling happy to be home.”