What Canada Day is and what it isn't

Like many other newcomers, I was part of a mass-hysterical celebration for Canada's birthday on July 1, 2018. I must confess I basked in the glory of arrival to a land called Canada as I waved a rectangular red flag and witnessed celestial fireworks by the lake.

Three years ago, I had no idea about how debated those celebrations were. I am gradually beginning to see why Canada Day needs to be a day of reconciliation, not a day of celebration.

I try to educate myself every day, unlearning and relearning, to reshape my understanding of what Canada is. There are readily available books and articles by Indigenous writers that can teach many non-Indigenous people like me about decolonization, reconciliation, and the indelible past and present of Turtle Island, this land scraped by the claws of colonization.
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