First of July

La Fete du Canada is the French phrase for Canada Day, First of July, when the color red this year streamed across the TV screens across Canada. Being a full resident of China where the East remains Red, I was not prepared for the preponderance of Zhongguoren (Chinese) north of the 48th parallel in North America. When I lived in Saskatchewan in the ’70s, it was always a delight to stop by the local restaurant ran by a Chinese family. The red of Canada and the red of China are obviously not the same, but the presence of Chinese in the land of Truth North Strong and Free has become prominent in this year’s celebration, judging from TV clips.

But first, in the official celebration of La Fete du Canada aired from the Quad of the Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the first song sang that got the governor general and everyone else on their feet was God Save the Queen, followed by Oh, Canada.

As a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom, Canada does recognize the Queen of England and the segment of the Canadian population that walks with a straight upper lip tend to mind their manners revering the aura of Kate and William when they visit the realm.

So, for Canada Day, I walked down 8th Avenue in downtown Calgary last Tuesday from the municipal building to the entrance of Stephen Avenue Walk by Toronto Dominion square. Like other festive occasions, the day had vendors lined up along the pedestrian-only avenue with tents and stalls selling food, handicrafts, and beverages even as entertainment was heard from neighboring parks; troubadours along the walk act their gig with open hats on the ground for donations under the long yellow-red banners draped on the street lights for the occasion.

I was told at Cole next to Brooks Brothers by TD Square that the establishment had to put notices of “for paying customers only” on the tables because Chinese workers would bring their food and occupy tables without buying anything from the food stalls. There is a racist resistance to the rapid ascent of Asians, for what used to be “Little Italy” north of the city has become an Asian enclave. Unfortunately, as Asians seems to look alike, Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese and anyone else from Central Asia and Southeast Asia are dubbed “Chinese”!

The mayor of Calgary is of South Indian descent named Nenji, a candidate to replace Rob Ford of Toronto is a Chow, and Chinatown by the Bow River show magnificent structures and establishments trading not only Chinese goods but also patrons of the Bank of China, not a mere hole-in-the-wall offshore financial service in the downtown area, so the tinge of jealousy for things Chinese laces the perceived taint on a racial reputation.

The imperial God Save the Queen has not been an ethos historically friendly to the land of 56 ethnic groups of China, though its influence on Hong Kong is considerable. Thanks to the handover in 1997, the human and money capital exited Victoria Island swiftly and swelled the Chinatowns of the East Pacific shores of the West Coast of NA, particularly Vancouver in BC.

Oh, Canada, billed as the “Truth North Strong and Free” on this Canada Day, had CTV launch a highly participatory definition of the celebration’s theme by asking everyone, “What is Canada to you?” Open, welcoming, and diverse are themes repeatedly uttered. “Free/Libre” is emblazoned on the TV screen.

The Boys’ Choir of British Columbia led the Ottawa audience in singing both songs. The governor general gave a very spirited rendition by looks, though the audio was not turned up. And I sat as my brain cells shifted to lyrics learned in the Prairies of the ’70s:

I have welcomed the dawn from the fields of Saskatchewan
Followed the sun to the Vancouver shore
Watched it climb shiny new up the snow peaks of Caribou
Up to the clouds where the wild Rockies soar.

I remember leaving Saskatoon just about the time Neil Young started humming his Four Strong Winds song, and on this the occasion of my fare-thee-well of North America, I was reminded once more:

Think I’ll go out to Alberta, weather’s good there in the fall

I got some friends that I could go to working for

Still I wish you’d change your mind
if I asked you one more time

But we’ve been through this a hundred times or more.

One of my daughters was a Canadian for 18 years. Born in Saskatoon, of the options for travel papers from the U.S., the Philippines, and Canada passports she was allowed to have, Canada’s was the cheapest. My peripatetic family presented a border-crossing challenge as spouse and daughter (born in Manila) crossed sovereign boundaries with United States passports while father and second daughter presented a Pea Eye and Canada passports.

Not a groupie for the defense of the original French O Canada, now, Oh, Canada in English, but being with Canucks in the remembered land of Chinooks in Calgary this past week made me feel warmly welcomed home once more.