Thousands of Calgarians are set to celebrate Canada’s 155th birthday as festivities take place across the city, but not everyone calls it a “celebration.”
“It’s time for a change,” said Indigenous advocate Nicole Johnston.
“I would like to see Canada Day abolished, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Let’s make this a day where we can truly include everyone and move on from the past.”
Johnston is a member of the Piikani Nation who suffered trauma as a student in the Church of England in the 1970s.
She is holding a Justice for Indigenous people walk that starts outside City Hall at 4pm on Friday. Orange balloons will be released in memory of the thousands of children who have died as a result of Canada’s boarding school system.
Nicole Johnston is a member of the Piikani Nation who was traumatized as a student in the Church of England in the 1970s.
“We don’t see people celebrating, what we see are people celebrating on stolen land, the genocide that happened here,” Johnston added.
However, not all Indigenous people want fireworks canceled for Canada Day.
Jason Plain Eagle, who is a teacher in several Indigenous culture programs, was setting up a tipi at Fort Calgary on Thursday and is looking forward to everyone coming together for the big day.
“Boarding schools were a bad thing that happened to my people, but we always have to move forward,” he said.
“Fireworks make people happy, so I think it’s good to celebrate as well as acknowledge that children are lost. I’m glad we’re finally starting to recognize the trauma from boarding schools and bring it home, so we need to get it right.”
Fireworks are scheduled for 11:00 pm from the Town Hall, which will include a blessing from Stoney Nakoda Elder Cindy Daniels, a message from Jyoti Gondek and a moment of silence for the loss of Indigenous lives.
Jennifer Thompson, arts and culture manager for the City of Calgary, said the event will be streamed live on the city’s website.
However, she added that local culture is a major focus for this year’s Canada Day.
“We really want to highlight truth and reconciliation, so starting at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fort Calgary there will be a local showcase, a powwow and lots of chats around school sites and these traumatic experiences,” Thompson said.
Jennifer Thompson, arts and culture manager for the City of Calgary, says the event will be streamed live on the city’s website.
“It was decided that the fireworks would go ahead, but for future Canada Day planning, the city really wants to have a conversation with Calgarians about what they might want in the future.” Should we have fireworks? Should we have other types of programming that maybe we haven’t had (in the past)?”
Thompson added that the city will hold discussions about next year’s Canada Day fireworks over the next six months.
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