The day began with a moment of silence, in memory and honor of the students from the homes.
A moment of silence during Canada Day celebrations in Ship Point on Friday morning was in stark contrast to the festive commotion that followed, bringing out thousands of people.
But that is exactly what it was intended to be, as part of a reimagined Canada Day focusing on the culture of life of the Lək̓ʷəŋən people and acknowledging the suffering in residential schools.
“This is a new way to celebrate Canada Day,” said Esquimalt Nation Chief Rob Thomas. “Especially after last year’s shady Canada Day.”
In-person Canada Day celebrations were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and again in 2021 after the unmarked graves of about 215 children were discovered at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School. A year later, the graves of just over 1,000 children are believed to have been found in foster homes across Canada.
This year there was no Living Flag set up with people dressed in red and white standing in formation. While many participants at Ship Point wore the colors of the Canadian flag, many others wore orange, the color associated with honoring survivors and victims of the residential school system.
“We can all come together again, it’s been a long time and I’m glad people still remember, respect and honor the lost children,” Thomas said. You look outside and there are so many orange t-shirts. It’s not just the red and white anymore.”
By 12:30 p.m., thousands of people crowded around Ship Point, checking out the multicultural street market, food court and performances on the main stage, which included the Lək̓ʷəŋən Dancers, blues artist Garret T. Willie, Capital City Syncopators, Claire Copeland, singer – songwriter Joyce N’sana and many more.
Dozens of little ones lined up for the bouncy castle and ice cream was in high demand as the heat of the day set in. Visitors enjoyed family-friendly arts and crafts and an interactive art installation that invited them to help choose beads for a giant bead design in collaboration with local artist Papaa Mayshi Ginewkwe.
Leslie Boucher was wearing a Canada Day hat and shirt. He was pleased that the festivities were returning to the city.
“It’s good to have a big celebration after COVID,” he said. “I had a lot of fun celebrating Canada Day.”
Victoria’s Canada Day celebrations were hosted at Ship Point near the Inner Harbor for the first time this year and began at noon with a Lək̓ʷəŋəen canoe protocol where city officials paddled to shore and requested permission to host the festival.
Before performances by traditional Lək̓ʷəŋən dancers, Songhees Nation Chief Ron Sam addressed the Canada Day crowd. He pointed to a place in the distance, behind the stage.
“For those who don’t know, if you look across the street where the Delta Hotel is, that’s where our main village of Lək̓ʷəŋən was when the fortress [Victoria] was created and built here on our territory,” he said. “Our people from Lək̓ʷəŋən really helped the fort get established.
“What’s really important on this day is just to emphasize that we’re still here. We are moving forward despite all the challenges.”
ngrossman@timescolonist.com
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