Celebrating Canada

National holidays, including Canada Day, la Fête Nationale and Victoria Day, provide annual opportunities for Canadians as a whole, and the communities which make up the country, to reflect upon and consider their national and community identities.  So too do major commemorative anniversaries, like the 1967 Centennial, the Canada 125 celebrations of 1992, the current commemorations of the First World War, and the upcoming events that will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.   With so much attention focussed on the nation and its constituent groups during these celebrations, it is not surprising that they can become politically charged events.  Politicians, policy-makers, the media, community groups and individual Canadians have all contributed to the shaping of these events and the conceptions of national identity that they seek to promote.  Yet many have questioned whether the degree of political involvement in these events has become too extensive and have expressed concerns over the particular type of identity politics being advanced.  Others believe that while the particularities of political involvement and direction have changed, the fact of this participation has remained constant for decades.

This bilingual roundtable event will bring together experts from a variety of backgrounds to discuss the ways that national holidays and commemorative events shape our understanding of Canadian identity.  They will consider issues including the degree of political involvement in these events, the particular messaging that is conveyed, and the desirability of centrally-organized versus popularly-driven events, and offer some thoughts on how to move forward with the planning of events in the future, including the Canada 150 celebrations.  Following a discussion among the roundtable panellists, the floor will be opened for a wider-ranging question-and-answer period with members of the audience.