On this day in 1867 the British North American Act was signed into power creating the Dominion of Canada being made up of 4 provinces; Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the province of Canada split into Ontario and Quebec.

The Act defined much of the Government of Canada, setting up its federal structure including the House of Commons, the Senate, the judicial system, and the taxation system.

And no one died.

Granted, it would take the Statute of Westminster in 1931 and finally the Canada Act of 1982 to cast off the final vestments of British authority. But we’ve never really been in a hurry anyways.

Let’s get drunk and blow sh!t up.

So, how do Canadians celebrate Canada Day you might ask? Pretty much the same way Americans pass the 4th of July. We get drunk and set off fireworks. Probably not nearly as many as Americans, but enough.

There are also the civic demonstrations such as the horse show put on by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a concert and speeches on Capitol Hill, and parades across the country.

Your friendly neighbour to the north.

Canada and the US have a shared history and a shared culture. We have many of the same products and services. The US-Canada border, besides being the longest undefended border in the world, is also the site of largest trading partners in the world. That’s right, more goods pass back and forth across the 49th parallel than between any other two countries in the world.

Although there are many similarities, there is much that separates our two great nations. We like cheese and gravy on our french fries. We’ve embraced the metric system (along with the rest of the world). We know where Canada is on a map (we also know where the US is).

Celebrating Canada Day in style

But today is not about our differences. It’s about me. On this day I like to sit back with a Caesar, listen to a Tragically Hip album, and watch highlights from the Summit Series (the greatest contest between two hockey teams ever). After Paul Henderson scores the most memorable goal in Canadian history I like to put on the latest fashions from Canada and hit up the bars with my brothers. It’s messy, but I like it.

~Kbshea, eh.