Canada Day July 1, 2010

© Picture NCC

We are justly proud of the nation we have built together over the last 143 years. Since the earliest days of our nation's history, Canada has been a land of promise. We have built a society that celebrates achievement and excellence while, at the same time, maintaining a strong respect for human rights. Our participation in Celebrate Canada activities brings us together, strengthens our communities and helps us to understand the significance of the citizenship we all share.

Where to go and what to do on Canada Day?

Parliament Hill

Canada Day is celebrated in grand style in the nation's capital. Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Parliament Hill to take part in the noon show with the Prime Minister, the Governor General and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

This year, we celebrate Canada’s 143rd birthday and we welcome Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the popular Noon Show.

This year, the show will include the traditional flypast of CF‑18s and Snowbirds. Geneviève Borne and Ron MacLean will be masters of ceremonies.

The Noon Show will feature the group Barenaked Ladies, winner of eight Juno Awards and a World Music Award; Isabelle Boulay, an established artist who received the ADISQ Female Performer of the Year Award in four consecutive years; and Johnny Reid, winner of the 2010 Juno Award for Best Country Album of the Year. Many other guest artists from across Canada will also take part in the Noon Show, including Andrea Lindsay, who won the 2010 Juno Award for Best Francophone Album, Marjo, Jean-François Breau, Marie-Josée Lord, Jan Lisiecki, Dione Taylor, Christina Martin, Samian, Lynda Thalie, Wayne Lavallee, Shauit, Blueprint Cru dance company, Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, Hey Rosetta!, Campbell Brothers, Marie-Ève Janvier and H’sao, a musical group originally from Chad.

The Noon Show is a presentation of the Department of Canadian Heritage in collaboration with the NCC. It will be broadcast live on television through CBC, the CBC News Network, Radio‑Canada, and RDI.

Canada Day - National Capital Region:

Events continue throughout the day in the National Capital Region, including an evening show on the Hill, and ending with the traditional fireworks display.

For more information on the events organized by the National Capital Commission (NCC), please visit the NCC Website.

Celebrations across the country:

Contact the Canadian Heritage Regional Office in your province or territory for information on the eleven days of Celebrate Canada activities taking place where you live.

Did you know?

That the July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day.

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