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As I am now a permanent resident of Canada, today I will be enjoying the very Canadian holiday of Victoria Day. It celebrates Queen Victoria’s birthday, which makes Canada unique among countries as one that takes a long weekend to commemorate the birth of another country’s dead head of state (and one with dubious virtues at that). See you all tomorrow!
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YEAH FRANK, what he said! As a country full of people with no cohesive national identity, we need a symbol of overstuffed pageantry that we can all rally behind.
While we’re at it, I think a movement should start to make September 13, the anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham a national holiday. That day was also pivotal in the creation of the Canada we know and love.
Here Here!
Signed an Australian
(another country that Queen Victoria was head of state and she gave royal assent to our federation as well)
First, love you love your site.
But on Queen Victoria. As a member country of the British Commonwealth, the British monarch is still the head of state in Canada. So Queen Victoria is not really “another country’s.”
Also, Queen Victoria played a big role in Canada. She gave royal assent to the country’s founding (ie/ allowed us to be more than just a bunch of colonies), she helped further democratize the country by accepting the Canadian idea of responsible government (which was adopted throughout the Commonwealth), and chose Ottawa as Canada’s capital.
So arguably the old lady deserves a day for playing such a big role in Canadian history… and we deserve a day off, right?
Signed… a fellow Canadian.
Hilarious!