As July approaches, Canadians are preparing to celebrate the most significant national holiday of the year, Canada Day.
Diplomatic Network (Asia) has decided to ask Generation-Z Canadian Lauren Avis her thoughts on Canada Day, as well as elaborate on what she loves the most about her home country.
Lauren is a prospective master’s student currently residing in Montreal and having grown up in Ottawa. She had previously studied abroad in London, United Kingdom, which has given her a unique perspective of Canada’s image in the wider world.
Q: Let’s start with the basics. It is Canada Day 2025, what does it mean to you, and what will you do on this day?
Canada Day 2025 will likely hold as much significance for Canadians as it has in recent years, which is essentially a day off and a reason to gather with friends. The standard Canada Day events are similar to those of any other national holiday elsewhere.
Being from Ottawa, the capital, has definitely coloured my perception of Canada Day as one of F-18 and Snowbird flyovers, parades, and huge crowds that I tend to avoid. Luckily along the entire river you can watch the fireworks.
Q: What are the common activities/events on Canada Day, especially popular amongst the youth?
People go downtown to watch fireworks, people wear red and white, the national colours, go to a barbecue and spend time with family and friends.
Some Canadians assign a huge patriotic meaning to the day, which will definitely be the case this year. I think Canada Day 2025 will be a significant event, given the surge in nationalism that the majority of Canadians are currently experiencing.
I will likely watch the fireworks with friends. When I was little, I used to go all the way downtown to the Parliament to celebrate. The added bonus of being in Canada is being able to celebrate in nature, ideally like at a lake at someone’s cottage.
Q: Regarding foreign expatriates, do you know if they participate in Canada Day celebrations? If so, can you give some examples?
Canada has huge immigrant communities, especially in all its major cities. Of course they participate. From my experience, actually, it tends to be people born outside of Canada who are most keen to get involved in volunteering for events hosted for Canada Day by the Heritage Department.
At parades and events, there are sometimes displays or booths by cultural centres, and, of course, a lot of international food, but I really do not think that their participation would be any different from that of a Canadian-born citizen.
Q: What is the most Canadian dish you can think of to celebrate Canada Day?
Ugh, I am disappointed by the traditional Canadian cuisine, especially because my first thought went to poutine, which most people I know consume very seldom. It is essentially French fries with cheese and gravy, popular in the French side of Canada.
I would say that one of the great things about ‘Canadian’ food is that most people’s diets are a very normalised and adapted blend of various international cuisines. These won’t be made in the traditional way, and instead, dishes will get altered for new audiences, in some way becoming a new thing in itself.
For instance, I honestly view Shawarma as such an integral part of Ottawa. There are shops everywhere after immigration waves from the Lebanese Civil War and I grew up eating it. Probably not a 100% authentic version of it, but in a way, I view it as so quintessentially Canadian. I think being an immigration-based country changes the way cultural elements are defined.
I would wager that tens of thousands of young Canadians are going to on Canada Day and end up in the Shawarma shop queue asking for garlic potatoes.
Q: Aside from food, what other aspects of uniquely Canadian culture are you part of?
I think we are very nice people who are able to form a very strong community when motivated to do so. I think especially this year, we are starting to emphasise building more of a national identity. People often view Canada through stereotypes and always in comparison with the United States since both nations are in North America. So I always hear foreigners think about Canada as a land of universal healthcare and casual niceties, which is pretty limited.
I think there is a huge national culture of kindness and selflessness that makes me very proud to witness, but Canadian culture is not some universal experience. Personally, I don’t play hockey or even watch it.
Q: What is something which tourists should do/check out if they visit Canada that is not often talked about in travel books?
Well I think that’s pretty hard to answer because we’re huge. It’s actually insane when you view it relative to the rest of the world. Regardless of where you are, there’s likely stunning nature that is well reported by local guides, and there are likely some special locations that you can find if you go off the trail.
In terms of Ottawa where I am from, which is also the only place I have lived long enough to feel qualified to answer this, there are a few cute neighbourhoods and scenic spots.
Q: You have been in a unique position, having studied outside of Canada for your first university degree. Did the experience tell you anything about Canada’s place in the world?
It taught me that people know very little about Canada. A lot of what they do know is purely from pop culture, which again, is limited. It’s a low-density populated country with entirely different historical origins than most places (especially compared to the UK and Europe in general), so I understand why people do not bother, and I should not expect people to be familiar with my country.
People are familiar with the stereotypes, and I know that I fit some of them. I think I apologise way too often, which was only pointed out to me when living in London. I will say, as I noted before, the conflation with the USA is frustrating, and I am glad that Canada is doing more to distinguish itself culturally and politically from our neighbour.
Canada overall has a positive image. People don’t know a lot about it but what they do think they know tends to be positive.
However, people also tend not to be aware of some of the more controversial elements of our history. I recall quite a few of my peers being shocked at the severity of historical injustices towards some groups in Canadian Indigenous and immigration history. I bring this up because it is growing increasingly important amongst Canadians to recognise past wrongs and move forward together as a nation.
Q: Last fun one, what’s the most true Canadian stereotype?
Some people, I kid you not, genuinely think we live in igloos or in some polar-scape where we ski past polar bears on our way to school. While I have seen people cross-country ski to school and work when we get the snow for it, we unfortunately do not live in igloos. I wish.
*Diplomatic Network (Asia) wishes Canada a Happy Canada Day!
