Canadian

 More today of the large scale photos of scenes from across the country.

It was time to get going. The path away from the Canadian History Hall features more of the light inlay over mirrors works of places and activities from around the country. This is the monument of Louis Riel, the Metis leader and founder of Manitoba.

Here we have a passenger train crossing the Rockies in British Columbia.

A statue of Terry Fox is found in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The license plate of the Northwest Territories is in the shape of a polar bear.

The Lions Gate Bridge is in British Columbia.

Here we see Province House in Prince Edward Island.

And this is the dramatic landscape of Cape Spear in Newfoundland and Labrador. Tomorrow we'll finish off this visit.

The Goal Of Reconciliation

 More images of the country's centennial year are seen here.

Canadian accomplishments on the world stage. Northern Dancer was a Canadian horse, one of the great horses in racing history, and the first Canadian to win the Kentucky Derby. Retired to sire more horses, his legacy is still present among racehorses today. In center, a suitcase belonging to Glenn Gould, the Canadian classical pianist who was deemed a virtuoso of the industry. And Nancy Greene is one of the country's greatest Olympic athletes. 

Terry Fox left a big legacy behind that endures today. He was a runner who lost a leg to cancer, decided that he would raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society by running across the country from east to west. He started in St. John's, Newfoundland in April 1980, running the equivalent of a marathon a day, before cancer returned and cut his journey short near Thunder Bay in Ontario. He would die of cancer the following year, but each year, millions of people around the world follow his example to raise money in the fight against cancer, running in Terry Fox Runs. 

This is a prototype of his prosthetic leg.

Our relationship with our southern neighbours is one that has a big influence on us- for good and bad. SCTV was a comedy series of the late 70s and early 80s that also got broadcast south of the border. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas played off the differences between countries in their characters, the Mackenzie Brothers.

On September 11th, 2001, the country offered shelter to incoming planes from around the world as America closed down its airspace after the terror attacks, taking in travelers who would have understandably been in a state of shock after that. This photograph dates to a ceremony one year after that day. 

We move into an area that looks at Canada through a series of themes. The first being the First Peoples, and it is a troubled one. Following Confederation, the government chose the wrong courses of action. Instead of treating as a partner, the choice was that of subjugation.

Inuit statues, but with a dark story to them. Tuberculosis outbreaks in the Far North in the 1940s and 50s required medical evacuations of patients to the south. Their families were often not even informed that their loved ones had died.

The residential school program was the darkest aspect of this oppression, with the intent to simply "civilize the Indian". Children were sent to boarding schools run by religious organizations, separated from families without understanding why, treated with neglect or abuse, and traumatized in ways that left lasting scars. This was a decades long scar on the country, with the last schools only closed in the 1990s.

This quote, by one of the missionaries involved in the program, spoke for itself.

Every dot on this map represents one of the residential schools. With the exception of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, each province and territory had them.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was active from 2008-15, tasked with documenting the history of residential schools and their impact on people across the country, gathering testimony and evidence, and making recommendations on how to right this terrible wrong. It was led by Murray Sinclair, an Ojibwe lawyer, judge, professor, and politician. His quote printed here is very wise.

60 Years Of A Canadian Flag

 Each summer, the government uses a different theme for a display series on the terrace below the Chateau Laurier, where one walks from Plaza Bridge to Major's Hill Park. This year the theme is on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Canadian flag.

The flag, which replaced the old Red Ensign, is recognizable across the world, and deeply meaningful for the country as a whole. On Canada Day, it is typical for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at the National War Memorial, to become decorated with flags.

The Canadian Space Agency has taken the flag to space, and it is on the Canadarm.

Terry Fox was a courageous runner who lost a leg to cancer. He set out on the Marathon of Hope, to run from the east coast to the west coast. Cancer cut his journey short, and he would die, but millions of people around the world continue to run marathons each fall in his name to raise money for cancer research. Terry often wore shirts during this time with the national flag on the front.

The flag is a standard during citizenship ceremonies.

And its presence is felt even in humanitarian missions around the world after disasters and other crises.

It is a symbol of national solidarity- especially felt about hockey. As the expression goes, elbows up.

The maple leaf was first raised February 15th, 1965, on Parliament Hill, after a long process and much debate, involving many different designs and proposals. I think it's perfect.

It has been a strong presence for the country in Olympic and Paralympic games, as seen here.

And it is a symbol of unity, one more important than ever considering the odious nonsense coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days.

Prime Minister Lester Pearson was one of the driving forces behind a new national flag.

The National Flag

 A series of historical photos were on display. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the raising of the Maple Leaf. On February 15th, 1965, the new national flag was raised on Parliament Hill. The date is Flag Day now.

The flag has spent time in space.

This is a maple leaf made of people, all in red gathered together on Canada Day for photographic posterity.

Terry Fox incorporated the flag into his shirts he wore during his Marathon of Hope.

This former bank looks dramatic in blue spotlights. Another ice sculpture stands in front of it, with the flag embedded in it.

It has the look of a fireplace, and the Ice Hogs were in front of it as I passed by.

This ice sculpture pays tribute to the distinctive Metis culture, a blend of Indigenous and French that became a people of their own accord, recognized as such.