Canada Day: The Importance of Honouring Heritage

July 1, 2021 marked the 154th celebration of Canada Day. An opportunity to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices of those who came before. Sadly, in the age of “cancel culture” it has become common practice to look at the past through a highly critical and narrowly focused lens. The dwindling defence of our country in both public and private spheres has led to a politicized debate surrounding the validity of celebrating the past.

I read an article recently which theorized that most Canadians view Canada Day as a day off of work and nothing more. Extreme generalizations aside, I wonder if there is a grain of truth hidden inside the cynicism. I wonder how many Canadians pause to consider our great heritage on Canada Day.

Not unlike the life span of an individual, the life span of a country is filled with experiences both good and bad. On both levels, it can be argued that the experiences that we perceive as negative are the ones that lead to the greatest opportunities for growth. By exercising our freedom to examine the worst of our errors, the hope is that we avoid repeating them.

For 15 years Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Programs sought to honour the experiences of seniors by bridging the gap between generations. By giving students and seniors space to learn from each other we ensure that the lessons of the past are not forgotten.  More recently, SKIP has been involved with providing platforms for seniors in the community to share their life stories in a project called “SKIP’s Soapbox”. For the month of July, “Buzz Me” will be collecting stories from seniors who want to share what Canada means to them. These stories will be be shared with the community on our platforms.

We believe that by looking to the the past, we can better prepare for our future. We believe that honouring the experiences of those who came before and reflecting on the ways those experiences have shaped our communities is a worthwhile endeavour.