Société Macdonald-Cartier Society

Canada Day Message from Macdonald-Cartier Society

on Jul 01 in Latest Press Releases by admin

CANADA DAY MESSAGE FROM MACDONALD-CARTIER SOCIETY

A transformative movement is a collective movement.

The Société Macdonald-Cartier Society is one of Canada’s most dynamic youth-led non-profit organizations, with a mandate to educate young leaders about Canadian history, heritage and culture, increase their level of civic literacy, and bring their voices and ideas to the nation’s public policy discourse.

We strongly believe in a bottom-up management style, and we are always open to input and suggestions.

Our aspirations are high for the next few years. In the coming weeks and months, we will conduct consultations for the organization’s strategic plan for the next twelve years (2012-2024). That’s how ambitious we are. However, we need more people to share in the great work that needs to be done to reach our goals

We strongly believe that young Canadians have a distinct voice that deserves to be heard. We’re deeply passionate about Canada’s history. Past, Present and Future. If you share our our passion for history and civic engagement, we invite you to join our volunteer team.

We’re looking for about 8-10 new people to join our volunteer staff team and help out with the following roles:

• volunteer/membership recruitment
• a partnership program
• programs (2)
• fund-raising/grant-writing
• a weekly newsletter
• public relations/communications (press releases, proof-reading of letters)
• research as needed

If you wish to volunteer, please contact Immanuel Giulea, Executive Director at immanuel@macdonaldcartier.org.

In the meantime, we would like to take a few moments to bring your attention to several important events and celebrations from the past few days.

First, we here at the Macdonald-Cartier Society heartily support Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s warm welcome yesterday to Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We are honored that TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose Canada for their first international tour.

In that spirit, we would also like to draw your attention to the flag which was unveiled specifically for the Duke of Cambridge’s visit to Canada ( http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14174 ). The flag is made up of the Royal Arms of Canada with the Duke of Cambridge’s personal cypher centered within a wreath of maple leaves and shells, and his heraldic mark at the top of the design. It is the first new flag to be designed for use in Canada since 1962 – the year that Her Majesty the Queen adopted a flag for her use in Canada.

Also, June 21st marked the beginning of a number of activities that have and will place across our country as part of Celebrate Canada, an 11-day period of festivities from June 21 to July 1. During this time, communities in all provinces and territories will come together to celebrate our patriotism and what it means to be Canadian.

Throughout this time of celebration, we are highlighting important dates in the history of our country:

Aboriginal Day, June 21st

Tuesday June 21st marked the 15th anniversary of National Aboriginal Day. National Aboriginal Day was first established in 1996 by then-Governor General Romeo LeBlanc, who, in a speech to mark the occasion, said the following: “On June 21st, this year and every year, Canada will honour the native peoples who first brought humanity to this great land. And may the first peoples of our past always be full and proud partners in our future.”

Saint-Jean Baptiste Day, June 24th

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is a statutory holiday in Quebec—and an important celebration for Canadian francophone communities from coast to coast. It is a celebration of Francophone identity, culture, history and achievements.

The celebration of Saint-Jean Baptiste Day dates back several decades. In 1834, it took on a patriotic tone when an influential Quebec journalist saw St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Montreal and was inspired to create a similar event for French-Canadians.

On that June 24, George-Étienne Cartier’s “Ô Canada! mon pays, mes amours” was first sung during a grand patriotic banquet gathering of about sixty francophones and anglophones in Montreal.

Multiculturalism Day, June 27th

The Government of Canada has designated June 27 of each year as Canadian Multiculturalism Day.

Canadian Multiculturalism Day is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity and our commitment to democracy, equality and mutual respect, and a chance to appreciate the contributions of our various multicultural groups and communities to Canadian society.

Canada is one of the most ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse countries in the world. It is this cultural mosaic that make our country unique.

Canada Day

This year, we had the honour of celebrating the Canada Day Noon Show in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Macdonald-Cartier Society was proud to celebrate Canada throughout this 11-day celebration that recognized our history and diverse culture.

On a final note, we would like to bring your attention on another anniversary: it was on June 22, 1864 that Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier who formed the Great Coalition (with George Brown and Alexander Galt), putting aside the differences between British and French-Canadians, to unite the British colonies of North America and form the new Dominion of Canada in 1867. This year marks the 144th anniversary of Confederation.

On this long weekend when Canadians gather together in communities coast to coast to celebrate Canada, we wish everyone a Happy Dominion Day.

Sincerely,

- Immanuel, Walker, James and Jermyn

PDF version : You can view and print the message in PDF format here