'Proud to be a Canadian,' says one of thousands of Canada Day revellers at Queen's Park
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There was a sea of red-and-white hats and other clothing as thousands of Canada Day celebrants of all ages took over Queen’s Park on Tuesday to honour of the country’s 158th birthday.
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“I’m proud to be Canadian,” said retired Torontonian Francis Gumabay, who attended the event with his wife, Milagro, and his dog, Hershey.
“We’re feeling stronger (about that sentiment after Trump) said we’ll be the 51st state. But we don’t deserve to be a 51st state because we have a sovereign country and we don’t depend on America,” added Gumabay, who traded his life in the Philippines for one in Canada 27 years ago.
Added Milagros: “I’m just so proud to be Canadian and for these long years I’ve been working as a registered nurse but (I’m) retired now. Canada is offering a lot of things.”
There certainly was something for everyone on Tuesday, including live performances on Queen’s Park’s front lawn stage, a drumline with two participants on stilts, midway rides, face painting, balloon twisting, a bouncy castle, self-guided tours of Ontario’s historic legislative building, and it was topped off with a 21-gun salute on the back lawn.
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And despite trade tensions, “Americans and Canadians still love each other very dearly,” said Vaughan-born Ryan Brik, who is now based in Myrtle Beach, S.C
“It’s just a great time. I’m here to have fun with my Canadian friends,” added Brik, who brought his American girlfriend, Sophie Gallagher, to share in the festivities.
It was Gallagher who bought Brik the Canadian maple leaf-adorned shirt that he was wearing on Tuesday.
“He has those American shirts,” she explained. “And I was always making fun of him like, ‘Why are you trying to be American?’ So then I kind of bought this shirt off Amazon to make fun of him. I think it was $15.”
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People looking for a snack could turn to food trucks, including one serving up Tiny Tom Donuts. The Ice Cream Kingdom truck commanded the longest lineup, which wasn’t surprising given the 29C temperature.
Pooja Jain, who came to Canada from India15 years ago, brought her three daughters — Ivana, 6, Mishika, 8, and Aanya, 15 — with her to celebrate Canada Day and the country’s attributes which she listed as “equality, welcoming, and it’s beautiful.”
Aanya added: “It shows how important the country is for us. It gives us a place to live and we celebrate and we have fun here.”
After welcoming remarks on the main stage — located on the front lawn — there was the national anthem sung by Natalie Morris and a stirring dance-based performance by Indigenous group Red Sky.
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