Latest news with #Québec
CBC
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
What does Canada mean to you in 2025? These people shared their perspective
From poutine, maple syrup and beaver tails to mountains, prairies and the sea, people around the world have some fairly defined ideas of what "Canada" is — if they think about it at all. But within Canada, pride and identity have shifted over time, whether it was after the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools or through the displays of the Canadian flag and talk over rights during the Freedom Convoy. This year saw a resurgence in Canadian pride as people got their " elbows up," bought Canadian products and pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's musings about Canada becoming a 51st State and tariff threats. Then there was a federal election — a fast and furious campaign that ended with some frustrated western Canadians talking about separation. It's led many to feel like there's a national existential crisis amid the ongoing effort to understand the values that define our nation. CBC First Person is exploring what makes residents and citizens from all backgrounds feel rooted in this country as we approach Canada Day. Read some of the perspectives shared from people all across the country. I'm a proud Québécois. Moving to Alberta helped me feel even more Canadian Thomas Aguinaga's parents didn't speak a word of each other's languages when they met, but their children grew up bilingual and both Canadian and Québécois. Aguinaga writes about how he learned to appreciate both elements of the Canadian identity and the idea of compromise after his time living in Alberta. Read more. I didn't know what it meant to be Canadian until I saw a photograph that opened my eyes When the photo of a drowned Syrian boy began circulating, Cape Breton's Clare Currie felt deeply moved to help. She saw the people of her beautiful but underresourced island mobilize in a big way to welcome newcomers to Canada. Read more.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Canada's national anthem is 45 years old today
While the country will celebrate it's birthday next week, O Canada got a head start on Friday, celebrating its 45th year as the official national anthem. While it was often used as the de facto national anthem for years, O Canada was officially adopted through the National Anthem Act on June 27, 1980. A few days later, on Canada Day, the Act was proclaimed by Gov. Gen. Edward Schreyer at a public ceremony on Parliament Hill in front of thousands of Canadians, making O Canada an official national symbol. The song actually has existed for more than a century, though its lyrics have changed several times over the decades. Commissioned to mark Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Québec on June 24, 1880, O Canada's music was composed by Calixa Lavallée and its French lyrics were written by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. While many different English versions of the song emerged as it grew in popularity across the country, the most well-known English lyrics were written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and judge. Opinion: 'O Canada' without the cross - why it's time to revisit the lyrics of the national anthem The Government of Canada website says the lyrics of the official French version have remained unchanged since 1880. Weir's English lyrics underwent several modifications over the decades on their way to becoming the official English version. Previous versions of the song included closing lines like 'Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall' and 'Bless our dear land this day and evermore.' Some lines were changed more than once. In 1913 the original line 'True patriot love thou dost in us command' became 'True patriot love in all thy sons command.' In 2018 that line changed again to 'in all of us command.' The Canadian Encyclopedia says discussions about discriminatory aspects of the anthem, including the gender-exclusive use of the word 'sons,' began in the 1950s. Former Liberal member of Parliament Mauril Bélanger, who pushed to drop 'sons' from the lyrics for years while battling ALS, introduced a private member's bill in 2016 to change the line. It was approved in the House of Commons as Bill C-210 a month later by a vote of 225 to 74. It wasn't until 2018 — after several debates in the Senate and after Bélanger had passed away — that the change became official when the bill became law. The new gender-neutral lyric received mixed reviews and Conservative senators abstained from the final vote in 2018. While the original manuscript of 'O Canada' no longer exists, there are two copies of the first edition. One is held in the archives of the Séminaire de Québec and the other is at the Université de Montréal.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Canada's national anthem is 45 years old today
OTTAWA — While the country will celebrate its birthday next week, O Canada got a head start on Friday as Canada marked its 45th year as the official national anthem. O Canada had been used as a de facto national anthem for decades before it was officially adopted through the National Anthem Act on June 27, 1980. A few days later, on Canada Day, the Act was proclaimed by Gov. Gen. Edward Schreyer at a public ceremony on Parliament Hill in front of thousands of Canadians, making O Canada an official national symbol. The song actually has existed for more than a century, though its lyrics have changed several times over the decades. Commissioned to mark St-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Québec on June 24, 1880, O Canada's music was composed by Calixa Lavallée and its French lyrics were written by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. While many different English versions of the song emerged as it grew in popularity across the country, the most well-known English lyrics were written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and judge. The Government of Canada website says the lyrics of the official French version have remained unchanged since 1880. Weir's English lyrics underwent several modifications over the decades on their way to becoming the official English version. Previous versions of the song included closing lines like 'Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall' and 'Bless our dear land this day and evermore.' Some lines were changed more than once. In 1913, the original line 'True patriot love thou dost in us command' became 'True patriot love in all thy sons command.' In 2018, that line changed again to 'in all of us command.' The Canadian Encyclopedia says discussions about discriminatory aspects of the anthem, including the gender-exclusive use of the word 'sons,' began in the 1950s. The late Liberal member of Parliament Mauril Bélanger, who pushed to drop 'sons' from the lyrics for years while battling ALS, introduced a private member's bill in 2016 to change the line. It was approved in the House of Commons as Bill C-210 a month later by a vote of 225 to 74. It wasn't until 2018 — after several debates in the Senate and after Bélanger had passed away — that the change became official when the bill became law. The new gender-neutral lyric received mixed reviews and Conservative senators abstained from the final vote in 2018. Other changes have been suggested in recent years. In 2023, former prime minister Justin Trudeau said he was open to changing the anthem again after Canadian singer Jully Black rendered the lyrics as 'our home on Native land' instead of 'our home and Native land.' When asked about Black's version, Trudeau said he was willing to consult with Canadians about it. Nothing ever came of that. Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk recently sang an altered version of the anthem during the 4 Nations Face-Off final game between Canada and the United States — a response to tariffs and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. During her Feb. 20 performance, Kreviazuk changed the line 'in all of us command' to 'that only us command.' She wrote on social media that in this 'very peculiar and potentially consequential' moment, it's important to stand up and 'express our outrage in the face of any abuses of power.' While the original manuscript of 'O Canada' no longer exists, there are two copies of the first edition. One is held in the archives of the Séminaire de Québec and the other is at the Université de Montréal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Legendary Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori to receive national funeral
Serge Fiori, founder of the rock band Harmonium speaks during an interview in Montreal, Tuesday, November 15, 2016, during the launch of L'Heptade XL, a remastered, remixed version of the band's 1976 double album L'Heptade. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) A national funeral will be held in honour of Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori, who died Tuesday at the age of 73. Quebec Premier François Legault made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, saying the funeral will be held 'in the form of a national tribute ceremony' in accordance with the family's wishes. En accord avec les souhaits exprimés par la famille et les proches, Serge Fiori aura droit à des funérailles nationales sous forme de cérémonie d'hommage national. Le drapeau du Québec sera mis en berne, de l'aube au crépuscule, sur la tour principale de l'hôtel du Parlement le… — François Legault (@francoislegault) June 27, 2025 The Quebec flag will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on the main tower of the Quebec legislature building on the day of the ceremony, Legault added. The date and location of the ceremony have not yet been announced. A book of condolences is now available online to allow people to express their sympathies to the family of the late singer, who founded the band Harmonium. Legault said in a statement that Fiori's death was 'an immense loss' for Quebec, 'We will pay him a national tribute worthy of his legacy,' Legault said. Fiori's musical career took off in 1974 with the release of the eponymous album Harmonium. The song Pour un instant became a classic of Quebec music. The group released only two other albums—Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison and L'Heptade—before splitting up, but they left a lasting mark on Quebec's cultural landscape. With files from The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Union workers call out Hydro-Quebec for asking tribunal to force employees back to work over holiday outages
Trade war or not, Hydro-Québec will have to continue to limit its exports to the United States. A Hydro-Québec worker on September 1, 2023. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Union workers with Hydro-Quebec are calling out the Crown corporation's decision to ask the labour tribunal to force employees back to work after Monday's storm that left over 100,000 clients in the Quebec City region without electricity. Hydro-Québec attempted to restore service quickly following the outages, but when it called on employees for help, very few responded, likely due to Fête Nationale. 'It was difficult to mobilize our teams, partly because of the holiday,' explained Hydro-Québec spokesperson Louis-Olivier Batty, in an interview with Noovo Info. Batty said that on holidays, the Crown corporation expects a 40 to 50 per cent response rate from its workers, but on Tuesday, only about 10 per cent of workers responded to the call. Fréderic Savard of the Hydro-Québec Trades Employees Union (SCFP 1500) told Noovo Info the situation highlights shortcomings in Hydro-Québec's planning regarding the management and predictability of work. 'We would like to point out the hypocrisy of Hydro-Québec, which brought the SCFP1500 union before the tribunal when there are still outages related to the storm, but Hydro-Québec discharged the workers on Wednesday, and all the teams were sent back to their respective regions,' said Savard. Hydro-Québec said on Thursday that the situation is nearly resolved, with 95 per cent of 'customers affected by outages related to the June 23 storms having their power restored.'By Friday morning, only 241 out of nearly 420,000 addresses were still without electricity. - With files from Noovo Info
