Dominion, Confederation or Canada Day

If you want to know what really ticks off a Separatist, it is when a Federalist calls the Dominion Canada, if you want to know what really thicks off a Federalist, it is when a Separatist calls Canada a Dominion, I believe the original Dominion Day, which was later renamed Canada Day in 1982 after the passing of the Charter, had more traditional flavour to it and thus should be retained to this day yet perhaps changed with the times within its historic original intent.

Following talks with some political thinkanddotankers from Alberta, Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador over the past weeks, talks which expanded todays's politics from that of the Right versus the Left, past Separatists versus Federalists, towards a brand new politics of doing what is right over what is wrong for tomorrow, I believe that possibly there is another need to rename the date, to get past both of those constitutionally ideologic solitudes of Separatism and Federalism, towards one name that we can all agree on and brings us to a third way of thinking constitutionally as Re-Con-Federationists.

Perhaps the middle ground is to call it Dominion of Canada Day, such a compromise would please both sides, the Separatists with Dominion plus the Federalists with Canada on the Day it all united, or perhaps the actual deal could be the name of the day, as Confederation Day still brings us together from sea to sea, while still recognizing all distinct, different and definitely individual provinces within a united nation and should likely still work towards being more of a confederate association of sovereign provinces than one federal state.

Re-Con-Federationists are stuck in the middle because we are neither Separatists nor Federalists, we believe the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and its Constitution Act of 1982 is not even necessarily legal, as neither have been signed by the Premier Ministre du Québec, from the Parti Québécois' René Lévesque on, and since 1968 has shown the rest of Canada, with two failed référendums from Québec in 1980 and 1995 and two failed accords from Ottawa in 1987 and 1992 under their belt, there is a serious need for constitutional reform in this nation.

Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Sir Hector-Louis Langevin and Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt all represented la belle province at each and every conference for Confederation, from Charlottetown, Québec City and London in United Kingdom for Queen Victoria to give royal assent to the British North America Act, repealing the Act of Union of 1840 thus changing Upper Canada West and Lower Canada East from a united Province of Canada into a united Dominion including the colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and which finally put their province's commitment to Confederation in stone.

As it never had a problem then leading the charge before Confederation talks even started, nor did they see a problem adding Manitoba in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905 and Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949 as provinces or Northwest Territories in 1870, Yukon in 1898 and even recent Nunavut in 1999 as territories within Confederation, then why have a problem letting them also be distinct societies and cultures within a united Canadian society and culture as fair, free and equal people who live in a just democratic nation would surely do.

So whether it be Dominion of Canada Day, Jour de la Confédération or Kanatami Qau, or any one of the other Aboriginal or Immigrant tongues spoken personally in our grand nation, I hope we can all celebrate it, enjoy it and have fun with it, as this is what it was originally intended to be for all citizens who can proudly call themselves Canadians and is why all of us can stay as one in our united provinces of Canada!