P.E.I.'s Canada Day celebrations are back, with greater focus on Indigenous representation

After being cancelled for the past two years, Canada Day celebrations on Prince Edward Island are back on this year, with a greater focus on including Indigenous voices and culture.

COVID-19 prevented public Canada Day activities from taking place in 2020. And in 2021, after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential school sites across Canada, many municipalities withdrew their plans as the country mourned.

In Charlottetown, the July 1 celebrations at Victoria Park run from noon to later in the evening, with an opening ceremony at 1 p.m.

"We're thrilled to announce that we are returning our celebrations to Victoria Park this year for the first time since 2019," said Laurel Lea, tourism officer for the City of Charlottetown.

"Everything that people have come to love and know about Charlottetown's Canada Day celebrations will be back in full glory."

There will be a family fun zone from noon to 7 p.m. with inflatables, giveaways and cupcakes. There will also be a daylong lineup of musicians and bands.

We also need to remember that there are unmarked graves in this country. We have to reconcile that.— Chief Darlene Bernard

Lea said the city has been working with L'nuey for this year's Canada Day programming, which includes event staff wearing orange shirts instead of red and white. There is orange throughout the decor, and other planned initiatives, including a land acknowledgement.

"Probably the highest profile activity that we have will take place on our main stage in between some of our evening acts," she said. "We're going to be launching a new series called Understanding our Past, Reconciling our Future."

That series will be hosted by L'nuey's Sean Doke, she said, and will include conversations with local leaders in the Indigenous community to educate the general public.

'We're always going to remember the children'

Chief Darlene Bernard of Lennox Island First Nation said while she's looking forward to celebrating Canada Day in a different way this year, there are still many unanswered questions from last year's discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves.

"We still have a lot of questions about the residential schools that our people went to … and we have a lot of questions about what can be done there to be able to help us to be able to find closure," she said.

Bernard expects that on July 1 she'll speak publicly about residential schools at events on Lennox Island, but will also encourage the community to celebrate their culture.

"We have to move forward, we have to take our rightful place in Canada and celebrate Canada," she said. "But we also need to remember that there are unmarked graves in this country. We have to reconcile that.

"It's going to be a day where we're always going to remember the children, but we're also going to make it a day to celebrate our community's accomplishments."

'An important component of Canada's history'

Mitch Shea, event development officer with the City of Summerside, said he expects up to 4,000 people to attend celebrations in the city this year.

The day is packed full of activities taking place at Green's Shore. There will be live music, face painting, balloon artists and much more. 

"There will be lots to do down there," Shea said. "Basically the grounds will open up at 1 p.m. and run right through to dusk, which is where the fireworks show will be."

The city invited Chief Bernard to attend the celebrations at Green's Shore and there will be an emphasis on appreciating and celebrating "the rich traditions of the Indigenous community here on P.E.I. and across Canada,"said Shea.

"It's an important component of Canada's history, and it's something we want to bring to the forefront this year."