Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Canadians are notorious for only discovering their patriotism when they leave their country. It is rare to find a Canadian flag flying anywhere other than parliament hill within the country, and yet outside Canada, you'll rarely find a Canadian backpack without one. So it came as no surprise to me that when I sent out a survey to my fellow Canadians, the only ones who bothered to get back to me where those residing outside the country.
The topic at hand was Canadian Thanksgiving. My question was why we celebrate it when the pilgrims never actually set foot in Canada. This then begs the additional question, why is it celebrated nearly two months before the American celebration?
In honour of those who responded, here are some responses I received from Canadians living outside Canada:
I think I celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving so I can come to your house and eat. Any plans this year? – Alon Sobol
We celebrate thanksgiving simply to confuse Americans who can't understand why we choose a different weekend than themselves – Rick Brooks-Hill
And, what I think may be the actual answer:
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving to give thanks for the "bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed", rather than to remember Pilgrims or celebrate settling in the New World (like the Yanks). For a long while we combined the celebration of the harvest with Armistice Day. Then, in 1931, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and observed as a distinct holiday and, in 1957, Parliament proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day would be observed on the 2nd Monday in October. Inseason falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north – Suzanne Mercier
And if that's not enough to spike your interest and encourage a trip to Canada, here's a few things I recently found out from David Rowell's The Travel Insider:
1) The Canadian government is scrapping its value-added tax rebate for tourists, due to take effect from 1 April 2007. The VAT is 7%, and is currently refundable to visitors traveling out of the country.
2) The Airport Improvement fee at Toronto's Pearson International Airport will rise from C$15 per departing passenger to C$20, effective January 1, 2007.
3) Four Canadian border crossings were shut down last Sunday as about 60 of Canada's unarmed border guards walked off the job after they were warned that a person classified as "armed and dangerous" may be headed into Canada.
Happy Turkey Day!
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