Canada Day | When London waves the maple leaf

Thanks to a few passionate expatriates, the celebrations of the 1^er July reach the other side of the Atlantic. In London, a group of Canadians have been organizing annual festivities since 2007 which, for a day, take him on a journey in his mind to his native land.

It is in this context that the tunnels of 26 Leake Street, a well-known reception hall in the Waterloo district, will be entirely devoted to food, music and typical Canadian activities in this 1^er July.

“It’s a great opportunity! Here, you are not often surrounded by Canadian news or culture. At the other end of the line, Mark Sultana is obviously enthusiastic. Responsible for the Canadians in London group, the Ontarian even made an effort to chat with us for a few minutes in French.

“We want to celebrate and give Canadians a chance to come together,” he said. Instead of just seeing each other in a pub, we add our food. And hearing the Canadian accent is really important when you’re away for a long time. »

And let’s say that it is rather rare to be able to observe dozens of maple leaf flags if you are less than a kilometer from the Big Ben clock or the Palace of Westminster.

The idea of ​​bringing together Canadians living in London began with the creation of Facebook in 2007. At the time, the gathering of the 1^er July was pretty straightforward: from their online group, a few of them would get together every year for a short cruise around town and an evening of watching hockey at the themed Maple Leaf Bar.

The current format, that of a real party, has been in place since 2014. And for this edition, a record number of around 1,000 people are expected on site. Very proud, Mark Sultana sees it as a superb opportunity to create links.

” [Les participants] love it. They talk, make friends. It’s almost useless to have entertainment so much they talk to each other. You can walk around and strike up a conversation with someone without being looked at weirdly, which isn’t necessarily common in London. »

Celebrate your roots

On site, a menu strongly influenced by Montreal culinary specialties will be put forward. Poutine, hot dogs, bagels, butter pies, smoked meat sandwiches… To ensure the quality of the food and, above all, the recipe, the Canadians in London team made sure to do business with Quebec and Canadian companies.

To drink ? From Sleeman, a well-known brewery based in Guelph, Ontario. To move a little, an area will be reserved for ball hockey. Two Canadian singers (from Calgary and Nova Scotia) will also take the stage during the evening.

All of these elements have one thing in common: the goal of making the Canadian population of London feel at home on this day which was established to commemorate the founding of the federation.

Ariane Charlebois, a French teacher who grew up in Montreal before moving to England in 2005, for example, still feels the pride of being Canadian. Although she couldn’t be there this year, she has participated in Canada Day several times.

“I find it important to meet people in the same situation as you. It’s a party that is very important, ”she says in an interview.

Since she was born to a Quebec mother and a Nova Scotian father, we wanted to ask her how she perceived the Canadian population.

“Nice people, who accept a lot of things and who are very diplomatic,” she replies. I learned to always think the best in people, that’s something I try to do as a teacher and as a Canadian. In my work, I have tried a lot to develop a culture where it is important to accept people as they are. »

Organizer of several other social activities during the year, Mark Sultana is very happy to see his Canada-London network grow. When he arrived as leader, the group had 2,000 members. Today, through all of its platforms, Canadians in London reaches approximately 16,000 individuals.

“Compared to the United States, which is very nationalistic, we have always been perceived as quiet and subtle. But I think that’s changing. Canadians are increasingly proud of it. »