CANADA DAY, 2009 --- THE MAPLE LEAF FOREVER

Queen Victoria granted Royal assent to the British North America Act on March 29, 1867. This act created the Dominion of Canada, which meant that Canada was no longer merely a colony of the British Empire, and defined the structure for the Government of Canada...including its Federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the Justice system, and the taxation system. The original Provinces at the time of Confederation were New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario; which united the former areas known as Upper and Lower Canada. Today, there are 10 Provinces and the three Territories of Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut.


The British North America Act came into effect on July 1st, 1867. Although the form of the new Government of Canada was greatly influenced by that of the United States of America, the Fathers of Confederation decided to retain a monarchial form of the Parliamentary system with the reigning Sovereign of the United Kingdom as its' Head of State.





After 142 years, one major rebellion in 1884, a Constitutional Crisis in 1926, the establishment of martial law (under the only peactime usage of the War Measures' Act) during the FLQ crisis in 1970, an ongoing Constitutional Crisis since 1982 due to the Province of Quebec refusing to sign the current Constitution of Canada known as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and our Military fighting first as part of the British Empire until the establishment of the Canadian Armed Forces.........after all this, and much much more, we celebrate July 1st as Canada Day and take pride in our traditions of being a part of the British Commonwealth of Nations and of our continued close ties with our closest friend and Military, political, and economical ally, the United States of America.


God save the Queen and may God bless Canada!